Jul 31 2014
SC Johnson announced today that it ranks on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Top 100 list of the largest green power users. Moving up 17 spots to No. 77, SC Johnson is currently using nearly 75 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which is enough green power to meet 43 percent of the organization's electricity use in the United States.
Waxdale Wind Turbines
"We are honored to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our continued commitment to reducing our environmental footprint," said Kelly M. Semrau, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Communication and Sustainability for SC Johnson. "Focusing on green power use has long been a priority at SC Johnson. In the past decade alone, we have undertaken renewable energy initiatives around the globe, including wind power, solar and cogeneration."
SC Johnson also appears as No. 9 on the Top 30 On-site Generation list. This green power commitment qualifies SC Johnson for the U.S. EPA's Green Power Leadership Club, a distinction given to organizations that have significantly exceeded EPA's minimum requirements. Green Power Leadership Club members must use 10 times the Partnership's minimum green power use requirement organization-wide.
In December 2013, SC Johnson celebrated the anniversary of the installation of two wind turbines at its largest manufacturing facility, Waxdale, in Mt. Pleasant, Wis. The turbines successfully cut nearly 6,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases in the first year of operation. Combined with the Waxdale facility's cogeneration systems already in place, the site, which is the size of 36 football fields, is now able to generate, on average, 100 percent of its electrical energy on-site.
In addition to company-owned wind power at its Mt. Pleasant and The Netherlands manufacturing sites, SC Johnson purchases wind power at two other manufacturing locations, including one in Bay City, Mich. Just one example of SC Johnson's innovative renewable energy efforts is the use of waste husks from rice grains as a fuel source for heating water used in mosquito coil production in Indonesia.
According to the U.S. EPA, SC Johnson's green power use of nearly 75 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 11,000 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of more than 7,000 average American homes annually. Green power is electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro.
About SC Johnson
SC Johnson is a family company dedicated to innovative, high-quality products, excellence in the workplace and a long-term commitment to the environment and the communities in which it operates. Based in the USA, the company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care, pest control and shoe care. It markets such well-known brands as GLADE®, KIWI®, OFF!®, PLEDGE®, RAID®, SCRUBBING BUBBLES®, SHOUT®, WINDEX® and ZIPLOC® in the U.S. and beyond, with brands marketed outside the U.S. including AUTAN®, TANA®, BAMAv, BAYGON®, BRISE®, KABIKILLER®, KLEAR®, MR MUSCLE®, and RIDSECT®. The 128-year-old company, that generates $9 billion in sales, employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world. www.scjohnson.com
About EPA's Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.