The baked goods group – which has a footprint in 32 countries worldwide – has signed a VPPA to receive 100 megawatts (MW) of wind energy from Invenergy, North America’s largest independent renewable energy company.
The energy will be sourced from Invenergy’s Santa Rita East Wind Farm in Texas.
The agreement further cements Grupo Bimbo’s commitment to become the first baking company in the US to use 100% renewable energy for its operations by 2020.
Production from the 100MW site is expected to match the energy consumption from Grupo Bimbo’s US operations by the third quarter of 2019.
This will result in a reduction of 26,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. It also means Grupo Bimbo will reach 75% renewable energy at a worldwide level, with overall CO2 emissions reductions of 440,000 tons every year globally.
Sustainability leader
“We are excited to partner with Invenergy in order to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the US,” said Daniel Servitje, chairman and CEO of Grupo Bimbo.
“We strive to be leaders in sustainability – it is part of our purpose of building a sustainable, highly productive, and deeply humane company – and decreasing our environmental footprint is one of our primary goals.”
Invenergy’s founder & CEO Michael Polsky added: “This agreement is a great example of how companies across all industries can view renewable energy as beneficial for both the environment and business.
“Grupo Bimbo is one of the organizations leading the way for sustainability in the baking industry, and as Invenergy continues to lead the way to a clean energy future, we are proud to help expand their commitment to using renewable energy on a global level.”
In 2012, Grupo Bimbo signed an Desarrollos Eolicos Mexicanos (Demex), a subsidiary of Spanish renewably energy firm Renovalia Energy, to source wind power from the Piedra Larga Wind Farm in the state of Oaxaca to power it Mexican operations.
In box:
Grupo Bimbo is the world’s largest baking company, with 196 plants throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. It produces over 13,000 products and has one of the largest direct distribution networks in the world, with more than three million points of sale.
The BMV listed company is also committed to reducing its environmental footprint and focuses on carbon footprint reduction, water footprint reduction, waste management and natural capital.