HORSHAM, Pa., Sept. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc., a proud Grupo Bimbo business, has received a 2022 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for outstanding clean energy initiatives and impact on the green power market. For more than 20 years, EPA’s annual Green Power Leadership Awards have recognized America’s leading green power users for their commitment to using renewable electricity and advancing the nation’s green power market. EPA presented Bimbo Bakeries USA with a Green Power Partner of the Year award at the 2022 Renewable Energy Markets Conference on September 15, 2022.
Bimbo Bakeries USA is currently using more than 490 million kWh of green power annually – 101 percent of the organization’s overall electricity use. By choosing green power, Bimbo Bakeries USA is taking action against climate change and realizing a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable energy future.
“We are proud to be recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for our efforts to help realize a clean energy future,” said Christopher Wolfe, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s Senior Director of Environmental Sustainability. “As a leader in the food and beverage industry, it is essential for us to set the example for other organizations and prove that using green power is possible.”
In addition, Bimbo Bakeries USA ranks as No. 35 on the EPA’s Top 100 Partners list, earned ENERGY STAR® certification for superior energy efficiency at 20 North American facilities this year, and has been recognized as an EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year with Sustained Excellence for five consecutive years. EPA updates its Top Partner Rankings quarterly.
Bimbo Bakeries USA lives its Purpose every day – Nourishing a Better World – and is committed to caring for their people, strengthening communities, offering products that contribute to a well-balanced diet and protecting and preserving the planet for generations to come.
According to the EPA, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s current green power use of over 490 million kWh is equivalent to the electricity use of 46,000 average American homes annually.
Bimbo Bakeries USA gains the majority of its renewable power through a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Invenergy, North America’s leading, privately held developer, owner, and operator of sustainable energy solutions. The agreement provides for 100 megawatts (MW) of wind energy generated at the Santa Rita East Wind Energy Center in Texas. The renewable energy generated from the wind farm helps offset approximately 260,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year. Additionally, Bimbo Bakeries USA’s investment in the Santa Rita East windfarm provides substantial social and economic benefits to the local community including construction and operational jobs as well as approximately $5 million annually to the local economy. Bimbo Bakeries USA also procures Green-e® certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), which combined with the Wind Farm offsets 100 percent of the electrical energy used in all of the company’s operations. Furthermore, Bimbo Bakeries USA has also signed an agreement with GreenStruxure, a division of Schneider Electric, to implement onsite microgrids, comprised of solar arrays coupled with battery storage, at six of its California bakeries. The expected outcomes from these system’s performance include zero carbon energy, peak demand management, and optimized use of energy from the grid. These projects not only expand Bimbo Bakeries USA’s renewable portfolio, but also improve grid resiliency.
Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps advance the American green power market, which accelerates the development of these resources in the United States.
About Bimbo Bakeries USA
Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 20,000 U.S. associates operates more than 50 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold®, Artesano®, Ball Park®, Bimbo®, Boboli®, Brownberry®, Entenmann's®, Little Bites®, Marinela®, Mrs Bairds®, Oroweat®, Sara Lee®, Stroehmann®, and Thomas'®. Bimbo Bakeries USA is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 33 countries.
About Grupo Bimbo
Grupo Bimbo is a leader in the global bakery industry. With more than 135 thousand associates, in 2019 it reported 15 billion dollars in sales. The Group has 197 production plants and about 1,700 Sales Centers strategically located in 32 countries around the world, across 4 continents. It produces more than 13 thousand items under more than 100 prestigious and recognized umbrella brands in categories such as sliced bread, buns and toast. It also has a broad distribution network in the countries where it is present and one of the largest in the Americas. In 2020, for the fourth consecutive year, Grupo Bimbo was the only Mexican company recognized as one of the 135 most ethical companies in the world according to the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2020, a list prepared by The Ethisphere Institute. Grupo Bimbo is listed in the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) as BIMBO. For more information about Grupo Bimbo, visit: www.grupobimbo.com. Look for us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/GrupoBimbo and Twitter: @Grupo_Bimbo.
About EPA’s Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that helps increase green power use among U.S. organizations. EPA and Green Power Partners work together to advance the American market for green power as a way to reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and other environmental impacts associated with electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 700 Partners voluntarily using more than 80 billion 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.
About the Green Power Leadership Awards
EPA co-sponsors the annual Green Power Leadership Awards with the Center for Resource Solutions. For more than 20 years, the Green Power Leadership Awards have allowed EPA to recognize winners that demonstrate leadership in and impact on the green power marketplace. Through these awards, EPA recognizes exceptional achievements among Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through green power procurement, community impact, innovation, communication, transparency, and overall influence on the green power market. The ceremony takes place at the Renewable Energy Markets Conference. This year’s three recipients are using more than 17.3 billion kWh of green power—enough to power more than 1.6 million average American homes for a year. For additional information please visit www.epa.gov/greenpower/green-power-leadership-awards.
For More Information
Annie Speer
610.228.0832
Annie.Speer@buchananpr.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2f4e142-9e3d-43fe-afa9-de0d4fa755e8
