LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skywell, a leading US water technology company, has been selected by Foxconn, one of the world’s largest manufacturing companies, to design and build a fully sustainable indoor vertical farm that will be integrated into the manufacturing facilities at Foxconn’s Wuhan, China Campus. The futuristic indoor farm will be entirely solar powered and its crops will be nourished exclusively by water generated by Skywell’s sustainable “air water” technology.
The new indoor farms, the latest of Foxconn’s green CSR initiatives, will produce high-quality vegetables and fruits, which will improve the variety and enhance the nutrition of employee meals provided at Foxconn’s on-campus cafeterias.
“Sustainability is a core pillar of Foxconn’s corporate strategy, and we are committed to investing in green, socially responsible innovation,” said Mark Chien, a Foxconn Senior Executive Vice President. “Because our people are the absolute foundation of our company, it is inspiring to be able to pursue a corporate initiative that will not only enhance the workplace, but also be respectful of the environment.”
According to Mr. Chien, since 2008, Foxconn has launched several green initiatives that have resulted in a significant decrease in carbon emissions and reduced water waste. By leveraging Skywell’s sustainable “air water” technology, Foxconn is hoping to enhance the working environment in its corporate facilities and showcase Skywell’s revolutionary technology and potential for the rest of the corporate world.
“Our atmospheric water generating technology shares many similarities with nature’s 'water cycle' by condensing and filtering naturally occurring and plentiful atmospheric water vapor into clean and fresh water,” said Ron Dorfman, CEO of Skywell. “Skywell 'air water' is generated with a carbon footprint much lower than alternative water sources due to the absence of pumping, plastics, packaging or shipping.”
Mr. Dorfman added that “When Foxconn became aware of our work with drinking water and indoor sustainable agriculture, Foxconn’s management immediately expressed interest in exploring various ways that our technology and know-how could be become a part of Foxconn’s CSR platform.”
“The implementation of these indoor farms continues our ongoing efforts to enhance the well-being of our employees in innovative ways,” said Mr. Chien. “We have high hopes for the scalability of the Skywell technology in connection with other socially responsible and sustainable initiatives in our facilities.”
Mr. Chien indicated that once the pilot project at the Wuhan campus is successfully operational, Foxconn will consider incorporating indoor vertical farms throughout its other Chinese and international facilities.