Taking the big picture with sustainability

Solar is one area where companies can receive government incentives and other benefits, as well as a long-term reduction of energy.

So when Puratos installed solar panels on its Pennsauken, NJ, building’s roof, the payback began almost instantly. 

“As soon as we flipped the switch and turned on the solar panels, we saved money, and so it was a win-win,” observed Paul Bakus, president, North America, Puratos. “It was great for our bottom line, but it was also great for the environment This is part of Puratos’ commitment to be carbon neutral by 2025 with our own operations.”

Bimbo Bakeries USA even engages in partnerships to bolster its sustainability initiatives, said Chris Wolfe, senior director of environmental sustainability for Horsham, Pa.-based business.

For instance, the company recently teamed up with GreenStruxure to launch an onsite microgrid system of solar arrays coupled with battery storage. The systems are providing nearly 20% of the renewable electric energy use at the six California baking plants and saving an estimated 1,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Likewise, Flowers Foods installation of its first solar project at Flowers Baking Co. of San Antonio last fall has already seen promising results from an energy and cost-savings perspective, suggested Margaret Ann Marsh, senior vice president for safety, sustainability and environmental, for the Thomasville, Ga.-based company.

It’s all part of a broader goal-setting approach by the business.

“As part of a comprehensive review and refresh of our corporate responsibility program in 2022, we re-evaluated and updated our environmental sustainability goals to build upon our successes and challenge ourselves anew in areas where we expect to make additional progress,” Marsh said. “As a result, we introduced a new family of environmental sustainability goals with a 2030 horizon. We will begin reporting on progress toward these updated goals in our 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report and will be focused on continuing to build on that progress in 2024 and 2025.”

She added that Flowers has incorporated sustainability into its Bakery of the Future program, which employs new digital tools to ensure its production lines are operating properly and efficiently.

“Last year, we installed new on-site water and power metering at some of our bakeries to help identify and resolve issues quickly,” Marsh said. “Through our Bakery of the Future initiative, we are integrating that technology with custom dashboards, which will allow us to monitor usage more frequently, identify and remedy overages faster, and easily verify utility invoices. We are continuing to expand this initiative into more bakeries in 2024.”

Overall, Wolfe observed, reducing electricity has been the easiest way to get to net-zero carbon emissions.

The company uses point-of-use blowers, reduced air-compressing loads and LED lighting. Grupo Bimbo, Mexico City, also relied on its virtual power purchase agreement to receive 100 megawatts of wind energy from Invenergy, a large independent renewable energy company. 

For Grupo Bimbo, it’s all about buying into the culture of sustainability that’s being driven by Daniel Servitje, executive chair, and top managers at the world’s largest baking company.

“We believe it’s our responsibility to lead from a sustainability standpoint. When making food, we want to eliminate waste and get as much of that food into people’s kitchens,” Wolfe said. “It’s Grupo Bimbo’s culture that’s driving it. We’re very fortunate to have Daniel and his leadership team who have always been very passionate about sustainability. He lives it. I would argue that because we are international and have operations in Europe and other parts of the world, that this is a contributing factor as to why we’re leading most other companies.”

During the past five years, Bakus suggested, sustainability has become much higher on the baking industry’s agenda. The general non-competitive environment around green initiatives also makes it easier for companies to share best practices on energy savings and other programs.

“It starts with consumers because they care more about the environment, about the farmer, about where their food is coming from and who’s making their food,” he observed. “This is very exciting because it’s really a consumer-led interest.”

Working collectively through the American Bakers Association and other trade associations, he added, can play a critical role in enabling the baking industry to have a greater impact on the environment in the long run.

“Whatever any company does on its own, it’s fantastic, but it’s going to be a drop in the bucket,” Bakus said. “If we can get the whole industry to move forward, it’s going to have a real impact on climate change, for example. I’m really excited about the work that’s being done.”

This article is an excerpt from the May 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Sustainability, click here.