Nestlé Waters North America, in partnership with SMUD, today announced agreements that will allow its facility in Sacramento, California to be powered by 100% renewable energy. The agreement is a step towards parent company Nestlé’s global goal to transition to 100% renewable electricity use in its operations.
The clean, renewable electricity generated by SMUD, a community-owned electric provider, will be used by Nestlé Waters North America to produce sustainably-sourced beverage options for Californians, including the company’s Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water and Nestlé Pure Life Purified Water. By transitioning its electrical power needs to renewable sources, the carbon footprint of the Nestlé Waters factory will be reduced by more than 21,279 metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next three years.
Nestlé Waters North America’s Chief Sustainability Officer Nelson Switzer said, “As the State of California continues to lead on climate action and sustainability, Nestlé Waters is dedicated to playing our part to increase the use of clean, renewable energy.”
This announcement comes on the heels of recent achievements on the other side of the country, where Nestlé Waters’ parent company announced a 15-year power purchase agreement that will provide approximately 80% of the electrical load for five Nestlé facilities in southeastern Pennsylvania, including the two Nestlé Waters plants in Allentown. With the addition of the solar energy from SMUD in California, over 20% of the electricity Nestlé uses in the US will be from renewable sources in 2019.
In total, the agreements with SMUD will allow Nestlé Waters to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions attributable to its operations in Sacramento by approximately 7,093 metric tons each year. The SolarShares agreement is also projected to save Nestlé Waters approximately $1.4 million in energy costs over the next 20 years.
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