Arvato SCS Switches U.S. Site Completely To Green Power
The supply of "real" green power in the U.S. is very limited. Nevertheless, the distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, now obtains green power from wind and solar energy. By the end of the year, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions plans to have all its distribution centers worldwide running on green power.
Arvato Supply Chain Solutions has switched 100 percent of the energy supply to its distribution center in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin/USA, to green electricity from wind and solar power. This saves an average of around 1,500 metric tons of CO2 per year at the location. The consistent use of renewable energies is an important part of the supply chain and e-commerce service provider’s sustainability strategy and is to be implemented at all locations in the global network by the end of 2022.
For the 565,000 sqft. distribution center centrally located just 45 minutes north of Chicago O’Hare International Airport, the switch to green electricity was made in cooperation with Wisconsin-based regional utility company We Energy and its “Energy for Tomorrow” renewable energy program. In general, however, the supply of “real” green power, e.g., electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind, is still very limited in the U.S., and a changeover, depending on the region, is sometimes very difficult. “As a result, people often fall back to pure compensation for the emissions that result from converting fossil fuels into electricity,” reports Mitat Aydindag, Managing Director of Arvato Supply Chain Solution in North America. “However, that’s not an option for us as a company because we want to be part of the energy transition with our demand for ‘real’ green energy.” These requirements were met by We Energies, whose Energy for Tomorrow product is certified Green-e by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions and meets all environmental and consumer protection standards. Currently, the green electricity mix consists of 92 percent wind and eight percent solar energy.
‘Supporting the transition to clean energy in the U.S.’
“All employees in Pleasant Prairie are proud that we have been able to implement the goals set as part of our global sustainability strategy so quickly and that we are now the first Arvato Supply Chain Solutions North America distribution center to run on 100 percent renewable energy,” emphasizes Tywone Ferrell, Site Director at the location. “We hope that our example will also inspire other companies in the region to make the switch, thus further reducing their carbon footprint and support the transition to clean energy in the U.S.” In the U.S., Arvato Supply Chain Solutions operates a total of eight distribution centers at five locations with more than 3.6 million sqft. of space; worldwide, there are 85 locations in 20 countries with more than 21 million sqft. of logistics space. Mitat Aydindag: “The goal is to run all of our distribution centers with green electricity by the end of 2022. In Pleasant Prairie we succeeded ahead of time. At the same time, the changeover is an important step in our global sustainability strategy, under which we want to make our company completely climate-neutral by 2030.”Just recently, Arvato Supply Chain Solutions commissioned a solar power plant with more than 27,000 solar panels in Gennep, the Netherlands. With an output of more than 10,000 megawatt hours per year, it is one of the largest roof-mounted solar projects in the Netherlands. It also supplies green electricity to other Arvato Supply Chain Solutions sites in the Netherlands. The goal of the entire Bertelsmann Group is to be completely climate-neutral by 2030.
