AHEAD OF THE PACK
Many companies have diff erent targets for when they see their factories becoming
entirely renewable. Who’s winning the race and who’s lagging behind?
BY AMY BEST
While some companies are still in
the early stages of their energysaving
journeys, others have
already hit their targets. There
is a list of companies that have
publicly announced their energy
plans, situated on the RE100 website. RE100 is
a global initiative led by The Climate Group in
partnership with CDP. It’s a group of ‘the world’s
most infl uential companies, committed to 100%
renewable power’, according to the site, and
includes 159 fi rms.
One of these companies is the toy giant
LEGO, which in May 2017 achieved its ambition
to balance 100% of its energy use with energy
from renewable sources. It did so by supporting
the development of more than 160 megawatts of
renewable energy. The LEGO Group has a 25%
stake in the Burbo Bank Extension wind farm
off the coast of Liverpool, and 31.5% stake in the
Borkum Riff grund 1 off shore
wind farm in Germany. 20,000
solar panels were also installed
on the roof of the LEGO factory
in Jiaxing, China, which produce
almost six gigawatts of energy
per year. This is equivalent to
the electricity use of more than
6,000 Chinese households.
Bali Padda, CEO of the
LEGO Group, said at the time:
“We work to leave a positive
impact on the planet and I
am truly excited about the
inauguration of the Burbo
Bank Extension wind farm.
This development means we
have now reached the 100%
renewable energy milestone
three years ahead of target.
Together with our partners, we
intend to continue investing in
renewable energy to help create
a better future for the builders
of tomorrow.”
To celebrate the milestone,
the LEGO group built the
world’s largest LEGO brick
wind turbine, a Guinness
World Records title. Built with
146,000 LEGO bricks, the wind
turbine stands 7.5 metres tall
and is a tribute to the record
200-metre-tall wind turbines
of the Burbo Bank Extension
wind farm.
Caff eine kicks
Other global giants on the
RE100 list include: Apple (target
achieved 2018), Ikea (with aims
to be 100% renewable by 2020),
BMW Group (aim of 2020),
Coca-Cola (Europe-wide aim
of 2020), Fujitsu (aim of 2050),
Google (target achieved 2018),
Nestlé, PWC, Sky and many,
many more. The full list can
be found at www.there100.org/
companies.
Not all companies will
take the same route, or even
be on the same track, when
trying to reach the 100% fi nish
Three Nestlé
sites combined
house over
4,000 solar
panels (above)
The world’s largest LEGO
brick wind turbine
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