As part of AkzoNobel's sustainability ambitions, the company has recently installed solar panels at its production sites in Garcia (Mexico) and Barcelona (Spain).
Thousands of solar panels have been installed at the Garcia (Mexico) and Barcelona (Spain) AkzoNobel sites as part of the company's ambition of cutting carbon emissions in half by 2030.
The installations in Garcia and Barcelona are the latest in a series of solar projects around the world which aim to help AkzoNobel reduce energy use by 30% and move to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as part of its People. Planet. Paint. sustainability ambitions.
"We're already using renewable electricity at 33 of our locations in eight countries and have installed solar panels at 14 facilities," explains Wijnand Bruinsma, AkzoNobel's Program Manager for Sustainability. "The latest two projects will make an important contribution to our continuing efforts to significantly increase these numbers as we strive to achieve our ambition of cutting our emissions by 50% by 2030."
The Garcia installation of 1,650 solar panels at an industrial coatings site is already complete and, covering more than 5,300 m2 of space, it will generate 82% of energy requirements, making the site almost self-dependent. It will eventually produce more energy than it normally consumes.
"We're very happy to see this project come to life," says Garcia Site Manager, Juan Francisco Garcia. "Initiatives such as this will help Mexico contribute to the company's ambition to become carbon neutral and use 100% renewable energy. It's very much aligned with our People. Planet Paint. approach and is a visible sign of positivity in these challenging times."
In Barcelona, work is underway to install 1,600 roof panels. The installation is due to be completed by the end of January 2021 and will generate 15% of the site's overall energy consumption. It joins two other AkzoNobel locations in Spain where solar panels have already been installed: Vilafranca and Vallirana.
AkzoNobel currently uses 100% renewable electricity in eight countries: Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK.
"People. Planet. Paint. is about integrating sustainability in everything we do. It's about ensuring that we continue to make a difference by addressing the sustainability challenges faced by our company, customers and broader society. Because by turning our ambitions into actions, we can make a positive contribution to society and ensure that we remain the reference in our industry", says Bruinsma.