A new report from The Hershey Company in Hershey, Pa., states that the company’s investments in solar energy, as well as energy and water optimization, reduce the company’s impact on the environment.
In its 2021 Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, the candy and snack maker said it reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 48 percent while reducing its Scope 3 emissions by 18 percent. The company’s stated goal is to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and Scope 3 emissions by 25 percent by 2030. The reductions were the result of an investment in renewable energy, the company said, as well as an intentional reduction of energy and water use.
According to the report, Hershey and National Grid Renewables announced that Hershey would enter a 140-megawatt power purchase agreement for the Copperhead Solar & Storage Project in Falls County, Texas, which is expected to produce an estimated $25 million in direct economic impact over the next 25 years. That impact will include new tax revenue, onsite operations jobs, and the creation of a $600,000 charitable fund.
“Investment in renewable energy is pushing us closer to achieving our ambitious science-based targets,” said Mark Kline, Director, Commodities & Specialty Procurement at The Hershey Company. “The impact of these three solar projects will be equal to taking nearly 79,000* gas-powered vehicles off the road per year.”
Additionally, the company said it would invest $3 million in energy optimization at its facilities around the world, which would provide the company with real-time utility usage data for electricity, natural gas, and water and reveal ways to reduce consumption by 10 percent. The company has also invested nearly $1.5 million into high-efficiency equipment as well as adjusted operating procedures to reduce well water usage. More than three-quarters (77 percent) of the company’s electricity consumption in 2021 was from renewable or zero-emissions energy, the company said.
The company said additional environmental gains would be seen through efforts to decrease deforestation.