For the second consecutive quarter, DuPont ranks among the top 10 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) national Top 25 list of the largest green power purchasers in EPA's Green Power Partnership.
DuPont was recognized for its voluntary purchase of more than 180 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power. The company is purchasing renewable energy certificates for electricity generated from biomass and wind energy.
The EPA released its updated national Top 25 list highlighting the largest purchasers in the Green Power Partnership. DuPont is ranked No. 7 for the second consecutive quarter.
The list highlights EPA Green Power Partners that have completed the largest annual voluntary purchases through December 31, 2006. The top partner list is updated quarterly and is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/top25.htm.
"DuPont is pleased to be recognized for the second time as one of the EPA's top green power purchasers," said Linda Fisher, DuPont chief sustainability officer. "We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint, while increasing demand for products based on renewable resources. We believe it is important to demonstrate corporate leadership by sending the message that using cleaner sources of electricity is an important choice and a sound business decision."
"DuPont's purchase of green power helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions," said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator of EPA's office of air and radiation. "I applaud DuPont for its leadership among the chemicals sector and for showing that environmental stewardship and economic prosperity can go hand-in-hand."
"Green power" includes electricity that is partially or entirely generated from clean resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. Green power is considered cleaner than conventional sources of electricity and has lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a greenhouse gas linked to global climate change. Green power purchases accelerate the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide.
In addition to being recognized as one of EPA's Top 25 Green Power Partners, DuPont also has attained the status of EPA Green Power Leadership Club member. The Leadership Club honors Green Power Partners that have made an exemplary green power purchase that significantly exceeds the minimum Green Power Partnership purchase requirements.
The U.S. EPA, using national average utility emissions rates, estimates that DuPont's purchase is equivalent to avoiding the CO2 emissions associated with more than 24,000 passenger cars each year. DuPont's purchase of 180 million kilowatt-hours also represents the same amount of electricity needed to power nearly 15,000 average American homes annually.
EPA's Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to purchase green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Green Power Partnership currently has hundreds of partners voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500 companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; trade associations; and, colleges and universities.
DuPont – one of the first companies to publicly establish environmental goals 16 years ago – has broadened its sustainability commitments beyond internal footprint reduction to include market-driven targets for both revenue and research and development investment like biofuels. The goals are tied directly to business growth, specifically to the development of safer and environmentally improved new products for key global markets, including products based on non-depletable resources, like biofuels.