SC Johnson recently added two new wind turbines at its Waxdale manufacturing facility located in Mount Pleasant, Wis., marking another step in the company's goal of increasing worldwide renewable energy use to 44 percent of total electricity by 2016.
The addition of wind power means that the facility is now able to produce an average of 100 percent of its electrical energy on-site, reducing carbon emissions associated with powering Waxdale by 6,000 metric tons annually. Each 415-foot turbine features a permanent magnet, gearless generator, which requires less maintenance but produces higher energy yields than the more traditional gearbox-type system.
"SC Johnson has been making green choices for our products and operations for decades," said Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson. "Waxdale's new wind turbines enable us to manufacture our products while having an even smaller impact on the environment – and that's something the people of SC Johnson are very proud of. The turbines are yet another symbol of our commitment to future generations."
The Waxdale plant, which is the size of 36 football fields, is SC Johnson's largest manufacturing facility and home to additional clean energy initiatives. In the mid-2000s, two cogeneration systems were put in place that use waste methane gas from a nearby public landfill and clean-burning natural gas to generate 85 percent of the facility's electrical energy. The new wind turbines will provide the remaining 15 percent.
Since 2000, SC Johnson has also worked to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 26 percent. In Bay City, Mich., nearly half of the electricity needed to operate the company's plant now comes from off-site wind power. SC Johnson currently is researching on-site projects to increase the use of clean energy there.
At the SC Johnson plant in Medan, Indonesia, waste palm shells are used as a replacement for diesel fuel. It transfers a waste product back into the value chain with minimal impact and has reduced local diesel fuel use by 80 percent. It also cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15 percent.
In May 2012, the company launched a new biofuel initiative at its factory in Surabaya, Indonesia, using waste husks from rice grains as a fuel source.
Several solar projects are also helping provide hot-water heating for SC Johnson's facility in Shanghai, China. One provides hot water for food service and other office needs. Solar-heated waste water from the facility's steam piping network aids aerosol production.
In addition to these energy-saving efforts, SC Johnson is also working toward becoming landfill neutral by 2016. Through operational commitments, the company expects to eliminate or divert more than 480 million pounds of waste from the nation's landfills, which is equivalent to more than its U.S. waste footprint.
A leading manufacturer of household cleaning products and products for home storage, air care and insect control, SC Johnson employs nearly 13,000 people globally and sells products in virtually every country around the world.
For more information, visit www.scjohnson.com.
