UPM Raflatac’s Mills River factory first in North Carolina to be powered by 100% renewables.
Global label manufacturer, PM Raflatac, recently announced that its factory in Mills River is sourcing all of its electricity from renewable sources. The company says it is the first manufacturing facility in North Carolina to go with 100% clean energy, which is sourced through Charlotte-based Duke Energy’s NC Renewable Energy Program.
“Through our REC program, Duke Energy is working with large customers to secure renewable energy credits that will quicken their goal to promote a greener energy mix,” said Christy Daniel, managing director, Renewable Customer Solutions and Programs. “Our knowledge of the energy market can help companies like UPM Raflatac achieve this in a cost-effective way.”
This year, the Mills River factory opted to increase its renewable electricity use from just 4% to 100% via clean energy, including wind, solar, and hydropower. UPM Raflatac has a 2030 target to reduce fossil CO2 emissions from its operations and purchased electricity by 30%.
The use of renewable electricity is a key component of UPM Raflatac’s Biofore Site program, which aims to improve the sustainability performance of the company’s manufacturing sites. The program includes a Biofore Site scorecard with approximately 30 sustainability measures, including energy use, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs are the framework that governments, business and civil society use to drive the sustainability agenda. The Biofore Site scorecard is also a tool to make the company’s sustainability performance more tangible and transparent for its employees and others.
“We are proud to be North Carolina’s first manufacturing facility to boast 100 % renewable electricity use,” says Ari Salminen, the General Manager of UPM Raflatac’s Mills River factory. “It is just one way we are labeling a smarter future beyond fossils and leading the way for positive change in our state.”
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