Novozymes A/S : switches to renewable electricity in North America

Novozymes, the world leader in biological solutions, has strengthened its commitment to sustainable and environmentally-friendly manufacturing by switching to 100% solar electricity at its largest site in North America. The site in Franklinton, North Carolina, which employs 700 people, is one of the world's largest enzyme manufacturing plants.

'This is a first step in supporting the expansion of renewable electricity in North Carolina, while helping Novozymes, the world's largest industrial biotechnology company, realize its ambitious, global sustainability targets,' says Brian Brazeau, Novozymes' President for North America.

Electricity for the plant will be partially covered via the Fox Creek Solar Project, located in Louisburg, approximately 10 miles away from the Novozymes site. Together with electricity from another similar project in nearby Nash County, 100% of Novozymes' electricity requirements for the Franklinton site will be met through solar energy. The renewably-sourced electricity supply is secured through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) from each project. In this way, Novozymes supports the solar energy industry.

Setting sustainability standards

Novozymes' innovation revolves around realizing sustainability. Its technologies, microbes and enzymes that are optimized for use in industry, enable customers to replace chemicals, accelerate production processes, save energy, and generate less waste. For example, Novozymes' enzymes are widely used in laundry and dishwashing detergents, in which they remove stains, facilitate low-temperature washing and concentrated detergent.

With a focus on optimizing sustainability in its own production processes, Novozymes has a global goal of halving its CO₂ emissions by 2030. This includes switching to the use of 100% renewable electricity for its operations.

'We have ambitious goals, we are proud of our progress, and we hope that our efforts will encourage other companies to do the same,' adds Brian Brazeau. 'However, as an organization, we can also do more by supporting market-based policies that make it easier for companies to directly source renewable electricity - and together secure more sustainable manufacturing.'

Facts: Renewable Energy Certificates and Novozymes in North America RECs are a market-based instrument that certifies that the purchaser owns one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from a renewable energy resource. The certificates enable entities to offset their energy usage by supporting the production of renewable electricity. Novozymes has purchased RECs that are Green-e® certified, which means that they are guaranteed as generated from a new asset, are marketed with transparency and accuracy, and are conveyed with exclusive ownership to the buyer Novozymes has been present in North Carolina with operations since 1969, and today employs approximately 1,200 employees across 11 sites in North America. The company has previously developed a ground-breaking biogas plant that turns wastewater at the Franklinton plant into energy to help power the large-scale facility.

Novozymes Contact: Frederik Bjoerndal | [phone] | [e-mail]