The Wonderful Co., whose products include Wonderful Pistachios, Halos mandarins and other citrus and POM Wonderful products, pledges to use 100% renewable electricity at its operations by 2025.
The company is joining RE100, a global initiative led by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, according to a news release.
The Wonderful Co. has invested more than $300 million in sustainability research and clean energy measures Chairman and President Stewart Resnick said in the release.
“This is the natural progression of our sustainability efforts and the right thing for us to do as leaders in the agriculture industry,” Resnick said in the release.
In January, the company signed an agreement with NextEra Energy to build a 23-megawatt solar project on 157 acres at the company’s Central Valley, California, facility. The project will generate enough energy to grow nearly half of Wonderful’s pistachio, almond and pomegranate crops, and bring the company’s renewable electricity use to about 25%, according to the release.
The Wonderful Co. first installed solar equipment in 2007, generating about 15% of the company’s nut processing facility.
In 2013, more solar energy projects were installed at the company’s Justin Wines, Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds and Halos facilities.
The renewable energy initiative includes sourcing 75% of electricity from renewable energy projects primarily on land owned by the company in the Central Valley, according to the release.
By 2040, the company plans to use only renewable energy at all global facilities, including the Fiji water operations.
“The agricultural sector is one of the global industries most immediately impacted by the effects of climate change,” Amy Davidsen, The Climate Group’s North American executive director, said in the release. “As the largest agriculture business to join RE100 to date, we’re delighted to see The Wonderful Company tackle greenhouse gas emissions from the sector by committing to 100% renewable electricity, and we encourage all of their peers to join them.”
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