Food manufacturer Universal Robina Corp. said Thursday it will use renewable energy to power at least 20 facilities in Luzon and the Visayas.
URC said in a statement it signed an agreement with MPower/Vantage, Bacman and First Gen to supply at least 18 of its facilities in Luzon and two in the Visayas with geothermal, solar and hydro energy.
These include factories in Pasig, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga, Antipolo and Bulacan and facilities in Cebu and Negros Occidental. The company said the pivot to towards renewable energy use is one of URC’s biggest projects so far, as it pursues “net zero” goal by 2050.
Net zero means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) the company emits with the amount it removes. This commitment will support the country’s pledge to Paris Agreement on Climate Change which aims to reduce Philippines’ greenhouse gas emission to 75 percent by 2030.
“One of our focus areas is climate action. Under climate action, URC is gearing towards net zero by 2050. We aim for a low-carbon economy by optimizing the use of renewable energy among other tools to reduce the impact of GHG emissions,” said URC chief sustainability officer David Lim.
Lim said URC’s ultimate goal is to have all its plants utilize electricity from 100-percent renewable energy by 2025. This is not URC’s first initiative at pivoting towards renewable energy.
URC, one of the largest branded consumer food and beverage product companies in the Philippines, began installing solar panels that generate close to 2 megawatts at its manufacturing facilities in Canlubang, Laguna and San Fernando, Pampanga.
Plans are also underway to install solar panels in Calamba, Misamis Oriental, Tarlac, Pampanga and Cebu plants.
URC also expanded its sustainability thrust overseas. Its Thailand subsidiary installed solar panels on six factories and four warehouses at its compound in Samut Sakhon province, southwest of Bangkok. The solar panels can generate 6 megawatts of power.
The company’s Vietnam subsidiary has ongoing installation of 3-megawatt solar rooftop system at its coffee plant at the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park Binh Duong.
URC is engaged in an array of food-related businesses, including the production and distribution of branded consumer snack foods and beverages; commodities such as sugar and flour; and agro-industrial businesses mainly hogs, animal feed and other related products.