Snack food giant Frito-Lay has opened what the company calls a “near net zero” plant in Arizona.
The “near net zero” vision was to transform an existing facility so that it would be as far “off the grid” as possible and run primarily on renewable energy sources and recycled water, while producing nearly zero landfill waste.
The Casa Grande, Ariz., facility will feature a recovery system that the company hopes will recycle 75 percent of the plant’s water, numerous solar photovoltaic systems spread across its grounds and a biomass boiler.
Other green innovations on site include high-efficiency tractors and a solar shade parking structure. The plant draws two-thirds of its energy from renewable sources. It is targeting a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent cut in natural gas usage.
As a company that relies on natural resources such as water and fuel, Frito-Lay plans to use the plant as something of a green energy test lab to improve efficiencies at other facilities and reduce the reliance on such natural resources in case they become scarce in the future.
Source: Environmental Leader