L'Oréal USA Installs Solar Array at North Little Rock Manufacturing Plant
L’Oréal Partners with Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s Energy Office and North Little Rock Electric Company on Renewable Energy Project
Nov 28, 2011 2:04 PM ET
Campaign:
L'Oreal USA Sustainability Initiatives
(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) North Little Rock, AR - November 28, 2011 - L'Oréal USA announced today that its North Little Rock, Arkansas manufacturing facility solar array installation, the first renewable energy solution of its kind in the state, is fully operational. During a ribbon cutting ceremony at which Governor Mike Beebe and North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays presided, Plant Manager Eric Fox confirmed that the new 13 kilowatt (kW) solar installation will provide 18,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually which is sufficient to power 100% of the plant’s outdoor lighting requirements.
L’Oréal USA partnered with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission’s (AEDC) Energy Office and the North Little Rock Electric Department on the elevated solar canopy which consists of 60 panels and stretches 84 feet. The University of Arkansas’ National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) provided the electrical design while Cromwell Architects and Engineers provided the structural design for the system. The project was co-funded by L’Oréal USA, North Little Rock Electric and the ARDC through funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. “This new solar array not only demonstrates the state’s commitment to investing in renewable energy solutions but it also conveys their interest in partnering with business to provide sustainable solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Eric Fox, Vice President and L’Oréal Plant Manager. “The North Little Rock plant already sources 100% of its indirect energy requirements through renewable energy credits/green tags from the Murray Hydroelectric Power Plant and has numerous other initiatives to help reduce water consumption and waste at the plant.” This is the third solar powered, green energy application for L’Oréal in the US. The other two US roof-top installations are at the company’s Piscataway and Franklin manufacturing plants in New Jersey. The company also uses solar technology in its manufacturing and distribution plants in India, Spain, Mexico and China. Twenty percent of the company’s electricity used globally last year was from renewable sources. The 450 thousand square foot North Little Rock plant is where more than 269 million units of Maybelline New York and L’Oréal Paris cosmetics products are manufactured each year. The plant is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified and has received numerous recognitions for its worker safety performance and recycling programs including 2010 Corporate Recycler of the Year Award from the Arkansas Recycling Coalition. In addition, the company was a finalist for the Arkansas Environmental Stewardship Award (ENVY) presented by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. Since 2005, the North Little Rock plant has reduced its water usage by -41%, transportable waste by -38% and CO2 emissions by -80%. In 2009, L’Oréal announced three significant long-term environmental 2005-2015 targets for its factories and warehouses which will be measured on a like-for-like basis. They include:-
50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
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50% reduction in water use per unit of finished product
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50% reduction in waste generated per unit of finished product
