News Releases from Region 04

EPA Recognizes Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc., in Gastonia North Carolina for Achieving 2020 ENERGY STAR® Certification

GASTONIA, N.C. (March 18, 2021) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Bimbo Bakeries USA, Inc., Gastonia, North Carolina earned ENERGY STAR certification. Nationwide, 95 U.S. manufacturing plants earned ENERGY STAR certification in 2020 for being among the most energy-efficient in their industries. By strategically managing their energy use while our country dealt with challenges of the pandemic, these ENERGY STAR certified plants saved nearly $400 million on energy bills—equal to the payroll value of over 8,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs. They also avoided the consumption of 80 trillion Btus of energy compared to average plants and prevented over 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to those from the energy use of nearly 600,000 homes. Since the first industrial facilities received certification 15 years ago, ENERGY STAR certified plants have significantly helped our economy and our environment, resulting in over $6 billion in savings on energy bills and cleaner air by preventing over 65 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions compared to average-performing facilities. 

“These forward-looking businesses have demonstrated that economic development and job creation go hand-in-hand with environmental progress,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The transition to a clean energy economy is happening now, as partnerships like ENERGY STAR encourage companies to go the extra mile, bringing innovation, cost-savings and pollution reductions in return.”

"I congratulate these companies who are taking the lead and reducing their environmental impact, cutting energy costs and reducing waste," said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. "Their leadership and commitment to energy efficiency is good for business and protects the environment."

Energy efficiency is an important decarbonization strategy for the industrial sector, which emits nearly a third of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions. To make the crucial reductions in industrial greenhouse gas emissions necessary—and enable a transition to a clean energy economy—manufacturing plants must significantly increase the energy efficiency of their operations.

ENERGY STAR provides manufacturers with resources for improving the energy performance of manufacturing plants. Plants use ENERGY STAR energy performance indicators (EPIs), or, in the case of petroleum refineries, the Solomon Associates Energy Intensity Index (Solomon-EII™) scoring system, to assess how their energy use compares to plants with similar operating characteristics. Plants with a verified energy performance score of 75 out of 100 or higher are eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, meaning that they perform better than 75 percent of plants within their industry. ENERGY STAR certification is available for 20 manufacturing sectors, from cement, steel, and glass to commercial bakeries.

About the ENERGY STAR Industrial Program
Since 2006, the ENERGY STAR Industrial Program has annually certified manufacturing plants for performing within the top 25% of energy performance in their industries nationwide. More than 230 plants have achieved this distinction since 2006. For more information, see: https://www.energystar.gov/plants.

For a list of all certified plants, see: https://www.energystar.gov/buildinglist.To learn more about how ENERGY STAR and industry work together, see: https://www.energystar.gov/industry.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations—including about 40 percent of the Fortune 500®—rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $450 billion in energy costs and achieve 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR can be found at: https://www.energystar.gov/about and https://www.energystar.gov/about/origins_mission/energy_star_numbers