BIC South Africa Claims 100% Green Renewable Energy

BIC, a world leader in stationery, lighters and shavers, recently announced its 100% green electricity use for its stationery manufacturing plant in Johannesburg, South Africa. The announcement comes four years ahead of schedule and is a first for BIC factories on the African continent.

The announcement stems from BIC’s commitment to significantly reduce the environmental footprint and carbon emissions of its operations, products, and packaging by 2025 to improve business and provide environmentally friendly solutions. It is based on the use of procured Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) in BIC’s stationery manufacturing plant in Johannesburg. Purchasing and utilizing the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) allows the tracking of the energy consumed all the way back to the renewable energy source.

Commenting on the occasion, General Manager of BIC South, East, and Central Africa, Marc D’Oliveira, said, “Our announcement of 100% green electricity use in our manufacturing plant in South Africa is in line with our wider business strategy, as well as with the needs of the market. Sustainability is deeply rooted in our business operations and has been at the core of everything we do for the past 15 years. We are proud of the progress we’ve made so far on this journey and recognize that more needs to be done. Our latest achievement in South Africa is testament to that.”

Expressing his delight, Carbon and Energy Advisory at Delta Carbon, Jan-Paul Spangenberg, said: “Sustainability is key on the Government agenda in South Africa. Public and private sector companies are committed to support government direction through their carbon-neutral strategies. BIC has been a pioneer in the private sector as its announcement of the use of 100% green electricity in its manufacturing plant in South Africa came in the year 2021 – progressively ahead of commitments made for the years 2030 and/or 2050. It is important to distinguish between carbon-neutrality and the procurement of 100% renewable energy. Carbon neutrality refers to companies balancing their carbon emissions with their carbon offsets, typically through tree-planting initiatives. The landscape of sustainability in South African sees more companies implementing a carbon-neutral strategy in their transition to becoming users of 100% renewable energy.”

Globally, BIC has made a commitment to use 80% renewable electricity by the year 2025. Earlier this year, the target was updated to 100% renewable electricity. The progress made in South Africa to date will significantly contribute to achieving the global target.