South Africa’s Tiger Brands will soon install solar power at its manufacturing sites. This is part of its multi-million-rand investment into sustainable energy, the country’s biggest food producer said on Wednesday.
The demand for sustainability has gone up as in recent times as shareholders increasingly expect companies to take steps toward greater transparency and use cleaner energy.
Meanwhile as South Africa reels under its worst-ever power crisis, companies have realised they cannot depend on ailing state-owned utility Eskom as the firm cuts power for up to six hours, slowing production and crippling sales.
Onsite solar power and other renewable energies will be installed at 35 manufacturing sites across South Africa by 2030, beginning with four sites, which will generate 2 megawatts of power, providing at least a third of their power usage, Tiger Brands said.
Solar power generation at these four manufacturing sites is expected to up and running between the last quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2023. The goal is to have 65% of the business’ electricity requirements at a manufacturing level across South Africa sourced from sustainable energy by 2030, Tiger Brands said.
Other than solar power, Tiger Brands is also exploring biogas, wind, batteries and hydrogen amongst others, it added.
“Harnessing the power of natural energy sources is first and foremost about minimising our impact on the environment and doing our part to reduce reliance and strain on the national grid so that more South Africans have access to the resource,” said Derek McKernan, Tiger Brands’ Chief Manufacturing Officer.
