Wisconsin Paper Company’s Renewable Energy Purchase Supports Environmental Goals & Customer Demand
3 min read
A lot of businesses choose renewable energy to gain a competitive advantage or to satisfy increasing demands for environmental responsibility. Renewable energy provides competitive advantages that can be found not only from a marketing perspective but also through voluntary certification programs, like Green-e Marketplace, LEED, and EPA Programs.
We asked Appleton Coated, one of our customers that participates in Green-e Marketplace, about how they have been able to leverage a sustainable strategy and meet their environmental goals by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates. Appleton Coated is located in Wisconsin, a regulated electricity market. Here’s what they shared with us.
Q: For those who don’t know, can you share some information about Appleton Coated?
We provide focused market leadership in the North American coated paper industry offering the most choice in high-end coated papers coupled with exceptional service. Our papers are branded under the product family name Utopia. Utopia papers support well-known brands and organizations in marketing campaigns, corporate communications, brochures, and fine art books.
Q: Why did Appleton Coated decide to purchase renewable energy certificates?
Our membership in Green-e Marketplace represents a significant step forward in our commitment to sustainabile, verifiable, energy practices and our goal of reducing fossil fuel usage. We are also expanding to include Green-e Energy certified green power as a standard offering to more Utopia products. What this means is that 100% of the electricity used in manufacturing these products is matched with Green-e Energy certified RECs.
Our customers have told us that renewable energy is important to them and has been reflected in the sales of our environmentally-forward products. We take great pride in our customer-driven organization that offers accessibility and flexibility to meet the demands of today’s fast-paced, ever-changing market.
Q: How does renewable energy tie into Appleton Coated’s other environmental efforts?
Using renewable energy is just as important as factoring in what the paper is made out of. To us, environmental protection is also a personal concern because, like everyone else, we want to breathe clean air, drink safe water, and enjoy the beauty of the forests. Acting responsibly on behalf of the environment is factored into everything we do.
We’re very transparent about our environmental initiatives. For more details, go to: http://www.appletoncoated.com/index.php?GroupID=39.
Q: Would you recommend that other businesses purchase Renewable Energy Certificates or join Green-e Marketplace? Why or why not?
It depends on what their business goals are. We have been working with Constellation for about a year and a half and are glad to take our relationship a step further with this particular environmental initiative. Green-e Marketplace helps us to achieve our goals while at the same time allowing us to demonstrate our commitment clearly to our stakeholders.
* Green-e Energy certifies that this product meets the minimum environmental and consumer protection standards established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions. For more information on Green-e Energy certification requirements, call 888-63-GREEN or log on to www.green-e.org.