CHICAGO, April 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Committed to working on a sustainable path for a better world through its ongoing technology and innovation investments to reduce its environmental footprint, Grupo Bimbo announced that it has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) to receive 100 megawatts of wind energy from Invenergy, North America’s largest independent renewable energy company. The agreement will deliver emissions reductions as well as social and economic benefits related to Invenergy’s Santa Rita East wind farm in Texas.

This agreement comes as part of Grupo Bimbo’s larger initiative to become the first baking company in the U.S. to use 100% renewable energy for its operations by 2020. Beginning in the third quarter of 2019, wind energy production from the Santa Rita East wind farm will be matched with energy consumption from Grupo Bimbo’s U.S. operations through the VPPA agreement.

This will result in CO₂ emissions reductions of 260,000 tons annually. With this sustainable action, Grupo Bimbo will reach 75% renewable energy at a worldwide level, with overall CO₂ emissions reductions of 440,000 tons every year globally.

“We are excited to partner with Invenergy in order to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S.,” said Daniel Servitje, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Grupo Bimbo. “We strive to be leaders in sustainability – it is part of our Purpose of building a sustainable, highly productive, and deeply humane company – and decreasing our environmental footprint is one of our primary goals.”

Construction and operation of Invenergy’s Santa Rita East wind farm will deliver substantial social and economic benefits to Irion County, Texas. This includes up to 300 jobs during construction, and 12 to 15 permanent jobs once operational. Additionally, as part of Invenergy’s agreement with the County, the project will generate $4,000 every year for 8 years for the Mertzon’s Lions Club, Irion County Volunteer Fire Department and the Extension Education Club.

“This agreement is a great example of how companies across all industries can view renewable energy as beneficial for both the environment and business,” said Invenergy’s Founder & CEO Michael Polsky. “Grupo Bimbo is one of the organizations leading the way for sustainability in the baking industry, and as Invenergy continues to lead the way to a clean energy future, we are proud to help expand their commitment to using renewable energy on a global level.”

Since 2015, Invenergy has partnered with 10 corporate customers to develop more than 1,100 megawatts of new renewable energy capacity. As a privately held, full-service energy solutions provider, Invenergy has the unique ability to be creative when it comes to solving complex energy challenges for corporate customers.

Grupo Bimbo focuses its efforts in four environmental action lines: carbon footprint reduction, water footprint reduction, waste management and natural capital.

For more information on Grupo Bimbo’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://grupobimbo.com/en/sustaintability.

About Invenergy

Invenergy drives innovation in energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Invenergy's home office is located in Chicago and it has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Poland and Scotland.

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have developed more than 19,400 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, natural gas-fueled power generation and energy storage projects. For more information, please visit www.invenergyllc.com.

About Grupo Bimbo
Grupo Bimbo is the largest baking Company in the world and a relevant participant in snacks. Grupo Bimbo has 196 plants and more than 1,800 Sales Centers strategically located in 32 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Its main product lines include fresh and frozen sliced bread, buns, cookies, snack cakes, English muffins, bagels, pre-packaged foods, tortillas, salted snacks and confectionery products, among others. Grupo Bimbo produces over 13,000 products and has one of the largest direct distribution networks in the world, with more than three million points of sale, around 58,000 routes and more than 138,000 associates. Its shares trade on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) under the ticker symbol BIMBO, and in the over-the-counter market in the United States with a Level 1 ADR, under the ticker symbol BMBOY.

Grupo Bimbo Operations in the US include:

• Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU). Headquartered in Horsham, Pennsylvania, it is the largest baking company in this country, producing healthy baked breads and sweet baked goods, with brands like Sara Lee, Entenmann's, Arnold, Thomas’ and Stroehmann. Today, BBU operates more than 50 bakeries and distributes products through 11,000 sales routes throughout the United States.
• Bimbo QSR. The newest Organization in Grupo Bimbo, dedicated to food service that supplies baked goods to Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) across the world. It operates three bakeries inside the US and 18 bakeries around the world. Product portfolio includes: Traditional buns, muffins, rolls, tortillas, bagels, artisanal and frozen bread, among others.
• Barcel USA. A branch of Barcel Mexico, it brings salty snacks to the US. Headquartered in Coppell, Texas, it manufactures, distributes and sells a great selection of innovative candy and snacks, offering a mix of unique, sweet and spicy products elaborated with the highest quality standards. Among its top products, one can find: Takis, Paleta Payaso, Bubulubu, Hot Nuts, Vero Elote and many others.

Contact:
Nicole Lasorda
Buchanan Public Relations
Nicole.Lasorda@BuchananPR.com
610.228.0454

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