Ball Corporation commits to 100% renewable energy in North America

Aerosol packaging manufacturer Ball Corporation has committed to switching its operations in North America to 100% renewable energy by the end of 2021.

To achieve this, the company has signed two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) for a total of 388MW of renewable energy, enabling it to switch to clean electricity generation in its corporate, packaging and aerospace operations.

According to Ball, the renewable projects, which are located in Oklahoma and Texas, will enable greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 50%, equal to removing 180,000 cars from the road annually.

"These renewable energy agreements place Ball among the leading corporate buyers of renewable energy in our industry and the US, marking a critical moment in our sustainability journey, and are a demonstration of our commitment to have the aluminium can recognised as the most sustainable package," said John A. Hayes, chairman, president and CEO.

"The combined wind and solar projects will allow us to address our North American electricity use, and make significant progress toward our previously announced Scope 1 and 2 science-based GHG emissions target, while leaving room for growth in our businesses."

The new VPPAs will contribute almost 5,000% more renewable energy to Ball’s North American electricity portfolio, the company added.

"Utilising renewable energy is an important lever to further enhance the sustainability credentials of our packaging and we're exploring similar opportunities across our global footprint," Hayes added. "We also continue to work with our customers, suppliers and other industry partners to further enhance the can's sustainability credentials and meet increasing customer, consumer and retail demand for more sustainable solutions to the plastic pollution crisis."