GHG Emissions, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables  -  February 28, 2019

3M flips the switch to 100% RE

3M announced its commitment to move to 100% renewable electricity in all its facilities around the work, beginning with its St. Paul headquarters, a 409-acre campus with some 12,000 employees across 30 buildings and research labs. The company has set an interim target to source at least 50% of its electricity from renewables by 2025.

“3M is flipping the switch to becoming powered 100% by renewable energy,” said 3M CEO Mike Roman in the announcement. “We are continuing to step up our leadership toward a more sustainable future – in our own operations, and in solutions for our customers.” The majority of the power for 3M’s headquarters will be supplied by Xcel wind farms located near Pipestone, Minnesota. Additional electricity will come through the wind projects that are part of Xcel’s Windsource program and solar sources.

3M’s transition to 100% renewable electricity at its headquarters will increase the company’s total global renewable electricity sourcing by more than 5% to approximately 30%, helping to further reduce the company’s GHG emissions. According to the statement, 3M has recorded a 68% GHG reduction since 2002, while nearly doubling its revenue.

Committing to 100% renewable electricity is part of 3M’s strategic focus on "science for climate with the aspiration to innovate to decarbonize industry, accelerate global climate solutions and improve the company’s environmental footprint." The company recently announced an increased commitment to build sustainability into its supply chain pipeline, requiring a Sustainability Value Commitment be included in all new products introduced beginning in 2019.  The company also announced it will join RE100.

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