Baking & Snack - December 2020 - 64

ENERGY MANAGEMENT

Sustainability programs had to harness the energy of a turbulent year in ways bakers never expected.
by Dan Malovany
Bakeries can improve
energy efficiency by installing new lighting and
other environmentally
friendly features.
©sveta - stock.adobe.com

Even many of the best-laid plans had to be tossed
aside, or placed into a recycle bin, after the coronavirus
(COVID-19) struck. Almost all departments, including
those that drive sustainability, had to revise their objectives as bakeries struggled to meet the unexpected surge
for baked goods in the retail market - or had to scramble to find customers to make up for lost sales from their
foodservice accounts.
" We had a pretty aggressive campaign for 2020, and
candidly, when the pandemic hit, we had to refocus our
resources, " recalled Christopher Wolfe, corporate director, environmental and sustainability for Bimbo Bakeries
USA (BBU), Horsham, Pa. " First and foremost was the
welfare of our associates and to have enhanced safety
protocols in place. "
Despite the disruptions caused by COVID-19, he
added, BBU kept its bakeries running and routes meeting the unprecedented demand for its products.
" Our associates deserve all the credit, " Mr. Wolfe said.
" They went to work every day, despite the coronavirus. "
Even with the pandemic, Flowers Foods has been able
to continue to drive efficiencies and savings through sustainability initiatives, noted Margaret Ann Marsh, vice
president of sustainability and environmental for the
Thomasville, Ga.-based company.
" This is a real testament to our commitment to sustainability, though in the first few months of the pandemic, our company, like most others, was in crisis mode
dealing with challenges we had never faced before, " she
explained. " Our priorities then - and now - are keeping our team members safe and the market served. "
She noted that as the company has settled into a new
" pandemic normal, " its bakeries are hitting their stride
again when it comes to sustainable goals and targets.
For BBU, which even had to reopen a shuttered bak-

64 Baking & Snack December 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

ery to meet retailers' needs, operating its production
lines on overdrive while tweaking its product mix to
eliminate changeovers provided some unanticipated
benefits from an energy management perspective.
" Initially, we reduced SKUs, but with that efficiency,
our waste declined, " said Mr. Wolfe, who along with
Ms. Marsh co-chairs the American Bakers Association's
Energy and Environment Professionals Group.
" Traditional waste, whether you are looking at food
waste or plant trash, was down significantly. Based on
the sheer fact that we're getting a better yield, the energy
intensities went down as far as how much energy we had
to use to make the same amount of products. "
He noted that key performance indicators (KPIs) for
electricity, natural gas, water and traditional waste outperformed expectations as bakeries operated more efficiently. During the second half of the year, BBU even
ramped up some programs such as installing the LED
lighting that's now in most of its US bakeries.
" From an operators' perspective, volume is a wonderful thing, " Mr. Wolfe explained. " If a bakery goes from
shutting down X amount of hours per week to running
for hours on end, it makes everyone's job that much more
efficient, and that has a synergistic impact for all KPIs. "

Powering a star program
Many bakery operators, however, noted that safety
protocols for COVID-19 have prompted several plants
to recalibrate their goals and targets since a number of
energy-saving measures will not be implemented this
year, noted Walt Tunnessen, national manager for the
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy
Star program.
" In the baking sector, we have heard that some facilities are experiencing lower production levels while oth-

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