German pharmaceutical powerhouse Bayer AG has taken a significant step towards greening its operations in its home country by securing a substantial portion of renewable power from the Wuppertal city utility.
In a recent announcement, Bayer disclosed that it had entered into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (WSW), a public utility company, to source wind and/or solar power from German renewable energy farms. This move aligns with Bayer's commitment to sustainability and its ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2030.
The PPA entails an annual procurement of over 120 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of renewable power, a volume sufficient to meet the electricity needs of approximately 30,000 households. This agreement solidifies Bayer's commitment to transitioning its operations towards renewable energy sources, with its sites in Darmstadt, Weimar, Bitterfeld, Bergkamen, Berlin, and Wuppertal set to derive 100% of their purchased electricity from renewables.
Matthias Berninger, Head of Public Affairs, Science, Sustainability & HSE at Bayer, expressed satisfaction with the partnership, stating, “Last year, we signed a comprehensive agreement in the USA that will enable us to purchase 60 percent of the electricity we buy in the USA from renewable energy sources in the future. I am delighted that we have found a good partner in Germany with Wuppertaler Stadtwerke.”
This collaboration underscores Bayer's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and advancing sustainability initiatives. The company's climate targets include transitioning to 100% renewable energy procurement by the end of the decade, as part of its broader strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.
