Stationary manufacturer BIC South Africa has declared that 100% of its electricity use at its Johannesburg-based stationery manufacturing plant is now green.

The announcement comes four years ahead of schedule and is a first for BIC factories on the African continent.

“As of 2021 and into 2022, SAF, through the use of procured Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), BIC South Africa can now declare that it is using 100% green renewable electricity. The purchase of these RECs allows us to track the energy we consume all the way back to the renewable energy source,” comments BIC South East Central Africa GM Marc D'Oliveira.

SAF is in line with BIC’s commitment to renewable energy as it ensures the electricity is sourced through a robust, trackable and credible system that is the Renewable Energy Council of South Africa (Recsa).

Delta Carbon’s Jan-Paul Spangenberg, who assisted BIC in achieving this status, revealed that, in the matter of renewable energy, “BIC is regarded as a pioneer, as most South African companies have a carbon-neutral strategy that will only see them becoming users of 100% renewables by 2030, and in some cases even 2050, while BIC is already achieving this as of 2021”.

He highlighted that it is important to distinguish between carbon-neutrality and the procurement of 100% renewable energy.

“Carbon neutrality refers to companies balancing their carbon emissions with their carbon offsets, typically through tree-planting initiatives. The landscape of sustainability within South Africa sees more companies implementing a carbon-neutral strategy in their transition to becoming users of 100% renewable energy,” Spangenberg noted.

D'Oliveira, meanwhile, shares that BIC’s purpose is to positively impact the world by driving innovation and offering sustainable solutions through smart design and the creation of products that last.

“As such, our approach to sustainability is deeply rooted in our values and is an integral part of our day-to-day operations.”

In 2018, BIC, on a global level, made a commitment to use 80% renewable electricity by 2025.

Earlier this year, that target was updated to 100% by 2025.