Month: March 2024

Kimberly-Clark and integrated energy solutions company, Energy Partners (EP), have signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to install one of the largest rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the terms of the agreement, EP will install a 2.2MW rooftop system at Kimberly Clark’s Epping manufacturing site of well-known brands Huggies® and Kotex®.

Once the project is completed, the rooftop system at Epping facility will allow an annual energy production of 3,478 MWh per year which will save over 3,130 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year[1], equivalent to powering 1,030 median residential homes in the country every year[2]

Collaboration

Charl du Plessis, General Manager of EP Power, confirms that the design of the system was developed in close collaboration with Kimberly-Clark’s local and international engineers and project managers to ensure compliance with regulatory and design specifications.

“The new rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will enhance Kimberly-Clark’s capacity to manage electricity consumption, whilst also enabling them to substantially increase their renewables penetration. This is especially exciting to us, and we are proud to be part of the Kimberly-Clark journey to meeting their 2030 sustainability goals,” says du Plessis.

Steven Hayes, General Manager of Kimberly-Clark Sub-Saharan Africa says, “We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and this project will contribute toward helping us meet our 2030 goal to reduce total emissions by 50% compared to 2015 globally. The installation of this rooftop solar photovoltaic system and partnership with Energy Partners is a significant step toward achieving our renewable energy targets, and we are proud to be part of the solution in creating a more sustainable future for South Africa.”

[1] Emission Factor in 2023 from IEA and in SOFI = 0.9 kg/kwh

[2] www.worlddata.info

MetLife

NEW YORK, March 1, 2024 /3BL/ – MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET) and the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, are pleased to announce that the application window for the 2024 startup cohort of the Cleantech to Market (C2M) accelerator program is open until March 10. Startups from across the country will be chosen to represent the most promising climate tech innovations and paired with interdisciplinary graduate student teams to receive free commercialization support. At the end of the semester, the student teams present recommendations and compete for MetLife Climate Solutions Awards, which are intended to further support the growth of the winning solutions.

This will be the third year MetLife is involved with the C2M accelerator program. As part of MetLife’s support, employee volunteers lend their business development and management expertise to help students advance the business plans and strategies of their assigned startups. The program is directly aligned with MetLife’s initiative to contribute $5 million to drive climate-related partnerships and solutions.

“At MetLife, we recognize that working toward a resilient environment requires collective action from multiple stakeholders,” said MetLife Vice President, Global Sustainability and Climate Lead, Josh Wiener. “By partnering with the Haas School of Business on the C2M accelerator program, we’re helping bring together MetLife employees, startups and students to advance innovative climate solutions.”

MetLife has a longstanding history of embracing technology and cultivating a culture of innovation. The C2M accelerator program embodies this spirit and gives MetLife employees insight into technology advancements across industries, including low-carbon energy, green chemistry, and water technologies.

“MetLife’s involvement in C2M has expanded our support for current and future climate tech leaders participating in the program,” said Brian Steel, director of the C2M program since 2012. “We look forward to welcoming this year’s cohort of students and startups and connecting them with the skills and expertise of MetLife employees later this year.”

Founded by students in 2008, C2M has paired more than 200 researchers and entrepreneurs with graduate student teams. The majority of technologies C2M teams have supported have become startups, which have collectively raised more than $500 million in disclosed funding and employ approximately 400 people.

To learn more about MetLife’s commitment to sustainability, visit MetLife.com/Sustainability. For more information about the C2M accelerator program, and the application for startups, visit haas.berkeley.edu/c2m/.

About MetLife

MetLife, Inc. (NYSE: MET), through its subsidiaries and affiliates (“MetLife”), is one of the world’s leading financial services companies, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to help individual and institutional customers build a more confident future. Founded in 1868, MetLife has operations in more than 40 markets globally and holds leading positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, visit www.metlife.com.

Contacts:

Olivia Janicelli 
(212) 578-3547 
olivia.janicelli@metlife.com