3M reveals its strategies for managing energy usage in the U.S. Department of Energy's "Energy Matters" newsletter. The centerpiece of 3M's plan includes establishing a new set of corporate environmental goals every five years and tracking individual plants on a quarterly basis and again annually to evaluate their progress toward meeting energy-reduction goals.
To meet these goals, the Corporate Energy-Management Team develops a strategic energy-management plan annually that includes setting oversight and guidance for division- and plant-level planning processes and integration into the 3M's corporate strategic planning process. These strategies are put into action under five primary tools: strategic road maps of action, gaps in maps, business and country energy plans, facility energy teams, and facility energy assessments.
The result: 3M completed more than 185 projects in 2006 that delivered $18.2 million in savings. The company also reduced its energy consumption by 2.9 percent compared to the previous year.
The Corporate Energy-Management Team developed a model that helps the company to control energy costs, improve operation efficiencies, and reduce environmental impacts. The key enabler of its implementation process is its Annual Energy Recognition Program, which reward teams based on meeting their environmental goals.
The 3M Energy Program Dashboard monitors energy per pound of product, total energy use, cost of energy, world-class energy assessment score, and value of energy projects implemented.
To further reduce its energy consumption, 3M also partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Technologies Program's Save Energy Now LEADER initiative, which will help with 200 additional energy-savings assessments of 3M's most energy-extensive plants in the United States.
3M also continues to invest in renewable energy, including a 2,000-square-foot solar wall at its warehouse in Perth, Canada. The company is also evaluating other clean energy alternatives including landfill gas, on-site and off-site wind energy, and biodiesel. The company established its renewable energy division in February last year.
