Crown 1st Metal Packaging Manufacturer to Activate Renewable Power in US, Canadian Can Plants

Crown Holdings, Inc. is now operating all 14 of its beverage can plants in the U.S. and Canada on renewable energy. 

It is the first metal packaging manufacturer to achieve this milestone, which is the result of a 15-year wind power Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) with Longroad Energy. 

With the VPPA in effect and all of Crown’s manufacturing facilities in the U.K. already completing a similar transition, 27.5% of the Company’s global operations are now using renewable electricity.

This accelerated usage of alternative power sources serves as a major step in Crown’s plan to employ 60% renewable electricity by 2030, 90% by 2040 and 100% by 2050—targets established in Crown’s Twentyby30 initiative, a comprehensive sustainability program that addresses climate issues among other areas of urgent global concern. 

The action also supports Crown’s Twentyby30 goal to decrease Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within its global operations, targeting a 50% combined reduction in absolute Scope 1 (fuel) and Scope 2 (electricity) emissions. 

The transition reflects Crown’s commitment to the RE100, which is led by The Climate Group and CDP and focuses on accelerating the transition to zero-carbon grids at a global scale.

Relying on a Texas-based wind farm, the VPPA generates more than 440,000 MWhs of electricity, helping prevent over 310,000 metric tons of carbon emissions each year—the equivalent to taking at least 67,000 passenger vehicles off the road for one year. 

The renewable power offsets 100% of the energy usage within Crown’s U.S. and Canadian beverage plants, which account for over 20% of the Company’s global Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.

“This VPPA, which makes us the first in our industry to complete an energy transition for all U.S. and Canadian beverage can manufacturing facilities, is a major milestone on our journey to utilize 100% renewable electricity by 2050 and will play a critical role in reducing GHG emissions from our operations,” said John Rost, Ph.D., VP, Global Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs at Crown. “Making a pledge to the RE100 initiative, setting science-based emission reduction targets and now implementing wind power across our U.S. and Canadian beverage plants—these are all actions we view as critical for driving measurable progress against climate change for our planet.”