Supplier Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (PPAI 133342) received the Offsite Renewable Energy Award at the 2018 Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Summit in Austin, Texas. The Smart Energy Decisions Innovation Awards recognize innovative technologies and progressive practices among large electric power users. The Bowling Green, Kentucky-based company was recognized for the development of the Merendon Power Plant, a Honduran power generation company that operates as part of the Fruit of the Loom Corporation in Honduras.

Fruit of the Loom recognized a need for renewable energy sources in the company’s manufacturing facilities in Honduras. To provide a solution, it established the Merendon Power Plant, reducing its carbon footprint by more than 51,500 metric tons (MT) annually. This is equivalent to removing 11,028 passenger vehicles from the road for one year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The plant has been an exciting opportunity for us to actively pursue bioenergy and reduce our carbon footprint,” says Adam Wade, senior director of environmental, health and safety for Fruit of the Loom, Inc. “Smart Energy Decisions is a community of partners who work together to share and promote sustainability best practices, and it is an honor to be recognized for our innovative approach and effort in energy transformation.”