L’ORÉAL INAUGURATES NEW BIOMASS PLANT IN BURGOS
Clichy / Madrid, 25 September 2014 – L’Oréal announced today the inauguration of its new biomass plant in Burgos which will enable the site specialized in the production of professional hair products to become neutral in CO2 emissions in 2015.
This milestone represents a completely pioneering initiative in Spain in the industrial field of combining the use of biomass, photovoltaic technology and trigeneration energy. For the first time, a trigeneration facility will supply steam, hot water, cold water and electricity to a manufacturing site and will produce 100% of the energy needs for its manufacturing and packaging processes. In addition, the biomass plant has photovoltaic panels which will provide the electricity necessary to achieve carbon neutral status in 2015. The opening of the biomass plant joins other environmental initiatives already undertaken by L’Oréal’s Burgos site in the area of waste management, saving of water and reduction of CO2 emissions.
This achievement is part of L’Oréal’s commitment to reduce its environmental footprint by 60% by 2020 as part of the company’s international sustainability programme “Sharing Beauty With All”.
The Burgos biomass plant covers an area of 3,800 m2. The company responsible for its design, construction and management is Biocen, a joint venture of the private company Cenit Solar and SOMACYL (Sociedad Pública de Infraestructuras y Medio Ambiente de Castilla y León S.A. – Public Infrastructure and Environment Company of Castile-Leon).
The project represents an investment of 14.5 million euros. Biocen has invested 12 million euros for the construction of the power plant and L’Oréal the remaining 2.5 million euros, developing the fluids distribution ring from the biomass plant and adapting the site’s heating and air conditioning system.
The thermal energy produced by the biomass plant will be 20,000 MWh/year. The L’Oréal Burgos site will consume 70% of this quantity, while the remaining 30% will be commercialized amongst other companies in the area. 100% of the electricity produced by the plant will be used by the Burgos site.
The plant will use estimative 12,000 tonnes/year of waste wood from the forests and sawmills of Castile-Leon region.
About L’Oréal
L’Oréal has devoted itself to beauty for over 105 years. With its unique portfolio of 28 international, diverse and complementary brands, the Group generated sales amounting to 23 billion euros in 2013 and employs 77,500 people worldwide. As the world’s leading beauty company, L’Oréal is present across all distribution networks: mass market, department stores, pharmacies and drugstores, hair styling salons, travel retail and branded retail.
Research and innovation, and a dedicated research team of 4,000 people, are at the core of L’Oréal’s strategy, working to meet beauty aspirations all over the world and attract one billion new consumers in the years to come. L’Oréal’s new sustainability commitment for 2020 “Sharing beauty with all” sets out ambitious sustainable development objectives across the Group’s value chain. www.loreal.com
About L’Oréal Spain and the Burgos manufacturing site
Present in Spain since the 50s, L’Oréal employs more than 2,000 peoplethroughout its four Divisions (Consumer Products, L’Oréal Luxe, Professional Products and Active Cosmetics) and its two manufacturing sites. L’Oréal Spain is leader in its market, where it sells 30 brands in all beauty outlets.
The L’Oréal professional hair products manufacturing site, located in the Villalonquéjar industrial estate (Burgos), rolled out production in 1971. Specializing in the manufacture of hair care products of all kinds (shampoos, treatments, lotions, dyes, sprays, perms, etc.), it became an international production centre of the Professional Products division in 1998. Today, its products are sold in 52 countries, in Europe, Latin America and Asia. L’Oréal Burgos is one of the Group’s most efficient sites, producing over 1,500 formulas and over 4,000 finished products.
SOURCE: L’Oréal