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“ We are committed to continuous improvement programs in the areas of energy use , water use and reuse , carbon dioxide emissions , and material and packaging waste management and recycling ,” he said . “ Since becoming a grower-owned cooperative , Michigan Sugar has cut its energy consumption by more than 40 percent and reduced its carbon footprint dramatically .”
For example , in 2014 , the company converted its Caro factory coal boiler to clean burning natural gas and in 2015 did the same at its factory in Croswell . These conversions alone have reduced annual carbon emissions by 25 percent . In 2021 , Michigan Sugar replaced two coal-fired lime kilns at its Croswell factory with a new natural gas-fired lime kiln expected to result in annual energy savings for the company of $ 300,000 .
“ By investing in state-of-the-art , energyefficient technology throughout our factories , Michigan Sugar has achieved a total reduction in annual carbon emissions of 150,000 tons ,” said Juhnke . “ Today , more than 87 percent of the company ’ s factory operations are powered by clean-burning natural gas .”
Michigan Sugar ’ s commitment to sustainability continues in the fields of its grower-owners who are proud to plant GMO ( Genetically Modified Organisms ) sugar beet seed that has allowed them to increase yields by 50 percent while reducing the number of passes made across their fields by 65 percent over the past 15 years .
“ In some ways , we ’ ve been doing things basically the same way they were done back in 1906 when our company was founded ,” said Juhnke . “ The process of extracting sugar from beets really hasn ’ t changed much over the years . But projects like our new molasses desugarization facility are changing the game for us as they allow us to continue growing in a sustainable way .”
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