Over the last few months, the company’s production facility in Medan has been installing a state-of-the-art new burner/boiler system that runs on palm shells, as well as a storage facility that will house the palm shells and equipment.

Palm shells are the remaining waste of the palm oil industry. The highest concentration of palm plantations is in Sumatra, Indonesia around Medan, and SC Johnson would like to identify a sustainable source of the shells to help fuel our operation there.

As a waste product, palm shells are often burned under uncontrolled conditions. By using them as a fuel source for one of our largest manufacturing plants, SC Johnson is transferring a former waste product into a part of the value chain with minimal environmental impact.

As a result of this project, we hope that ultimately we will be able to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time significantly reduce energy costs. In fact, we expect this project could pay back its cost within a single year. SC Johnson is putting supply chain policies into effect to ensure a sustainable supply of the fuel. As a result, while we have already invested in the infrastructure for biomass power, we will not be initiating the project until sustainability is ensured.