Portland bread maker puts energy savings at the forefront

Many companies in the industrial manufacturing sector are beginning to realize the benefits of increased energy efficiency and are taking energy-saving measures much more seriously. But you know a company is truly adopting an energy-efficient culture change when it reinvents the company motto to discuss its impact on the environment. And that is exactly what has happened at Franz Family Bakeries of Portland, Ore., which developed a whole new campaign based upon receiving a 2009 DOE Energy Champion award – “bread has never tasted so sustainable.”

To receive this recognition, Franz Bakery completed a Save Energy Now energy assessment with the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program in 2008. Marc Albers, president and chief operating officer of the food manufacturer, says Franz has taken many steps – including the installation of an oxidizer – to make its facility more eco-friendly and keep its city and the environment as clean as it can.

The company received its Save Energy Now Energy Champion award for achieving more than 250 billion British thermal units total energy savings or more than 15 percent total energy savings at its facility in Portland.

“This is a tremendous recognition, and I am really proud of our team for identifying and implementing environmentally conscious changes to the way we do business,” Albers said of the award.

Franz is committed to working with employees, customers and neighbors in practicing sustainability and green business strategies. Franz Bakery’s environmentally friendly business practices revolve around keeping water clean, conserving and using clean energy sources, recycling/reducing packaging, and maintaining fuel efficiency through all distribution channels. In May 2009, a catalytic oxidizer was installed at the Portland Bakery to remove an estimated 95 percent of all ethanol emissions from bakery operations.

Franz Bakery is the largest family-owned baking company in the western United States, with six baking facilities throughout the Northwest. For more information, visit the Franz Web site at http://www.franzbakery.com.