7-Eleven, Inc. has signed an agreement with TXU Energy to purchase 100 percent Texas wind energy for all its Texas stores located in competitive energy markets. The 96-month wind energy agreement, which impacts 425 stores, starts June 1, 2018, and is expected to reduce 7-Eleven’s carbon footprint by 6.7 percent while providing significant operating expense savings. The energy to power competitive market 7-Eleven® stores will be provided by Texas wind farms. With more than 10,000 wind turbines in the state, Texas ranks first in the United States for both installed and under-construction wind capacity, and is home to four of the top 10 largest wind farms in the nation.”This agreement is beneficial for 7-Eleven on several fronts,” said Ben Tison, 7-Eleven senior vice president of Development. “Wind energy is a renewable, more cost-effective resource that will lower the carbon footprint of these stores as well as operating costs. Our customers, particularly Millennials and the younger Generation Z, care about sustainability and reducing environmental impacts, and they’re paying attention to what companies are doing.”
Last year, 7-Eleven outlined steps to reach measurable corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals to reduce its environmental footprint. The retailer’s CSR mission has three focus areas – people, planet and products. Using 2015 as a baseline, 7-Eleven set goals to reduce its carbon footprint and increase community engagement in the U.S. and Canada by concentrating on energy, packaging and philanthropy. The “planet pillar” included reducing its energy footprint in stores and at its store support center in Irving, Texas, by 20 percent by 2025. 7-Eleven has already decreased electricity use in store operations by an estimated 21 percent over the past seven years through projects including installation of LED lighting, energy management systems and high-efficiency HVAC units.
TXU Energy will help 7-Eleven save even more by providing energy efficiency rebate incentives through its TXU GreenBackSM program. These incentives will allow 7-Eleven to fund and pilot new energy efficient technologies that can be used throughout its portfolio of facilities. “Our goal was to make sure that we were helping 7-Eleven reach its sustainability goals,” said Gabe Castro, vice president of business for TXU Energy. “We were able to do that by helping them through the process to evaluate all of the options available, and then customizing a complete solution to help them reach those goals. We are proud to collaborate with 7-Eleven.”
