WASHINGTON — The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Energy Star certification to 40 baking companies in 2022, plants in 2022, including facilities operated by Bimbo Bakeries USA, Horsham, Pa., Flowers Foods, Thomasville, Ga. and Treehouse Foods, Oak Brook, Ill. The certification goes to manufacturing facilities that are the most energy efficient in their industries. In total, 86 manufacturing plants were awarded Energy Star in 2022.

“Industrial leadership in energy efficiency is critical to achieving our nation’s climate goals,” said Michael S. Regan, administrator of the EPA. “The savings from Energy Star certified plants demonstrate how energy efficiency is both helping our manufacturing sector reduce costs and propelling America’s transition to a clean energy future.”

The EPA said these manufacturing facilities conserved more than 105 trillion Btus of energy and more than 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, equal to the energy use of more than 1.1 million homes in the United States.

Out of all the 86 Energy Star certified manufacturing facilities in 2022 that were large-scale baking plants, Bimbo Bakeries USA had 17 facilities, Flowers Foods had 13, TreeHouse Foods had 4, Klosterman Baking Co. had 3, Crown Bakeries had 2 and New Horizons Baking Co. had 1.

“In the 2022 Energy Star class, nearly 40% of the bakeries that achieved certification are part of the Flowers network,” said Margaret Ann Marsh, vice president of sustainability and environmental at Flowers Foods. “I’m incredibly proud of their collective efforts to help lead the industry and our network of Flowers bakeries in sustainable operations. Each certified location has played a critical role in helping our company lower greenhouse gas emissions by 22% since 2015.”

The EPA started the Energy Star Industrial Program in 2006, annually awarding manufacturing facilities for performing within the top 25% of energy performance in their national industries. More than 250 plants are Energy Star certified.

“Sustainability is core to Bimbo Bakeries USA’s purpose of nourishing a better world, and we have an obligation to preserve our planet for future generations,” said Ramon Rivera, senior vice president of operations at Bimbo Bakeries USA. “We’re incredibly proud of our longstanding relationship with the EPA and truly appreciate receiving ongoing recognition from them for our growing number of efficient Energy Star facilities.”

Manufacturing plants use the EPA’s Energy Star energy performance indicators to evaluate their efficiency. Plants with a score of 75 out of 100 or higher can become Energy Star certified since that means they are more energy efficient than 75% of similar facilities in the United States. Even though 20 manufacturing sectors are eligible for Energy Star certification, the industrial sector makes up for 30% of US greenhouse emission, mostly from how manufacturing plants use energy.