Food producer The GFB to offset Kentwood facility’s power usage with renewables

Food producer The GFB to offset Kentwood facility’s power usage with renewables
Staff at The GFB’s Kentwood facility.

KENTWOOD — Certified B Corp and food producer The GFB: The Gluten Free Bar is now participating in a Consumers Energy program to offset its Kentwood production facility’s electricity usage entirely with renewable energy.

The company, which manufactures various gluten-free snacks and foods at 4053 Brockton Drive SE, announced the new contract as part of the Jackson-based utility’s renewable energy program. The clean energy sourcing is in addition to the facility’s zero-waste status, diverting more than 90 percent of its annual food waste from landfills.

Consumers’ renewable energy program allows participants to offset their electricity usage from wind and solar energy produced in Michigan.

“We’ve always been conscious about making the best products we can, using only gluten-free, plant-based ingredients,” Marshall Rader, who co-founded The GFB with his brother, Elliott, said in a statement. “By taking part in this program, we can choose better energy sources too, helping our company minimize our environmental footprint.”

The GFB became a Certified B Corp in 2015 and is one of about 120 food companies in the U.S. and Canada with the designation.

Customer demand has helped to drive utilities’ clean energy and greenhouse gas-reduction targets, and voluntary programs that allow companies to offset their electricity usage with renewables has led to investments in new projects. In February, Detroit-based utility DTE Energy issued a request for proposals for 500 megawatts of new wind, solar and battery storage to support its voluntary renewable energy program.

“Consumers Energy will continue to meet the needs of Michigan customers that want to be powered by clean energy, and we are proud to partner with The GFB in support of their goal to become a sustainable brand for their customers, coworkers and our state,” Consumers Executive Director of Transportation, Renewables and Storage Sarah Nielsen said in a statement. “Every enrollment in this program helps reduce carbon emissions and support a clean energy future for all.”