Irving, Texas-headquartered 7-Eleven Inc. has signed an agreement with TXU Energy to purchase 100% wind energy for all of its Texas stores located in “competitive energy markets” – which covers most of the convenience store giant’s locations in the state.
The 96-month wind energy agreement, which impacts 425 stores, will officially begin on June 1, 2018. In total, 7-Eleven expects to reduce its carbon footprint by 6.7%, as well as significantly reduce operating costs.
Under the new agreement, TXU Energy will also be providing energy efficiency rebate incentives through its TXU GreenBack program.
Last year, 7-Eleven outlined steps to reach measurable corporate social responsibility goals in order 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 at its store support center in Irving by 20% by 2025.
“Our goal was to make sure that we were helping 7-Eleven reach its sustainability goals,” says 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.”
Ben Tison, 7-Eleven’s senior vice president of development, adds, “This agreement is beneficial for 7-Eleven on several fronts. 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.”
