Mars introduces ‘green steam’ on its journey to net zero

Mars Australia has revealed what it claims is an Australian first and a world first for the company on its journey towards net zero emissions across its food businesses.

Mars Australia Petcare recently went live with Australia’s first commercial Electric Thermal Energy Storage (eTES) system at its Wodonga factory, according to the company.

The eTES system, supplied by Graphite Energy, uses low-cost renewable electricity to generate and store heat, which can then be used by the factory to generate 24/7 ‘green steam’.

According to a spokesperson for Mars: “The system cuts the factory’s use of gas by 20 percent, with a corresponding reduction in emissions.

“It is the first major commercial application in Australia of an 100 percent renewable eTES system.”

Graphite Energy ‘s website said that the Wodonga installation used green geam to displace natural gas.

Replacing up to 9,000 GJ/year of natural gas, the system is undergoing a ‘collaborative optimisation’ programme over next 12 months.

The green steam facility follows other Australian Mars innovations such as the inroduction of paper-based packaging for Mars Wrigley.

In early 2021, Mars transitioned all Australian manufacturing facilities and sales offices to be offset by renewable electricity, cutting carbon emissions at manufacturing sites by 75 percent.

More than $95 million has been invested in manufacturing across Mars Wrigley since 2021.

Picture: Graphite Energy/Mars Petcare Wodonga