SCJ took the next big step toward meeting Waxdale’s energy needs in December 2012 when it commissioned two new 415-foot wind turbines. They are the largest company-owned wind turbine manufacturing project in the Midwest, SCJ states.

In their first year of operation, SCJ says, those turbines produced nearly 8 million kilowatts of electricity, or enough to power about 700 homes for a year. They now supply the other 15 percent of Waxdale’s electrical needs.

Over the past decade, SCJ has undertaken 10 renewable-energy initiatives around the globe, according to company spokeswoman Jam Stewart.

“As we’ve evaluated various renewable projects,” she said, “we have found that for us, wind power is often the best option, enabling us to achieve our goals as well as being the most commercially viable option.”

SCJ’s other wind power applications include:

A wind-energy purchase in Bay City, Michigan, where SCJ makes Ziploc. The company increased its wind power last year by 50 percent so that wind power now provides 67 percent of that site’s electricity.

SCJ’s newest initiative, a wind power purchase in Toluca, Mexico, will enable the facility to get 86 percent of its electricity from renewable sources.