Global logistics and supply chain leader IMPERIAL Logistics has today become the latest business to join 49M. 49M is an energy saving initiative endorsed by government and business partners to encourage the South African population to embrace energy saving as a national culture and to join the global journey towards a sustainable future. The popular energy saving campaign, which is attracting more and more participants, urges South Africans to reduce their energy consumption by at least 10% by simply changing the way they use electricity. At the signing ceremony held at IMPERIAL Logistics’ offices in Germiston today, Marius Swanepoel, the company’s CEO said he was excited to be a part of the 49M initiative.

“IMPERIAL Holdings became a signatory to the Energy Efficiency Leadership Network in 2012, today’s partnership further reinforces our continued commitment to energy efficiency,” he said. Swanepoel added that to date, IMPERIAL Logistics has implemented a number of energy efficiency initiatives which include the energy efficiency pilot project at three sites including the head office. As part of the second phase of the project, the company is rolling out a programme to retrofit buildings in Gauteng with energy efficient technologies. “The company has also implemented a number of initiatives to raise awareness on environmental issues and energy challenges. The partnership with 49M will further assist IMPERIAL Logistics in achieving this objective,” he said.

So far 49M has partnered with 79 businesses that have pledged to cut down on their electricity consumption. Businesses that have already signed partnership pledges include AngloGold Ashanti, Goldfields, Anglo American, Samsung, CSIR, Standard Bank, Nedbank and many more. Pieter Pretorius, Senior Manager Strategic Marketing at Eskom, said he was pleased that more and more companies were supporting the 49M initiative. He said this commitment would go a long way in ensuring that the energy saving campaign achieves its mandate. “Today’s pledge signing is yet another milestone in our journey towards a sustainable future. We are extremely excited about this partnership as we believe it will strengthen the campaign and increase awareness as they roll out their energy efficiency programmes,” says Pretorius.