The energy-saving campaign, which is attracting more and more participants, urges South Africans to reduce their energy consumption by at least 10%, simply by changing the way that they use electricity.
At the signing ceremony held at Imperial Logistics' offices in Germiston, Marius Swanepoel, the company's CEO, said that 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 includes 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 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 of Eskom, said that he was pleased that more and more companies were supporting the 49M initiative. He said that 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," said Pretorius.
