IDFA, EPA Sign MOU To Help Processors Gain Energy Efficiency

The International Dairy Foods Association has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote increased energy efficiency in U.S. dairy processing facilities. Through the agency's ENERGY STAR® program, IDFA and EPA will work together to provide valuable management tools to help dairy processors measure and control energy in their manufacturing facilities and document energy savings achieved.

IDFA and EPA believe that manufacturers seeking to manage energy more effectively may benefit from resources that EPA can leverage and develop with the industry. Under this MOU, IDFA and EPA will reach a greater number of processors, help them progress toward greater energy efficiency and establish systems capable of delivering and sustaining energy savings in the long-term.

"IDFA is pleased that members will get recognized for what many are already pursuing," said Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president for regulatory affairs. "We are also excited that the dairy industry will have an opportunity to show EPA and the public that we are serious about energy efficiency and sustainability."

EPA introduced the ENERGY STAR program in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $19B on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 29 million vehicles.

According to the MOU, IDFA plans to:

• Encourage U.S. dairy processors to participate in the ENERGY STAR program, in ENERGY STAR's Focus on Energy Efficiency in dairy processing and in the use of ENERGY STAR's energy management tools and resources;
• Provide the opportunity for forums where industry, IDFA and EPA may interact on the use and development of energy tools; and
• Assist EPA in evaluating the performance of the initiative.

EPA, through ENERGY STAR, has tools, expertise and services oriented toward corporate energy management, including:

• Energy management program development guidance and management tools;
• Listings of energy service and product providers;
• End-user networks;
• Web- and teleconference-based trainings;
• Formal recognition of energy performance achievements of dairy processors; and
• An ENERGY STAR Industrial Focus on Energy Efficiency in Dairy Processing, including a national plant energy-performance indicator (EPI) to evaluate the energy efficiency of select types of dairy processing plants in the United States.

About The International Dairy Foods Association
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 550 companies representing a $110B a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85 percent of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States.

SOURCE: The International Dairy Foods Association