FesslerUSA, an Orwigsburg, Pa.-based private label knitwear manufacturer, has received a $1 million
grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) as partial funding for the
installation of its $5.6 million Solar Energy Project.
The company will build a solar photovoltaic power plant next to its manufacturing facility in
Deer Lake, Pa., to provide 667,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually to the plant.
“As an integral part of the FesslerUSA Corporate Sustainability Program, this system will
avoid air pollution from traditional power sources by an estimated 506 tons of carbon dioxide
annually,” said Bonnie L. Meck, the company’s COO and chief sustainability officer.
In addition, Meck added, “By controlling our energy costs, this solar project will help to
ensure that we continue to grow and employ Pennsylvanians as we have for more than a century.
FesslerUSA’s sustainability program encompasses the option of using organically grown cotton
and other sustainable fibers, as well as initiatives to improve the energy efficiency of its
facilities – including the use of T5 lighting, variable speed drives on machinery and reflective
paint to reduce lighting requirements – and such practices as recycling of production by-products,
use of raw materials produced using environmentally sustainable methods and local sourcing to the
extent possible.
December 2, 2008
