Unilever USA, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., partnered with U.S. Gain, the compressed natural gas (CNG) division of U.S. Venture, Appleton, Wis., to build a GAIN Clean Fueling CNG fueling station in Edwardsville, Ill. The station will be located at 4120 Lakeview Corporate Drive and is said to be the largest GAIN Clean Fuel station U.S. Gain has built to date.

“This partnership establishes a relationship between GAIN Clean Fuel and Unilever, one of the top consumer packaged goods companies in the world,” says Bill Renz, general manager for U.S. Gain. “We’re excited to be helping such a recognizable brand achieve its sustainability goals.”

The Edwardsville station not only gives Unilever’s carriers a strategic fueling location, but also contributes to the company’s commitment to reduce its impact on the environment and improve its sustainability efforts. The agreement calls for Unilever to purchase 800,000 gallons of GAIN Clean Fuel CNG per year.

“We’ve made significant investments to reduce our costs while lowering our environmental footprint by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, water use and waste,” says Camille Chammas, vice president of procurement at Unilever. “We focus on energy reduction in our own manufacturing operations and also with our suppliers. The use of GAIN Clean Fuel is important part of this program.”

Unilever also announced that it had already saved 1 million tons of CO2 in its factory network. Energy consumption has been reduced by 20%—the same energy used to run 40 factories or the equivalent in carbon of over 800,000 acres of forest in one year.

“We’re looking forward to helping Unilever achieve its environmental improvement goals,” Renz says. “GAIN’s partnerships are generally with carriers and it’s great to partner with a shipper that realizes the value in using CNG. It’s more than just saving money. For Unilever, it’s about being good stewards of the environment.”