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Johannesburg - Seventy companies have pledged to reduce their energy consumption, Eskom chief executive Brian Dames said in Johannesburg on Monday.
He said it was important that companies reduced their electricity consumption because its production relied heavily on coal. "If we can save energy, it has a direct impact on saving coal emissions," Dames said.
Construction materials company AfriSam's chief executive, Stephan Olivier, signed Eskom's R49m pledge on Monday, and reaffirmed his company's commitment to reduce energy consumption.
The R49m campaign, launched in March last year, aims to involve all South Africans in helping to save energy.
Other organisations that have signed the pledge include MTN [JSE:MTN], Standard Bank [JSE:SBK], AngloGold Ashanti [JSE:ANG], MassMart [JSE:MSM] and the National Union of Mineworkers.
Olivier said, "Signing this important pledge is an endorsement of our efforts and commitment... to improve the electrical energy efficiency of our various operations and thus reduce consumption."
According to Eskom's website: "By simply making small changes in our everyday life, collectively we can make a massive difference."
The R49m campaign also called on individuals to reduce their electricity consumption by 10%.
According to AfriSam, the company has reduced its electricity consumption, between 2000 and last year, by 18%, and its products have had a significantly lower carbon footprint than the average product on the market.
Two weeks ago, in the latest National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report, Eskom was accused of transgressing more environmental laws than any other state corporation.
The power supplier responded that it had a range of programmes in place across the organisation to ensure it complied with environmental legislation.
