Univar Solutions to Significantly Increase On-Site Renewable Energy Capacity, through Partnership with Sustainable Solutions Provider Motive Energy

Company to install 1020 kilowatt (kW) solar panels and an energy storage system (ESS), with total energy capacity of 375kW / 753 kilowatt hour (kWh), at its City of Commerce, California location, marking Univar Solutions' latest new major renewable energy installation.

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE: UNVR) ("Univar Solutions" or "the Company"), a global chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value-added services, today announced it will install 1020kW of solar capacity and an ESS with total energy capacity of 375kW/753kWh at its City of Commerce, CA facility in partnership with Motive Energy. This partnership marks a further investment by Univar Solutions in on-site renewable energy generation capacity, having recently completed solar projects at other global facilities in Europe and Latin America.

The installation will significantly reduce the non-renewable energy usage and emissions of Univar Solutions' City of Commerce facility, one of the Company's largest locations, through a custom solar and energy storage solution.  The project will remove more than 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide from the environment per year, equivalent to removing 259 cars from the road or the electricity usage of 217 homes annually. This change is one more step toward achieving the Company's long-term Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) goal of 20 percent absolute reduction of Scope 1 and 2 carbon dioxide emissions by 2025.

"As part of our ambitions to achieve our ESG goals, Univar Solutions has committed to invest significantly in climate change reduction," said Jen McIntyre, chief people & culture officer and executive ESG lead at Univar Solutions. "Our partnership with Motive Energy, which will reduce emissions and costs at one of our major U.S. facilities, is another important proof point in our journey to transforming our operations with low-carbon enabling technologies. We look forward to continuing to invest in solar energy for our other sites around the world to reduce our carbon footprint in line with our net zero commitment."

"This project marks another important milestone toward achieving Univar Solutions' 2025 ESG goals and commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050," commented Liam McCarroll, director of sustainability at Univar Solutions. "Univar Solutions' driving purpose is to keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe, and recognizing the importance of carbon reduction is central to supporting the wellbeing of communities around the world. We are excited to be partnering with an innovative company like Motive Energy to transform how we generate and store electricity at the City of Commerce facility as part of our ongoing efforts to create a positive impact to our emissions reductions while also providing attractive economic returns on our investments."

The project is expected to be completed during 2022.  It will utilize Motive Energy's Watt.io Energy Storage System and the CodeWatt software suite to build a Microgrid at the Univar Solutions facility.

"Motive Energy's unique capabilities in providing full engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services in conjunction with its proprietary CodeWatt Energy Management System allows customers to benefit from the advancements made in renewable energy technologies," said Yogesh Singh, general manager vice president for Motive Energy.   "This is self-evident at the Univar Solutions facilities in Southern California where the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) + ESS Microgrid being built will allow a leading chemical distribution facility to offset significant amounts of its energy usage. It will reduce their energy bills in meaningful ways and add resiliency to the operation.  Our post construction operations and maintenance (O&M) services will also allow Univar Solutions to focus on its operations without having to worry about energy related issues."

About Univar Solutions
Univar Solutions (NYSE: UNVR) is a leading global commodity and specialty chemical and ingredient distributor representing a premier portfolio from the world's leading producers. With the industry's largest private transportation fleet and technical sales force, unparalleled logistics know-how, deep market and regulatory knowledge, formulation and recipe development, and leading digital tools, the Company is well-positioned to offer tailored solutions and value-added services to a wide range of markets, industries, and applications. While fulfilling its purpose to help keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe, Univar Solutions is committed to helping customers and suppliers innovate and focus on Growing Together. Learn more at univarsolutions.com.

About Motive Energy
Motive Energy is a division of the Motive Companies. With a nearly 50-year track record designing innovative power and energy solutions, Motive Energy will help your business transform the way you source, store and manage your energy. Motive Energy partners with other companies to develop customized, fully integrated, end-to-end solutions that move those companies toward greater energy independence and efficiency. To learn more about Motive Energy's suite of solutions, please visit https://motiveenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes certain statements relating to future events and our intentions, beliefs, expectations, and predictions for the future, which are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which may be beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations and assumptions. A detailed discussion of these factors and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Potential factors that could affect such forward-looking statements include, among others: the ultimate geographic spread of the COVID-19 pandemic; the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic; actions that may be taken by governmental authorities to address or otherwise mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the potential negative impacts of COVID-19 on the global economy and our customers and suppliers; the overall impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition; other fluctuations in general economic conditions, particularly in industrial production and the demands of our customers; significant changes in the business strategies of producers or in the operations of our customers; increased competitive pressures, including as a result of competitor consolidation; significant changes in the pricing, demand and availability of chemicals; our levels of indebtedness, the restrictions imposed by our debt instruments, and our ability to obtain additional financing when needed; the broad spectrum of laws and regulations that we are subject to, including extensive environmental, health and safety laws and regulations; an inability to integrate the business and systems of companies we acquire, including of Nexeo Solutions, Inc., or to realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions; potential business disruptions and security breaches, including cybersecurity incidents; an inability to generate sufficient working capital; increases in transportation and fuel costs and changes in our relationship with third party providers; accidents, safety failures, environmental damage, product quality and liability issues and recalls; major or systemic delivery failures involving our distribution network or the products we carry; operational risks for which we may not be adequately insured; ongoing litigation and other legal and regulatory risks; challenges associated with international operations; exposure to interest rate and currency fluctuations; potential impairment of goodwill; liabilities associated with acquisitions, ventures and strategic investments; negative developments affecting our pension plans and multi-employer pensions; labor disruptions associated with the unionized portion of our workforce; and the other factors described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution you that the forward-looking information presented in this press release is not a guarantee of future events or results, and that actual events or results may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking information contained in this press release. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "plan," "seek, "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe" or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Univar Solutions Inc.