Our Impact
Driving consumer decisions that help save energy can have an impact on global energy usage. While our label currently displays energy usage in Megajoules (MJ) we’ve created a real-world example that helps consumers understand the impact even an everyday purchase can have on energy usage. In our example, we show that choosing one product over another can save the energy equivalent to driving an electric car over 10 miles.
The goal of this example is to provide familiar context to the amount of energy saved by an individual purchasing decision. To do that we convert Megajoules to kilowatt-hours (KWh) and equate the savings in energy to the number of miles that an electric car will go on the same amount of energy. Hopefully, our project will have an impact on you as you read through the example below.
There are 3.6 million joules in one kilowatt-hour which is a conversion factor of 3.6. So, to convert MJ (Megajoules) to KWh (Kilowatt-hours), you can use the following formula:
KWh = MJ ÷ 3.6
On average, a fully charged electric car can travel anywhere between 2.5 to 4 miles per kWh. For example, the Tesla Model 3, one of the most popular electric vehicles, can travel around 3.5 miles per kWh. Using our sample products, Raw Sugar and Refined Sugar we show the potential number of miles that could be driven in an electric car simply by choosing raw sugar over refined sugar.
Raw Sugar
Energy used in production: 22.6 MJ ÷ 3.6 = 6.28 KWh
Approximate range: 6.28 KWh * 3.5 miles/KWh = 22 miles
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Refined Sugar
Energy used in production 33.3 MJ ÷ 3.6 = 9.25 KWh
Approximate range 9.25 KWh * 3.5 miles/KWh = 32.38 miles
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Simply choosing raw sugar with an UEL value of 22.6 MJ over refined sugar with an UEL value of 33.3 MJ, you save the equivalent of 10.38 miles in an electric car. Now, multiply this single purchase decision by millions of people that buy sugar every day. If 1 purchase is equivalent to 10 miles. How many miles is that day after day?