O-I’s Zipaquirá, Colombia Plant Recognized for Energy Efficiency

November 04, 2020

The O-I Glass plant in Zipaquirá, Colombia, is getting special recognition from a group of international organizations for its progress in energy efficient manufacturing.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and Bogata’s Corporación Ambiental Empresarial (CAEM) awarded O-I’s Zipaquirá, Colombia, plant in the Gold Category for energy efficiency management carried out within the framework of its Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action for Climate Change (NAMA) industry project.

The NAMA project, which ran from 2016 to 2020, was developed in accordance with Colombia’s commitment to reduce its GHG emissions by 20% by 2030. The scope was to implement technology to improve the plant’s manufacturing processes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Zipaquirá plant focused on multiple parts of the manufacturing process and weighed several factors tied to carbon footprint:

  • Implementing energy savings in furnaces and compressed air systems
  • Investing in high-efficiency motors
  • Investing in energy-efficient compressors

The Zipaquirá plant participated in all training processes and informational activities that strengthened the company’s capabilities for follow-up actions in energy efficiency and GHG mitigation. The energy efficiency and carbon footprint measurement plan proposed by CAEM was adopted.

To date, the NAMA project has been implemented in more than 150 companies nationwide, and has achieved the direct participation of 30 industries, mostly located in the Bogotá and Cundinamarca region.

O-I Glass is the worldwide leader in glass packaging manufacturing. Glass packaging has numerous earth-friendly benefits, including its ability to be recycled into new glass bottles and jars time and time again. Not only do we believe in creating sustainable packaging for the food and beverage industry, but we are committed to sustainable manufacturing, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. The gold certification by our team at Zipaquirá is one example of how O-I is committed to being the most sustainable manufacturer of the most sustainable packaging material.