The O-I glass plant in Zipaquirá, Colombia, has received special recognition from a group of international organisations including the United Nations (UN) for its progress in energy efficient glassmaking.
The UN Development Program (UNDP), the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and Bogata’s Corporación Ambiental Empresarial (CAEM) awarded the 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.
O-I’s plan 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 looked at several factors tied to carbon footprint including:
- Implementing energy savings in furnaces and compressed air systems
- Investing in high-efficiency motors
- Investing in energy-efficient compressors
The energy efficiency and carbon footprint measurement plan proposed by CAEM was adopted by the plant.