Owens-Illinois (O-I), a glass packaging maker, has planned to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions across its worldwide operations during the next decade.
The company recently conducted a complete life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of glass containers, which will serve as a crucial baseline for tracking the company’s progress.
The assessment, which included data comparing glass with aluminum and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), covered every aspect of the lifecycle of glass, from raw material extraction to transportation to recycling, reuse or disposal, the company said.
With 2007 as a baseline, O-I intends to cut its global energy consumption by 50%; reduce carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 65%; nearly double its use of recycled glass so that a global average of 60% of each O-I container is recycled material; and eliminate workplace accidents, by 2017.
Al Stroucken, CEO of O-I, said: “Our recent life cycle assessment showed that glass already has a smaller carbon footprint than other packaging materials. But, we see room for additional improvement in the carbon footprint of glass and our company as the world’s leading maker of glass packaging.”
The company said that using recycled glass directly reduces the amount of energy required to process raw materials. Every 10% of recycled glass used in production cuts carbon emissions by 5% and saves 3% in energy use.