O-I Glass is making significant strides towards a more sustainable future with a new initiative that slashes CO₂ emissions from transporting spirits bottles in Ireland.

The programme, launched on 1 April 2024, utilises hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – a biofuel derived from renewable waste materials – instead of traditional diesel fuel for transporting bottles from O-I's production facility in Alloa, Scotland to customers across Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

HVO offers a cleaner alternative to diesel, with O-I expecting a 75% reduction in CO₂ emissions. This translates to an estimated annual decrease of 189 tonnes of CO₂ – equivalent to powering 34 households for a year.

Beyond the direct route from Alloa, O-I is also offsetting emissions associated with transporting bottles to its Northern Ireland warehouse by using HVO elsewhere in its network.

This ensures that O-I's Irish spirits customers and ultimately consumers benefit from a minimised carbon footprint throughout the entire bottle transportation process.

O-I has an approved Science Based Targets initiative goal to reduce GHG emissions 25% by 2030, with an interim target of 10% by 2025.

This programme exemplifies O-I's broader commitment to sustainability. By embracing innovative solutions such as HVO, the company is demonstrating leadership in creating a greener future for the glass industry.

In March, O-I became the first glassmaker to join the Sustainable Wine Roundtable globally and will collaborate with other members to set standards for sustainable wine packaging.

The glass packaging manufacturer has also been selected to begin award negotiations for up to $125m in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act funding from the US Department of Energy.