O-I Glass Presents Its 'Cento per Cento Sicilia' Bottles: Circular Economy Applied to Glass Production in Sicily

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O-I Glass (OI) announces the launch of 'Cento per Cento Sicilia' bottles, promoting a sustainable solution to enhance the value of glass in the historic wine production area of Marsala, Sicily. The project aims to support a low-waste circular economy and contribute to the region's GDP, which sees one billion from the production of Sicilian wines. With more than 7000 winemakers and 500 bottlers operating annually, the initiative will lead a portion of the glass bottles production to follow a sustainable path, aligning with O-I's 2021 announcement to enhance the Sicilian wine market with locally sourced, sustainable glass containers.

• The project provides a sustainable solution to enhance the value of glass, the perfect material to support a low-waste circular economy in an area with a historic wine production that is profitable for the region's GDP itself - as one billion of Sicily's GDP comes from the production of Sicilian wines.
• The industry of wine production is constantly expanding and evolving: in Sicily alone, in 2002, more than 7000 winemakers and 500 bottlers operate each year within a supply chain that produces more than 86.5 million bottles.

MARSALA, ITALY / ACCESSWIRE / November 14, 2023 / O-I Glass, one of the world's leading manufacturers of glass packaging in the food and beverage industry, officially announces the launch of its "Cento per Cento Sicilia" bottles on the market: an initiative that will lead a portion of the production of the glass bottles in Marsala's O-I facilities to follow a low-waste circular economy path, in a historical wine production area, which is profitable for the region GDP's itself (as one billion of Sicily's GDP comes from the production of Sicilian wines).

The project, whose intentions had already been announced by O-I in 2021, was designed with the aim of proposing a strategy to enhance the Sicilian wine market, providing glass containers - specifically bottles - which are the result of a virtuous, sustainable and locally sourced production process. The industry of wine production is constantly expanding and evolving: more than 7.000 winemakers and 500 bottlers^[1] operate each year within a supply chain that in 2022 has produced - exclusively on the Sicilian territory - more than 86.5 million bottles^[2].

"After about two years of experimentation and development, our "Cento per Cento Sicilia" bottles are finally ready, not only at the O-I facility in Marsala, but also for the supply chain of regional wine producers. The project is making a concrete contribution to the implementation of circularity in the wine industry economy," says Massimo Noviello, CEO and President of O-I Italy S.p.A. He continues: "In an area with more than 24 thousand hectares of vineyards, our aim is to reduce the environmental impact to a minimum. A project that we are able to pursue thanks to the help of our partners SARCO and Fondazione SOStain, as well as an ongoing challenge that we are committed to support on a daily basis".

The bottles are characterized by a customized bottom logo depicting the concept of circular economy and they are made entirely within O-I's Plant in Marsala. These bottles are made of 90% recycled glass (at least) sourced uniquely from Sicily and are also extremely light, weighing in at just 410g, which ensures energy savings in terms of production.

A significant part of the project relies on the citizens, who play an important role in the sorting of waste and glass, thanks to the support of SARCO, which thoroughly sorts and cleans the glass to make it available to the O-I Marsala Plant - the only glasswork on the Island - which transforms it into the "Cento per Cento Sicilia" bottles. Indeed, the project also aims to make citizens and cities more aware of virtuous glass recycling - encouraging them to become more critical in their consumption of glass.

Thanks to the support and partnership with Fondazione SOStain Sicilia, once the bottles are made, they are delivered to wine producers in the region, minimizing the impact on the territory and reducing the carbon footprint to the bare minimum.

"This is exactly what the work of the entire SOStain community is about: combining energies and skills of responsible people in order to develop research projects that are able to respond, through innovative solutions, to the sustainability needs expressed by Sicilian wine producers, in harmony with the characteristics of the territory," says Alberto Tasca, President of Fondazione SOStain Sicilia. "With the "Cento per Cento Sicilia" bottle, it was the great teamwork we have with the O-I glassworks that allowed us to reduce the carbon footprint linked to the transport of glass and to improve our sustainability standards. It is an exciting result achieved thanks to the contribution of all 40 companies associated with Fondazione SOStain to date".

One of the most tangible examples of O-I Glass' sustainability lies within the Marsala plant. For example, the dust eliminated by the flue gas filter is recovered and reintroduced into the melting furnace, avoiding the formation of any waste type; on an energy perspective, heat from the flue gas is used in Marsala to pre-heat the combustion air, saving energy, and water from the local water purifier is used instead as industrial water.

The ‘Cento per Cento Sicilia' project, together with the marketing of its bottles, aims to be a concrete example of a sustainable economy, thus encouraging those involved in the supply chain - starting with the consumer - to choose products that are sustainable and able to safeguard the Sicilian territory.

About O-I 

At O-I Glass, Inc. (NYSE: OI), we love glass and we're proud to be one of the leading producers of glass bottles and jars around the globe. Glass is not only beautiful, it's also pure, healthy and completely recyclable, making it the most sustainable rigid packaging material. Headquartered in Perrysburg, Ohio (USA), O-I is the preferred partner for many of the world's leading food and beverage brands. We innovate in line with customers' needs to create iconic packaging that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 24,000 people across 69 plants in 19 countries, O-I achieved revenues of $6.9 billion in 2022.

Learn more: o-i.com / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn

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SOURCE: O-I Glass, Inc.

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FAQ

What is the project announced by O-I Glass?

O-I Glass has announced the launch of 'Cento per Cento Sicilia' bottles, promoting a sustainable solution to enhance the value of glass in the historic wine production area of Marsala, Sicily.

How many winemakers and bottlers operate annually in Sicily?

More than 7000 winemakers and 500 bottlers operate annually within the Sicilian wine production supply chain.

What is the aim of the project in relation to the Sicilian wine market?

The aim of the project is to support a low-waste circular economy and contribute to the region's GDP, which sees one billion from the production of Sicilian wines, by providing sustainable glass containers for the wine market.

What was O-I Glass's 2021 announcement related to the Sicilian wine market?

In 2021, O-I Glass announced its intentions to enhance the Sicilian wine market with locally sourced, sustainable glass containers.