O-I Glass Announces New Ambitious 2030 Sustainability Goals

Associated Press

28-03-2025

Glass is already the most sustainable packaging material. Now, we're taking bold steps to further support its circularity and decarbonization by elevating our 2030 sustainability goals.
'2025 is going to be a milestone year for O-I in sustainability,' said Chief Administrative and Sustainability Officer Randy Burns at O-I's Investor Day on March 14, 2025. 'This year, we are going to hit many of our sustainability goals that we initially set for 2030. Today, we will unveil a new set of even more ambitious sustainability goals.'
This accomplishment marks a pivotal moment for the company. Even as O-I focuses on radically reducing enterprise costs, we're raising the bar with updated sustainability targets for 2030, with 2019 as the baseline year.
These elevated goals not only put O-I on par with our competitors' stated goals but also align with a 1.5-degree pathway.
Achieving Our Goals
Our updated goals represent a significant increase from our previous targets. Specifically, we are raising our GHG emissions reduction goal from 25% to 47%, our renewable electricity goal from 40% to 80%, and our average cullet usage goal from 50% to 60%.
To achieve these ambitious targets, we'll leverage several key strategies:
Aligning with the Paris Agreement
The elevated sustainability goals reflect O-I's decisive action to better position the company as a leader in sustainable glass manufacturing.
'The 47% GHG reduction aligns O-I with a 1.5-degree pathway,' says O-I Sustainability Director Sonya Pump. 'This aligns O-I with the target of the 2015 Paris Agreement to 'limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.' The idea is that keeping the temperature increase below 1.5 degrees should minimize extreme global warming effects.'
Increasing our cullet usage to 60% supports the circular economy by promoting the reuse of materials. The benefits of increased recycled content include:
This alignment ensures that we remain competitive and continue to lead the industry in sustainability.
Positive Impact on Our Customers
Our updated goals will also positively impact our customers. By aligning our ambitions with those of our customers, we demonstrate our commitment to supporting their sustainability objectives.
'O-I is already leading the glass industry in delivering reductions of GHG emissions. Now, our more ambitious GHG, cullet and renewable electricity goals send a strong signal that we have no intention of slowing down,' says Pump.
Glass is 100% recyclable and endlessly recyclable. It does not cause end-of-life waste issues. Time and time again, glass proves it is the ideal packaging material to support a circular economy and the health of Earth's people. As a long-time leader in glass packaging, we see it as our responsibility to innovate our manufacturing process to support this material's circularity. Our ability to outpace and accomplish our previous goals and establish these updated goals is a testament to our mindset and sustainability vision.