World Environment Center announces successful close of Chilean Olive Oil cleaner production project
Santiago, Chile, October 16, 2013 /3BL Media/ - The World Environment Center (WEC) announced today at the Annual National Conference on Olive Oil in Chile the successful completion of a U.S. Department of State funded project to expand the sustainable development commitments of the Chilean Olive Oil industry by reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste and raw material usage and lowering operating costs. Dr. Terry F. Yosie, WEC’s President and CEO, presented the final results of the project at the Conference.
WEC has partnered with Chile’s Clean Production National Council (CPL) to provide advanced technical expertise for participating members of ChileOliva, the leading national industry association of olive oil production in Chile. Throughout the project’s two and a half years, the team has worked with the participants and coordinating with the CPL, Chilean Energy Efficiency Agency (AChEE), and the North American-Chilean Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) and the Ministries of Environment and Economy to create opportunities to continue improving operational performance beyond the life of the project. A significant accomplishment of this work is that it laid the foundation for a Chilean Clean Production Agreement, signed on June 26 this year between ChileOliva and the CPL. Approximately 30 companies (75% of Chile’s olive oil production) will participate in this national agreement. The focus of their work will include: development of sustainability indicators; efficient use of water; improvement of energy efficiency; recovery of waste organic solids; and stronger environmental standards and worker training.
Through their participation in this project, 11 olive oil producers generated savings of $157,800 and invested $114,800 in Cleaner Production practices and technology. In addition, collective environmental benefits realized by these companies as a direct result of this project include:
- 487,027 kw hours saved
- CO2 emissions reduced by 263 tons
- 8,855 cubic meters of water saved
The project’s success in achieving sustainable market scale was highlighted by Dr. Yosie in his speech at today’s conference, “Innovation and market scale are two of the most important factors in making your industry more competitive and more sustainable,” he stated. “ChileOliva’s partnership in our project is a leading example of innovative thinking, a commitment to quality, and the implementation of sustainable practices across a national industry for the benefit of the international market.”
About World Environment Center
WEC is an independent, global non-profit, non-advocacy organization that advances sustainable development through the business practices and operations of its member companies and in partnership with governments, multi-lateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, universities and other stakeholders. WEC’s mission is to promote business and societal value by advancing solutions to sustainable development-related problems. It manages projects for companies across their global operations, builds executive-level learning and competency in applying sustainable development across a number of business sectors, and recognizes performance excellence through an annual awards program. WEC is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with regional offices in China, El Salvador and Germany.
