O-I and SICOVAD bring Vosges residents together for better glass recycling
More (and better quality) glass recycled means more recycled glass in the furnace – leading to a more sustainable packaging all round. So the mission for glass companies is clear: get more glass into the bottle bank, and make local residents a part of the journey to make that habit stick.
That’s why O-I and French recycling organisation SICOVAD are bringing together citizens, recycling, culture and local business in towns and villages in the Vosges, as part of their annual Container Tour.
One way to do this? Street art that grabs attention, while also freshening up the area around collection points to make the trip to the bottle bank more appealing. Bringing local artists on board, in summer 2021 the partners set out to customise 19 glass containers in the Vosges region of France, using a distinctive ‘street art’ style to steal the spotlight while highlighting sustainability themes.
How is glass the best material for the circular economy? How does glass recycling actually work? What can we do better to make sure that the process works as intended? All summer long, local citizens could come watch the artists at work, and ask their questions to people from SICOVAD and O-I France.
“We are proud to be part of this project. Glass is a key player in the circular economy, as it can be recycled endlessly,” shares Frédéric Dernicourt, Plant Manager of O-I Gironcourt.
“O-I continues to invest in the Vosges, with the recent construction of a new furnace. It is a key player in the local and circular economy. As such, O-I wants to support local projects and artists. It’s interesting for the glassworks to have access to as much recycled glass as possible, as every 10% of recycled glass used reduces CO2 emissions by about 5%.“
In the Vosges, glass is a local industry by definition. Glass bottles in SICOVAD containers are transported only a few kilometres away, to the O-I company site in Gironcourt-sur-Vraine. In turn, O-I Gironcourt uses 88% of recycled glass from local communities for new bottles, thereby supporting local employment.
Sustainable, healthy and a strong driver of local economies? Now that’s future-proof.
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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 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 more than 25,000 people across 72 plants in 20 countries, O-I achieved revenues of $6.1 billion in 2020. Learn more about us: o-i.com / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn
