World Environment Center Project Partner Chileoliva Signs National Clean Production Standards Agreement
SANTIAGO, CHILE, June 26, 2013 /3BL Media/ - The World Environment Center (WEC) announces today the successful signing of a Voluntary Agreement on Clean Production standards between Chileoliva, the leading industrial association of Chilean-produced olive oil, and the National Council of Clean Production (CPL). This agreement is the result of the commitment of the industry, the guidance of the CPL, and WEC’s project with Chileoliva, funded by the U.S. Department of State – “Cleaner Production Private Sector Partnerships.”
Through this initiative, WEC created a partnership with Chileoliva to improve the sector´s environmental performance, reduce costs, and improve efficiency and competitiveness through the adoption of Cleaner Production (CP) and Energy Efficiency (EE) practices and technologies. Since 2011, the nine participating businesses are working with WEC’s technical team to identify opportunities for improvement in their production processes, create a plan to achieve measurable goals based on these opportunities, and receive consultation from WEC’s team to implement and achieve the goals specifically in:
- Conservation of water and energy;
- Reducing waste, raw material use and emissions;
- Establishing environmental management systems; and
- Accessing funding and loans to finance the adoption of advanced technologies.
The team has supported the participating olive plantations in reducing energy consumption in their irrigation systems as well as energy savings, water consumption and wastewater reduction, and employee best practices in the milling process during the harvest seasons. As the project progress, the team has continued to follow up and monitor their progress, with significant support from the CPL, the U.S. Embassy, and the Chilean Ministries of Environment and Economy.
Jorge Alé Yarad, Executive Director of the CPL stated that this Agreement is fundamental in advancing the sustainable production of olive oil, facilitating entry into the largest international markets, and strengthening the competitiveness of Chilean exports. Said Mr. Yarad, “The U.S. Government and WEC have been very important collaborators and worked with us to achieve a successful project.”
Environmental, energy and economic savings reported by the companies as a direct result of participation in this project include:
- Recovery of 240 tons of raw material previously lost/damaged in process production;
- Recovery of 66 tons of product previously lost in process production
- 2.1 million gallons of water saved;
- Reduction of 6,700 m3 of wastewater generation and reduction of 53 ton of solid pollution in wastewater (mainly organic materials)
- 145,030 kwh, 612 gallons of fuel, and 31 tons of biomass saved;
- Reduction of 118 tons of CO2 emissions.
“WEC believes that the best result of these projects can be a Voluntary Agreement, where the participating industry is spurred on by their activities, by the savings and environmental improvements, to codify their commitment to sustainable growth.” stated Ernesto Samayoa, WEC’s Director of Latin America Operations. “We’re delighted that Chileoliva and CPL have been, and continue to be, committed to this process.”
WEC disseminates best practices through roundtables and public outreach activities, working in coordination with the CPL as well as with the Ministries of Environment and Economy to strengthen project activities as well as provide a foundation for scalability within the olive oil industry and replication to other interested local private sectors.
The announcement in Spanish from the U.S. Embassy in Chile can be found here: http://spanish.chile.usembassy.gov/2013press-06-25-aceite-oliva.html
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.
