Ball Sustainability Report: GHG Down 13%

Ball Corporation announced that it has reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 13 percent since 2005, according to the company’s second annual sustainability report.

The company reported using 11.15 million gigajoules of electricity in 2009, down 6 percent from 11.83 million gigajoules in 2009 and down 11 percent from 12.56 million gigajoules in 2007. The company also said it invested more than $36 million in energy savings projects in 2008 and 2009, saving approximately 390,000 gigajoules annually. Ball has replaced 80 percent of its lighting with energy efficient bulbs, the company said.

Ball emitted 1.23 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2009, down 5% from 1.3 million metric tons in 2008. A reduction in overall demand led to a downturn in GHG efficiency, as the company produced fewer units. Ball is installing solar panels at its plant in La Ciotat, France, which it estimates will produce 4,900 gigajoules a year. The company reports its emissions through the Carbon Disclosure Project.

Water use was down to 5.27 million cubic meters, a reduction of more than 5.7 percent from 2008 and an 8.6 percent decrease from 2007.

The company said that it has implanted an energy management system for its European plants which it estimates will reduce energy spending by 2 percent, or $1 million per year. The company has also reduced hazardous waste in its food and household products packaging plants by 150,000 pounds, and remains on-schedule to reduce GHG emissions 16 percent below its 2002 baseline by 2012. However, it also reported being behind on its goal of converting to lighter-weight a CDL in U.S.

Ball also announced goals for 2010 -2011, including reducing its 20-oz. PET bottle weight 22 percent to save 6.5 million pounds of resin annually, reducing energy consumption per 1,000 units produced globally by 7.3 percent, global water consumption by 4.8 percent, and reducing its contribution to North American landfill waste by 10 percent.