Polish plastic bottles manufacturer achieves energy savings

The client is a leader in the production of PET bottles in Poland with a current capacity of over one billion preforms per year. The bottles are further used by juice, milk, water, beer, wine and household chemical manufacturers. After 22 years of operation, the company continues to invest in new technologies and development to satisfy the growing needs of its clients.

To reduce its energy consumption and improve the product quality, the company decided to replace some of its production facilities. Previously, it was using an old blow moulding machine that had been in operation since 1993 and had significant signs of wear and tear, leading to high energy consumption and low quality output.

The company addressed PolSEFF for affordable financing to replace this machine.

The PolSEFF team performed analysis of the proposed technology, its potential for energy savings, financial-technical parameters and the profitability of the project.

The investment of PLN 5 million allowed the company to increase its production capacity by 39 per cent, while reducing the overall energy consumption by 44 per cent. The investment will be repaid from energy savings and increased sales in seven years. The energy savings can be seen as additional income. In addition, the quality of products was significantly improved. Last, but not least, the company reduced its CO2 emissions by 1,202 tonnes per year, contributing to the mitigation of the negative effect of human activity on the climate.

This project demonstrates that investments in energy efficiency are usually coupled with other investment benefits, such as increased production capacity, better quality, less operation time, increased attractiveness and profitability of investments. Therefore, it is worth checking the energy saving potential of possible investment measures.

The EBRD, through PolSEFF, supports the sustainable financing and implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects by the private sector. Together, the private, residential and public sectors can make a change in energy consumption patterns and contribute to environmental protection.