Development Environmental
Building a Greener Free Trade Zone
The First Free Trade Zone
Carbon Neutral Colombia
With the aim of contributing to climate change mitigation and environmental protection, the ZF La Candelaria Foundation has three programs: 1. Business Sustainability; 2. Vegetation Coverage; and 3. Carpooling.
Through this initiative, plant species are planted within the Zona Franca La Candelaria (ZFLC) in order to sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂), contribute to climate change mitigation, and improve environmental conditions within the industrial park.2), mejorar la calidad del aire, reducir la temperatura y proteger la biodiversidad.
Between 2023 and 2025, 910 trees were planted in the industrial park with the aim of capturing more than 13 tons of CO₂ per year.2, y así contribuir, tanto a la mitigación del cambio climático, como a la consecución de los otros beneficios ambientales mencionados.
The ZF La Candelaria Foundation leads the planting of vegetation species in ZFLC.
Through this program, the implementation of corporate sustainability strategies is promoted, especially among companies located in ZFLC. These strategies include solar energy generation projects, LED lighting, energy savings, sustainable construction, prevention of refrigerant gas leaks, efficient water use, solid waste recovery, and achieving net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.2).
Regarding the latter, it is important to mention that the ZF La Candelaria Foundation (FZFLC) is promoting a Circular Economy scheme that contributes to the high utilization of solid waste, the reduction of natural capital degradation, the extension of the useful life of Cartagena’s landfills, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the accumulation of solid waste in these landfills. In this way, the FZFLC enables the avoidance of more than 2,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent emissions per year within the industrial park.
It is worth highlighting that, in line with Colombia’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Zona Franca de La Candelaria S.A. (Operator User), in 2023, completed the verification process of its Greenhouse Gas inventory and obtained its Carbon Neutral Certification with ICONTEC. In this way, Zona Franca de La Candelaria S.A. (Operator User) became the first free trade zone in the country to be certified as carbon neutral by this organization.
Additionally, it is important to highlight that in early 2024, the FZFLC established a partnership with the Qualified User “Gestión Cargo Zona Franca S.A.S” (part of the Nutresa Group) to implement the “Nutresa Retoma en ZFLC” program. Through this initiative, with the support of multiple ZFLC Users, the collection of plastic bottles and packaging waste began within the industrial park. These materials were later processed into plastic wood, which was used to build a sustainable playground delivered in October 2025 to the “Hogar Infantil La Abejita” in the Membrillal village (a community neighboring ZFLC). More than 7,000 plastic bottles filled with plastic packaging, instead of ending up generating greenhouse gas emissions or polluting water bodies, were transformed into the aforementioned playground, a high-quality recreational space that benefits 170 children from this community on a daily basis.
The FZFLC continuously promotes the implementation of sustainability projects by companies operating within the industrial park, with the aim of maximizing ZFLC’s contribution to sustainable development.
Through this intervention, the ZF La Candelaria Foundation is promoting the implementation of company-specific shared transport routes among ZFLC Users and co-owned entities (where each organization operates its own transportation routes to move employees to the industrial park). It also promotes the registration and reporting of related data, such as the number of active routes within each organization and the number of employees using them. In this way, the initiative seeks to determine the number of vehicles reduced within the industrial park (those no longer in use thanks to shared transportation), and thereby estimate how many tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are being avoided annually within the ZFLC.
As a result of this initiative, 21 organizations reported the aforementioned data. From the analysis of this information, it has been identified (with data collection and assessment still ongoing) that 77 company-specific shared transport routes are currently operating to move employees to the industrial park. Thanks to this, 922 employees are benefiting from this sustainable mobility measure. Additionally, 845 vehicles are no longer circulating daily on the streets of Cartagena (which improves mobility in the city, particularly in the Mamonal Industrial Zone), and more than 5,070 tCO₂e are being avoided annually.
Additionally, FZFLC is working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Cartagena to promote a mass water transportation project that, in a sustainable manner (using vessels powered by renewable energy), will facilitate people’s mobility to the Mamonal Industrial Zone, particularly to the vicinity of Zona Franca La Candelaria.
