Environmental Sustainability
Building a Greener Free Trade Zone
The First Carbon-Neutral
Free Trade Zone in Colombia
With the aim of contributing to climate change mitigation and environmental protection, the Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation has developed three environmental programs: Business Sustainability, Vegetation Coverage, and Carpooling.
Through this initiative, plant species are planted within Zona Franca La Candelaria to sequester carbon dioxide (CO₂), contribute to climate change mitigation, improve air quality, reduce temperature, and protect biodiversity within the industrial park.
Between 2023 and 2025, 910 trees were planted in the industrial park with the goal of capturing more than 13 tons of CO₂ per year, while also contributing to the additional environmental benefits mentioned above.
The Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation leads the planting of vegetation species within ZFLC.
Through this program, the Foundation promotes the implementation of corporate sustainability strategies, especially among companies located within ZFLC. These strategies include solar energy generation projects, LED lighting, energy efficiency, sustainable construction, prevention of refrigerant gas leaks, efficient water use, solid waste recovery, and the achievement of net-zero carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.
Regarding the latter, it is important to highlight that the Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation promotes a circular economy model that contributes to the high recovery rate of solid waste, reduces the degradation of natural capital, extends the useful life of Cartagena’s landfills, and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the accumulation of solid waste in these facilities.
Through this model, the Foundation helps avoid more than 2,000 tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions per year within the industrial park. It is also worth noting that, in line with Colombia’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Zona Franca de La Candelaria S.A. — Free Trade Zone Operator completed the verification process of its Greenhouse Gas inventory in 2023 and obtained Carbon Neutral Certification from ICONTEC. As a result, Zona Franca de La Candelaria S.A. became the first Free Trade Zone in Colombia to be certified as carbon neutral by this organization.
Additionally, in early 2024, the Foundation established a partnership with the Qualified User Gestión Cargo Zona Franca S.A.S., part of Grupo Nutresa, to implement the “Nutresa Retoma en ZFLC” program. Through this initiative, and with the support of multiple ZFLC users, the collection of plastic bottles and packaging waste began within the industrial park. These materials were later transformed into plastic lumber, which was used to build a sustainable playground delivered in October 2025 to Hogar Infantil La Abejita in Membrillal Village, a community neighboring ZFLC. More than 7,000 plastic bottles filled with plastic packaging were transformed into this playground instead of ending up in landfills, generating greenhouse gas emissions, or polluting bodies of water. Today, this high-quality recreational space benefits 170 children from the community on a daily basis.
The Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation 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 initiative, the Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation promotes the implementation of company-specific shared transportation routes among ZFLC users and co-owned entities. Under this model, each organization operates its own transportation routes to move employees to the industrial park. The initiative also promotes the registration and reporting of key data, such as the number of active routes within each organization and the number of employees using them. This information makes it possible to estimate the number of vehicles reduced within the industrial park and the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions avoided each year within ZFLC.
As a result of this initiative, 21 organizations have reported this data. Based on the analysis conducted so far, with data collection and assessment still ongoing, 77 company-specific shared transportation routes are currently operating to move employees to the industrial park. Thanks to this sustainable mobility measure, 922 employees are benefiting from shared transportation, 845 vehicles are no longer circulating daily on the streets of Cartagena, improving mobility in the city and particularly in the Mamonal Industrial Zone, and more than 5,070 tCO₂e are being avoided annually.
Additionally, the Zona Franca La Candelaria Foundation is working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Cartagena to promote a mass water transportation project. This sustainable mobility initiative, using vessels powered by renewable energy, aims to improve access to the Mamonal Industrial Zone, particularly to the area surrounding Zona Franca La Candelaria.
