Abbott Nutrition is as concerned with energy efficiency as with producing product at its new 250,000 square-foot, $270 million bottling facility that will open later this year on Route 25.

The building, which already has walls, is expected to be 10 percent more energy efficient than buildings not implementing the same plans, according to a company statement.

Even though this is the first new building for Abbott since about 1985, the company has worked to become more energy efficient. For instance, since 2007, Abbott has eliminated more than nine million pounds of packaging.

“Abbott is committed to protecting the environment, which includes innovative approaches at all of our facilities,” said John Ginascol, vice-president of Global Supply Chain, Abbot Nutrition, in a statement. “The Tipp City plant is designed to reduce energy use, use less water, produce packaging with a low environmental impact and maximize recyclable materials.”

Construction of the plant - which will produce such products as Ensure and Glucerna - began last summer and is expected to employ 240. The company is working with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) to meet, “specified levels of energy efficiency and environmental friendly standards.”

To reach its goals, among other things:

*The Tipp City facility plans to use less water and use a smaller environmental footprint than similar liquid plants, but did not specify how much water will be saved.

*Elements of the additional efficiency will be found in energy-efficient windows, HVAC and boiler systems and high-intensity, low-voltage lights.

*Plans to collect recyclable materials and have zero waste materials sent to local landfills. Abbott already has five sites doing this, at least four of them in Europe. Abbott has a presence in 150 countries and in five U.S. states, including Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California and Illinois.

The company said by the end of 2011, it was ahead of its multi-year environmental goals to reduce emissions, water use and waste.

“The company intends to further raise the bar on environmental performance across the company, including at the new Tipp City facility,” Abbott’s statement said.