IAI Study Highlights Vital Role Of Aluminium Cans In A Circular Economy

-  This is the first comprehensive public study analyzing the recycling value chain for single-use beverage containers in five key markets. 

-  The data shows that today more than 70% of the material used in aluminium cans is recycled into new products – almost double that of glass (34%) and plastic (40%). 

LONDON, March 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Research commissioned by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) into the recycling of three beverage container materials – aluminium, glass and plastic (PET) – has shown that aluminium cans best support a circular economy. The study shows that compared with aluminium cans, more glass and plastic bottles end up in landfills because they are not collected. In addition, the losses in the recycling system once collected, is three times higher for PET and glass bottles than for the aluminium cans. 

Circularity in real figures

On behalf of the IAI, Eunomia Research and Consulting studied data in five regions: Brazil, China, Europe, Japan and the US. It looked at the end-of-life processing losses for aluminium cans, glass bottles and plastic (polyethylene terephthalate - PET) bottles. The study also looked at the collection, sorting, reprocessing and thermal processing, closed-loop recycling and open-loop recycling.  

Ramon Arratia, Vice President Global Public Affairs at Ball Corporation, noted that "While no drinks container has achieved its full circularity potential yet, aluminium outperforms glass and plastics (PET) at all stages of the waste management system. Today, aluminium cans are the most recycled beverage containers globally. Once the aluminium can is collected from the consumer, it has an unrivalled sorting, reprocessing and remelting efficiency rate of 90% compared with glass (67%) and PET (66%). On this basis, aluminium can be described as a material of choice for a circular economy. This is especially important when we look at the carbon reduction potential of recycling." 

Andrew Wood, Group Executive Strategy & Business Development at Alumina Limited, said "The number of aluminium cans collected at the end of their life is about 18% higher than PET bottles and 28% higher than glass. A greater proportion of PET and one-way glass bottles end up in landfills or waterways because they are not collected. In a decarbonising world, this is likely to contribute to higher demand for both recycled and primary aluminium." 

The aluminium can was first mass-produced by Coors Brewing Company in the 1950s to improve the taste of beer and provide a more sustainable container than steel cans. It is therefore reassuring to see from this study that the environmental goals of that ground-breaking new product all those years ago are still being realised.  

Marlen Bertram, IAI's Director, Scenarios & Forecasts, says, "As the Institute celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year, we have been reflecting on our organisation's long history of data collection, analysis and modelling. Aluminium is one of the most recyclable materials on the planet and the IAI is campaigning to ensure end-of-life products are returned into the recycling loop given the economic and environmental benefits of the metal in our global economy. Comparing recycling rates of different materials is meaningless if you don't know how the rate is measured and into what products the material is recycled back to. This study is the first public study that comprehensively analyses the extent of recycling and losses of three beverage containers in different regions. By increasing the precision of identifying where major losses occur, the study could provide solutions to improving the rate of recycling for all materials. We are clearly in a new era in circularity transparency." 

Emilio Braghi, EVP Novelis & President Novelis Europe said "Collection and sorting systems are essential to increasing circularity and to unlocking the full potential of infinitely recyclable materials. We need a policy framework that incentivises true recycling and circular systems, where at the end of their life, beverage containers are recycled again and again – without loss to quality. Aluminium is perfectly suited for multiple product-to-product recycling. We need to move our thinking from waste to valuable resource – reusing existing material to produce new packaging and thereby saving precious natural resources, energy, and lowering emissions."

You can read more about the findings of this study in our information sheet, A Circularity Case for Aluminium Compared With Glass and Plastic and visit alucycle.international-aluminium.org. 

About the IAI The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) is the only body representing the global primary aluminium industry. The Institute has the most comprehensive global data on Aluminium with more than 40 years of analysis on production, consumption, energy use and environmental impact. For more information, visit international-aluminium.org, or connect with us on LinkedIn or Twitter 

About Ball CorporationBall Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 24,300 people worldwide and reported 2021 net sales of $13.8 billion. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.

About Alumina Ltd Alumina Ltd is an Australian company which holds a 40% interest in the global AWAC joint venture, one of the world's largest bauxite and alumina producers, managed and 60% owned by Alcoa Corp. AWAC also has an interest in the Portland aluminium smelter and had an EBITDA of $1.146 billion in 2021. For more information, visit www.aluminalimited.com.

 About NovelisNovelis is the leading producer of flat-rolled aluminum products and the world's largest recycler of aluminum. In line with its purpose of shaping a sustainable world together, the ambition is to be the world's leading provider of low carbon, sustainable aluminum solutions that advance the business, industry and society toward the benefits of a circular economy. With state-of-the-art can sheet production lines and recycling centers in North America, South America, Europe and Asia, Novelis serves the most recognizable brands worldwide.