ARLINGTON, VA, November 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – The Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) have released an updated report – The Aluminum Cans Advantage: Key Sustainability Performance Indicators 2021 – demonstrating the continued durability advantages of the aluminum beverage container over competing packaging types. The report updates several key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2020 and finds that consumers recycle aluminum cans at more than double the rate of plastic bottles (PET). Aluminum beverage cans also contain 3 to 20 times more recycled content than glass or PET bottles and are much more valuable as scrap, making aluminum a key factor in the financial viability of the system. recycling in the United States. This year’s report also features a brand new KPI, the Closed Loop Circularity Rate, which measures the percentage of recycled material used to re-enter the same product – in this case a new beverage container. A summary of the two-page report is available here.

The report also shows a modest drop in the recycling rate of consumers of aluminum beverage cans over the past year. The rate fell from 46.1% in 2019 to 45.2% in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other market disruptions. Despite the lower rate, the number of used beverage cans (UBC) recycled by the industry actually increased by about 4 billion cans to reach 46.7 billion cans in 2020. The rate nonetheless declined in the middle. of the growth in sales of cans last year. The 20-year average consumer recycling rate is around 50%.

The Aluminum Association supports an aggressive effort announced earlier today by CMI to increase recycling rates for aluminum cans over the coming decades from the current level of 45.2% to 70% by 2030; 80 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050. The association will work closely with CMI and our member companies on a global, multi-year effort to increase recycling rates for aluminum cans by pushing for creation. well-designed container deposit systems, including metering.

“Aluminum cans remain the most recycled and recyclable beverage container on the market today,” said Raphael Thevenin, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Constellium and Chairman of the Can Leaf Producers Committee at Constellium. ‘Aluminum Association. “But the recycling rate of cans in the United States lags the rest of the world – an unnecessary drag on the environment and the economy. These new recycling rate targets in the United States will catalyze action within and outside the industry to get more cans back into the recycling stream. “

“CMI is proud that the aluminum beverage can continues to outperform its competitors on key sustainability measures,” said Robert Budway, President of CMI. “CMI’s beverage can manufacturer and aluminum can sheet supplier members are committed to leveraging the superior beverage can sustainability performance and demonstrated this commitment with new recycling rate targets from industry. Achieving these goals is not only important for the growth of the industry, but will also benefit the environment and the economy.

Closed-loop circularity rate, a new KPI introduced this year, measures the percentage of recycled material used to return to the same product – in this case a new beverage container. This is in part a measure of the quality of recycling. When products are recycled, the recovered materials can be used to make the same (closed loop recycling) or a different and sometimes lower quality product (open loop recycling). Closed loop recycling is preferable because the recycled product generally maintains a similar quality to that of the primary material and the process can be repeated over and over again. On the other hand, open-loop recycling can lead to a degradation in the quality of the materials either by a change in chemistry or by an increase in the contamination of the new product.

Other key findings from the 2021 report include:

– The industry recycling rate, which includes the recycling of all used aluminum beverage containers (UBCs) by the US industry (including imported and exported UBCs), increased to 59.7%, from 55.9% in 2019. This change is largely attributable to an increase in UBC exports in 2020, which impacts the final number.

– The closed loop circularity rate for aluminum cans (described above) was 92.6 percent versus 26.8 percent for PET bottles and between 30 and 60 percent for glass bottles.

– The average recycled content of an aluminum can is 73 percent, far surpassing competitive packaging types.

– The aluminum can remains by far the most valuable beverage packaging in the recycling bin, with a value of $ 991 / tonne compared to $ 205 / tonne for PET and a negative value of $ 23 / tonne for glass , based on a two-year moving average through February 2021. Scrap aluminum values ​​fell sharply during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have since recovered significantly .

Increasing recycling rates for aluminum beverage cans will have a huge impact on the overall sustainability of the domestic aluminum industry. Earlier this year, the association released a new third-party life cycle assessment (LCA) report showing that the carbon footprint of aluminum cans made in North America has halved over the past three decades. The ACV also found that recycling a single can saves 1.56 megajoules (MJ) of energy or 98.7 grams of CO2 equivalent. This means that recycling a 12 pack of aluminum cans will save enough energy to power a typical passenger car for about three miles. The energy saved by recycling aluminum beverage cans that currently go to US landfills each year could save around $ 800 million for the economy and enough energy to power over 2 million homes for a full year .

For more information, please visit www.aluminium.org or www.cancentral.com.

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About the Aluminum Association

The Aluminum Association represents aluminum production and jobs in the United States, ranging from primary production to value-added products to recycling, as well as suppliers to the industry. The association is the industry’s leading voice, representing the companies that manufacture 70 percent of the aluminum and aluminum products shipped to North America. The association develops global standards, business intelligence, research on sustainable development and industrial expertise for member companies, policy makers and the general public. The aluminum industry helps manufacturers produce sustainable and innovative products, including more fuel-efficient vehicles, recyclable packaging, greener buildings and modern electronics. In the United States, the aluminum industry supports $ 172 billion in economic activity and nearly 660,000 jobs. For more information, visit https://www.aluminium.org or find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram.

About the Institute of Can Manufacturers

The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is the national trade association for the metal can manufacturing industry and its suppliers in the United States. The can industry accounts for the annual national production of about 130.7 billion cans for food, beverage and general lines; employs more than 28,000 people with factories in 33 states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa; and generates approximately $ 15.7 billion in direct economic activity. CMI members are committed to providing consumers with safe, nutritious and refreshing canned foods and beverages in the most sustainable packages. For more information, visit cancentral.com.

Matt Meenan Aluminum Association 703-358-2977 [email protected]

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