Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance to Drive Aluminium Can Recycling at Climate Week NYC

Global Advocacy Plan highlights the importance of investment, Deposit Return Systems and making landfilling less economically attractive to drive needed recycling Gains

The Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance, established in the wake of COP28, is launching its global advocacy plan at Climate Week NYC.

The plan developed by Roland Berger identifies actions, investments and policies based on domestic can usage, waste management systems and socio-economic factors in 140 countries. For example, Colombia, Uganda and Vietnam could achieve a 90% recycling rate and near 100% can-to-can recycling within three to ten years by investing in their informal recycling sectors. 

Countries such as the United States, UAE, Turkey and Malaysia could boost recycling rates by 20 percentage points by 2030 through measures such as incentivising collection via source separation and overcoming logistical hurdles. The plan also highlights countries – such as UK, South Korea, Japan or Spain – where key stakeholders, such as brand owners, retail and government, are most likely to support Deposite Return Systems’ (DRS) implementation to further enhance recycling and can-to can-recycling rates.

The plan further emphasises the broader global implications of recycling. For instance, recycling the aluminium beverage cans currently landfilled in the USA could offset 18% of the country’s aluminium imports. Florida, which has the second highest consumption of aluminium cans in the United States after Texas, landfills 79% of its cans. In Vietnam, 46% of used beverage cans are currently exported as ingots for non-can-to-can recycling, while a voluntary DRS in the UAE has shown positive net system costs in several scenarios.

Other key features of the Alliance’s strategy include:

• Designing and deploying strategic advocacy efforts focused on international diplomacy
• Supporting companies in identifying recycling infrastructure investment opportunities

• Driving better data collection, recycling target setting, and implementation of smart policies
• Providing global support to countries considering DRS, Extended Producer Responsibility, or other policies.

The Alliance, supported by Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute and the International Aluminium Institute, will host an international strategy event during Climate Week NYC to discuss approaches for achieving a near 100% recycling of aluminium beverage cans by 2050.

Each Alliance member company has committed to announcing at least one investment by COP30 to help achieve the global recycling targets.

The Alliance, which was formed during COP28 at the time, called on national governments to commit to setting appropriate policies to achieve global aluminium beverage can recycling targets of at least 80% by 2030 and near 100% by 2050.

Quotes

Marlen Bertram, IAI’s Director of Scenarios and Forecasts, notes: “This event marks a crucial step in our journey towards full circularity in the aluminium beverage can sector. By bringing together diverse stakeholders, we aim to accelerate progress and drive meaningful change in recycling practices globally.”

Scott Breen, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at the Can Manufacturers Institute, said: “This discussion at Climate Week NYC demonstrates the power of collaboration across the beverage can value chain. By aligning our efforts, voices and resources, the beverage can industry will achieve higher recycling rates and create a more sustainable future.”

Matt Meenan, Vice President of External Affairs at the Aluminum Association, said, “Each year, twelve 12-packs of aluminum cans end up in landfills for every person in the United States – the equivalent of throwing away around $1 billion. Recycling these cans could save enough energy to power 2 million homes for a year. The status quo on aluminum can recycling is not acceptable and it’s time to start thinking outside the box on new ways to bring back this vital material.” 

Heidi Schütt Larsen, Executive Vice President of Dansk Retursystem, said, “Deposit and Return Systems are in general acknowledged as strong contributors to a circular economy for beverage packaging in EU, and Dansk Retursystem ensures full circularity for UBC’s through ‘can-can recycling’ without any costs for the producers and importers. 93% of the UBCs are returned by the Danish consumers and 99 per cent hereof are recycled in a can-to-can loop – to the benefit of climate and environment.”

Ramon Arratia, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ball Corporation, said, “Circularity is the most powerful and cost-effective lever for the aluminium can industry. Its value proposition goes beyond climate impact, supporting resource efficiency and ensuring a secure supply of critical materials. Recent research from the, “50 States of Recycling Report”, shows that when EPR and DRS are implemented together, they result in the highest recycling rates, maximizes circularity and deliver optimal social, environmental and economic outcomes.”

Piere Lebat, Novelis’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said, “Circularity is a key driver to decarbonise the aluminum beverage packaging value chain. I am excited about accelerating the collaboration started at COP28 to improve can-to-can circularity in more geographies.” 

Midori Narita, Managing Executive Officer and the Leader of the Corporate Sustainability Promotion Division of UACJ Group, said: “It’s our great honour to share a success story of Japan through the presentation by the Ministry of Environment in “It’s Time to Drive Aluminum Towards Full Circularity” events in Climate Week NYC. Recycling aluminum is essential to achieve perfect sustainability of beverage can sector. We consider the importance of recycling aluminium based on three key points. The first point is reducing GHG emissions. The second point is the circular utilization of mined mineral resources. The final point is conserving natural capital. We believe that beverage cans are a very suitable product for realising these three points. UACJ prioritises horizontal recycling, encompassing Can to Can, to achieve a society where aluminium is utilised indefinitely.”

Dragos Popa, Principal, Roland Berger said: “Reaching a global recycling rate of 80% for aluminum cans in the next ten years is ambitious, but achievable, if can makers drive  DRS and mandatory EPR adoption, whilst also supporting on one hand the informal sector in the less mature systems and catalysing on the other hand the public awareness of can recyclability through  some flagship projects in the out-of-home collection of large cities – for instance at events, in busy pedestrian and entertainment areas as well as beaches.”

Salman Abdulla, Executive Vice President of ESG and Sustainability at Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “Aluminium is an essential material for the development of a more sustainable society. It also matters how sustainably aluminium is made. Recycling aluminium takes 95% less energy than making new aluminium, but too much of this valuable metal is still thrown away. This must change.”

Wiebke Weiler, Sustainability Manager at Constellium, said: “The aluminium beverage can is the most recycled beverage container worldwide, but to unlock its full circularity potential, we need strong and ambitious recycling policies. We are proud to be part of this initiative, working to enhance recycling practices globally and drive a more sustainable, circular future.”

Yasushi Noto, Executive Director at Japan Aluminium Association, said:

“It is our honour to participate in this event, which has a great significance to improve the circularity of precious aluminium resources and to highlight the role of aluminium in our society as one of the most sustainable materials.”

Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle, Director Sustainability & External Affairs at Crown, said: While circularity has always been an important focus for Crown, we joined the Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance to take recycling system improvement from a concept to a concrete plan. Major progress is not possible without the implementation of collection policies that incentivize all members of the value chain to recapture every can that enters the market. Combined with awareness, education and infrastructure, policy changes are the most efficient way to reduce landfilling and drive the decarbonization of the beverage can.

John O’Maoileoin, Group Global Sustainability Director at CANPACK Group, said: “Climate Change Week in NYC 2024 offers us the opportunity to ‘turn up the dial’ on real and transparent collaboration. After all it is the only way we will be able to tackle serious environmental and societal issues including climate change and depleting natural resources. Although aluminium, thanks to its truly circular and credible, long-term recyclable credentials, enters the conversation from a ‘rolling start’, we also know that we can further improve collection and recycling processes and further reduce our carbon impact. We not only look forward to the actions that will follow Climate Change Week we also look forward to aluminium playing a lead role in the solution.”

Til Ruhnke, Chief Sustainability, Strategy & Transformation Officer at Ardagh Metal Packaging, said: “Ardagh Metal Packaging believes in the potential of the beverage can, to achieve excellent levels of decarbonization. We support this alliance because we recognize that – despite this technical potential – for circularity and decarbonization to succeed, system wide change is needed in waste management and consumer behavior.”

Boris Kurth, Head of Speira’s Can Business, said: “Redefining the limits of Aluminium and leveraging its sustainability and outstanding recyclability, the beverage can is our particular favourite. Speira’s very advanced UBC recycling and rolling capacities guarantee low-CO2 can sheet with highest recycled content. At the same time, we are working with can industry peers to explore ways of further increasing the recycled content in can alloys. Both approaches will hopefully set standards globally and generate motivation and imitation.”

Panagiotis Tserolas, Sustainability Senior Manager of Elval, stated: 

“Unleashing the circular potential of aluminium beverage cans by boosting global recycling rates is crucial to reach our common decarbonization targets. The upcoming Climate Week event in NYC, following the industry’s impactful message in COP28, is a great opportunity to reinforce our shared ambition towards a circular, low-carbon value chain of aluminium beverage cans.’’

The Alliance members are Ardagh Metal Packaging, Ball Corporation, CANPACK Group, Constellium, CROWN Holdings, Elval, Emirates Global Aluminium, Novelis, Speira, UACJ