Aluminium cans are the most recycled beverage container

In 2019, 71% of aluminium cans were recycled back into new aluminium products globally. This compares to 40% for PET and 34% for glass bottles.

For the full study, please visit https://international-aluminium.org/resource/aluminium-beverage-can-study/

The study covered China, the USA, Europe, Japan, and Brazil – 70% of the aluminium can market, 70% of the PET bottle market, and 50% of the glass container market.

A second study undertaken by Roland Berger in 2023 found that the weighted average recycling rate for aluminium can recycling for UAE, Australia, South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam is 79%, therefore exceeding the 71% in the previous study.

In 2017, the Can Manufacturers Institute, Beverage Can Makers Europe and Abralatas in Brazil commissioned Resource Recycling Systems to validate the global recyclability rates for aluminium, PET and glass beverage containers.

The study found a global weighted average recycling rate for aluminium at 69 percent, compared to PET at 43 percent and glass at 46 percent for 2014.

Data and modelling

The International Aluminium Institute commissioned Eunomia Research & Consulting to assess the data available for the circularity of three beverage packaging materials. The assessment included market share, end-of-life processing losses (including collection, sorting, reprocessing and thermal processing), closed loop recycling and open-loop recycling into recycled and non-recycled products for aluminium beverage cans, PET and glass bottles for single use.

The recycling rate is defined as “discarded products after use and recycled back into new products, regardless of quality/discarded products after use”. Therefore, the analysis includes all losses along the recycling value chain.

Data sources, links and publications:

Last updated: August 2024

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