Additional 99,000t of aluminium sheet stock required for 7.7 billion aluminium cans: Wood Mackenzie

Wood Mackenzie research shows that replacing 7.7 billion plaster water bottles a year with 7.7 billion aluminium cans would require 99,000 tonnes of additional aluminium sheet stock. This analysis attempted to answer the question of whether at all replace plastic bottles could be replaced with aluminium cans.

According to Pieterjan Van Uytvanck, Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst, PET bottles consumption is increasing. Currently, in Europe, the yearly consumption is at around 140 units per person, while in the US 290 units, as shown in Mackenzie’s report on the European United’s single-use plastic directive.

Van Uytvanck said, “Globally, around 57 per cent of these are collected, and political pressure will see that figure rise. One of the most ambitious targets of the EU directive is the call for 90 per cent of PET beverage bottles to be collected by 2029.but significant investment in new waste management infrastructure is needed to meet this goal.”

He further added, “However, collection doesn’t guarantee recycling. In the US, 70 per cent of the plastic collected for recycling goes to landfill, and it’s 30 per cent in the EU. Many argue that the real mission is to find a cleaner, greener alternative.”

In that respect, aluminium is one option, according to Van Uytvanck. He said brands like Coca-Cola is launching Dasani water brand in aluminium cans as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste.

Uday Patel, a fellow Wood Mackenzie Principal Analyst, said: “Brands offering cans of water will find a receptive market and it will be interesting to see how consumers respond over time.”