A new industry initiative, re-alu (Recycling Alliance for Small Aluminium Packaging), has been launched in Europe to improve the recycling of small aluminium packaging.

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The alliance has been established under AMS Europe e.V. and brings together companies from across the aluminium packaging value chain. Its goal is to raise the recycling rate of these formats to 55 per cent by 2035, in line with targets under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

While aluminium beverage cans already achieve high recycling rates across Europe, smaller aluminium packaging formats remain less consistently recovered. These include coffee capsules, confectionery foils, dairy lids, cheese wraps and small containers, which are often missed in existing collection systems.

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Although modern sorting facilities can recover these materials, gaps in collection and sorting infrastructure across several markets mean a significant share still ends up in residual waste or incineration.

The expansion of deposit return schemes (DRS) for beverage cans is expected to alter aluminium flows in sorting plants. As cans are increasingly collected through DRS systems, small aluminium packaging will represent a larger share of aluminium entering municipal sorting streams.

The re-alu platform will prioritise enhancing sorting efficiency, encouraging equitable handling of tiny aluminium packaging under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, and facilitating recyclability-by-design in line with PPWR regulations.

In 2026, the alliance will update a study on optimal sorting models for aluminium packaging, evaluating economic feasibility and implementation options across various plant sizes and national systems.

The alliance is open to additional industry participants.

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