The International Aluminium Institute (IAI), on November 11, 2025, at COP30, announced that the recycling of aluminium beverage cans had achieved a 75 per cent rate globally in 2023. This marks a significant achievement, bringing the industry closer to complete circularity.
Two years ago, at COP28, key players in the aluminium production and recycling working under IAI pledged an industry-wide target of recycling 80 per cent of the aluminium beverage cans. This target is set to be achieved by 2030 and they further urge to gain a 100 per cent recycling rate by 2050.
Eunomia’s study
A new global study highlights this significant milestone with a comprehensive evaluation of the beverage packaging recycling ever conducted. This study has been carried out by Eunomia Research & Consulting, commissioned by the Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance (GBCCA). It further sets a benchmark for assessing the recycling performance of aluminium, PET and glass beverage containers across 35 countries, mainly concentrating on Europe as a single market. These regions are deemed to hold 90 per cent of the global aluminium market, 88 per cent of PET and 84 per cent of glass.
Marlen Bertram, Director, Scenarios & Forecasts at the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), stated, "This milestone shows real progress in keeping aluminium in circulation and out of landfills. Reliable, consistent data is essential to strengthen recycling systems worldwide, and COP30 gives us a vital chance to engage policymakers on this. Too many regions still lack accurate recycling data, a gap we must close through stronger cooperation between governments and industry. Greater transparency will help pinpoint where improvements are needed, boost recycling efficiency across all materials, and demonstrate what’s possible when the entire value chain works toward true circularity."
The primary objective of the study is to align the EU’s calculation point for recycling, which has been outlined in the Commission Decision 2005/270/EC. This study forms a part of a three-year-long initiative with the major focus on enriching the global understanding of the recycling performance, standardisation of data definitions and bolstering transparency and quality of metrics reported.
Andy Grant, Technical Director at Eunomia, said, “This study reinforces the need for continuous improvement in recycling infrastructure and policy. Governments and industry players alike have an important role to play in boosting the efficiency of recycling systems, not only for aluminium but for all materials. With better data, we can set more effective targets, monitor progress and ultimately close the recycling gaps around the world.”
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US recycling rate
As per the data shared by AA and CMI, the current global recycling rate is deemed to be much higher than the estimates for the US aluminium beverage cans recycling performance, which was at 43 per cent in 2023. Owing to this, both organisations are working towards bringing a policy change, including extended producer responsibility programs and deposit return systems, to mark real changes within the domestic market.
Apart from aluminium beverage can recycling, North America also falls behind in recycling other major material categories compared to other countries, as revealed by the Eunomia study.
2023 recycling rate of different beverage container formats
The collection and recycling of different beverage container formats in 2023 shows aluminium beverage cans to be a leader in the circular packaging with an impressive 75.6 per cent collection rate and 74.8 per cent recycling rate. After this comes the PET bottles, whose collection rate stood at 61.3 per cent with recycling efficiency at 47 per cent. On the other hand, the glass bottles made 44.5 per cent in collection, among which only 41.9 per cent were recycled.
2023 regional global recycling rate
In 2023, the aluminium beverage can recycling rate achieved the highest rate in East Asia and the Pacific at 94.6 per cent, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean with 94 per cent, and North America trailed at 45.3 per cent. In terms of glass recycling, an uneven performance has been witnessed, ranging from 20.6 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa to 62.2 per cent in Europe and Central Asia. PET recycling rates peaked at 63.6 per cent in South Asia and merely 22.0 per cent in North America.
With the requirement of how the materials are collected and recycled, aluminium cans stay at the forefront of the recycled single-use beverage containers around the globe. In relation to the industry's commitment to a higher closed-loop recycling rate, aluminium cans are recycled back to their original pieces, driving us closer to achieving a whole circular economy.
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