The aluminium beverage can industry is well-positioned for circularity, but achieving this vision requires a unified, collective effort. The International Aluminium Institute (IAI) 's "Can-to-Can Recycling: Performance, Potential and Pathways" factsheet outlines how aluminium can recycling can drive circularity and presents a transformative roadmap that aligns with the International Energy Agency's net-zero target for 2050.
To grasp the scale of this opportunity and the urgent need for action, it is crucial to examine both the vast potential and the current challenges of aluminium can recycling. These obstacles can be addressed on a global scale in the future, as Marlen Bertram, director of scenario forecasts at the IAI, discusses in this article for The Metal Packager.
By 2030, global consumption of aluminium beverage cans is projected to reach an astonishing 630 billion, a 43 per cent increase from 420 billion in 2020. If every single one of these cans were recycled, whether into new cans or other products, it could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 million tonnes annually.
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However, we are falling short of this potential. While 71 per cent of aluminium cans are recycled, only a third are repurposed into new cans. Currently, 38 per cent are recycled into products like engine blocks, which, due to incompatible alloying elements, cannot be remade into beverage cans. Other cans are used as de-oxidisers in steel production, further diminishing their value in the recycling loop and breaking the cycle.
The solution is clear - we need to significantly scale up and incentivise can-to-can recycling to close the loop. At the IAI, we are advocating for global action to ensure that, within the next 5-10 years, 87 per cent of recycled aluminium cans are reused in the production of new cans, thereby maximising both material and economic value.
Why aluminium?
The aluminium industry is uniquely positioned to serve as a model for other sectors striving for circularity. Firstly, aluminium is a recycler's ideal material—it can be recycled endlessly without any loss of quality. Nearly 75 per cent of the 1.5 billion tonnes of aluminium ever produced is still in circulation today. Globally, over 70 per cent of aluminium cans are recycled, with 33 per cent being reused directly to make new cans.
Secondly, the losses associated with sorting, re-processing, and thermal processing are minimal, averaging around 10 per cent, and in some cases, as low as 3-5 per cent.
Thirdly, can-to-can recycling is a well-established component of the beverage can supply chain. According to the Can Manufacturers Institute, aluminium beverage cans are the most recycled drink packaging in the US, with a swift 60-day turnaround from recycling bin to newly formed can. This efficiency is vital, as a streamlined supply chain reduces waste, cuts transportation costs, and ensures that materials are properly managed and repurposed, ultimately closing the loop and advancing a circular economy.
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Moving closer to higher can-to-can recycling rate
Raising the global UBC recycled content of aluminium cans from the current 33 per cent to the 60–70 per cent range is achievable without modifying remelter operations or changing can alloys. A global target of 62 per cent has been set as the milestone for this goal. To reach this, 87% of recycled aluminium cans must be reincorporated into new cans.
Incorporating pre-consumer scrap can push the total recycled content of aluminium beverage cans to 80 per cent or more globally. The specific mix of UBC and pre-consumer scrap will depend on the sourcing opportunities available at each plant. However, to achieve this intermediate step toward full circularity, comprehensive policies and regulatory frameworks must be put in place. These should focus on reducing alloy contamination at source, establishing regional can-to-can recycling hubs, preventing valuable scrap from leaking out of the circular system, increasing consumer awareness, and incentivising best practices across the entire value chain.
Requirement of more advanced alloy
Achieving the full potential of a circular economy, where 100 per cent of cans put on the market are recycled back into new cans, requires a strategic approach. This includes optimising alloy design, establishing clean and efficient recycling streams, and building robust infrastructure systems that retain valuable materials within the production cycle.
To reach this goal, we must collectively transition to uni-alloy or compatible alloy systems that enable seamless can-to-can recycling at the remelter. This must be paired with high collection rates and high-quality UBC scrap. Additionally, the global recycling infrastructure needs to expand systematically; incorporating advanced sorting technologies and processing capabilities that can efficiently handle diverse waste streams.
Only through this comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy can the aluminium industry realise its full potential as a cornerstone of the circular economy, providing environmental and economic benefits while setting a benchmark for other materials to follow.
So, how can we make this transformation a reality?
At COP 28, aluminium industry leaders set an ambitious near 100 per cent recycling target for aluminium beverage cans by 2050, with a focus on can-to-can recycling. Now, 18 months later, at the IAI, we have strengthened the foundation established at COP 28 with a three-tier pathway to 2050:
However, this transformation requires a collective effort. Aluminium producers, recyclers, rolling mills, can manufacturers, NGOs, industry associations, and governments all have a role to play in closing the loop.
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This is especially important considering the significant differences in industry maturity and technological capabilities across global markets. For instance, while the US leads the world with a 97 per cent recycling rate for cans going through closed-loop recycling, its overall can recycling rate is only 43 per cent. In contrast, Vietnam has a recycling rate of 93 per cent, but only 1 per cent of those cans are recycled back into cans due to export duties and market conditions that hinder can-to-can recycling. Thailand, however, recycles 91 per cent of cans back into cans, with a high overall recycling rate of 86 per cent.
Challenges and successes vary widely across regions. Therefore, coordinated action and knowledge sharing between developed and emerging economies is not just beneficial but essential for making meaningful progress toward a truly circular economy.
Image Source: IAI
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