Climate Week NYC, one of the world’s largest climate events of its kind, returns to New York City. As the world’s climate challenges intensify, industry leaders are stepping up to showcase real, scalable solutions.
Among the most visible examples is the aluminium beverage can—a product that embodies the principles of circularity through its infinite recyclability and lower carbon footprint compared to alternatives. At this year’s Climate Week NYC, the spotlight will be on how this everyday item can help drive systemic change in the race toward net zero.
To get industry specific insights - World Recycled ALuminium Market Analysis Industry forecast to 2032
Industry collaboration on circularity
Several trade associations, companies, and nonprofit organisations connected to aluminium beverage can production and recycling will take the stage at Climate Week NYC 2025 in late September to highlight “circularity as a climate solution.”
In a mid-September press release, the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), The Aluminum Association, Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), and the Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance (an initiative under IAI) were announced as participants.
“Aluminium is one of the few materials that can be recycled over and over again without losing quality. When we recover it, we cut carbon, reduce waste, secure supply chains and preserve value,” said Marlen Bertram, IAI’s director of forecasts and scenarios.
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Session highlights
These groups will join a dedicated conference session titled “Aluminium in Action: How Beverage Cans Are Closing the Circularity Loop.” The session will bring together industry leaders, recyclers, investors, policymakers, and climate advocates to discuss how aluminium packaging can accelerate progress toward global decarbonisation goals.
On Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025, a conference session at New York’s Civic Hall will feature the release of new aluminium recycling data, according to the IAI. The session will also spotlight “high-impact technologies and investments driving higher recycling rates,” while presenting policy recommendations aimed at expanding closed-loop, can-to-can recycling.
Speakers and panellists at the Climate Week NYC 2025 session will include -
Data & insights
The IAI, which describes itself as the global body representing the primary aluminium industry, says the data it will present in New York will demonstrate that aluminium cans boast the highest recycling rate worldwide among beverage containers. It will also highlight that producing aluminium from recycled material requires 95 per cent less energy than primary production.
“Based on today’s global recycling rate, 87 per cent of all cans recycled could go back into cans, thereby avoiding downgrading or loss of valuable alloying elements such as manganese and magnesium, but only 47 per cent of all recycled cans actually do this globally,” added IAI.
The IAI also highlights collection challenges in the United States, noting that while the global aluminium can recycling rate stands at 71 per cent, the US lags at just 43 per cent, according to a 2024 Aluminum Association report. In practical terms, this means that more than half of all cans consumed in the country still end up in landfills.
“Each year, more than a dozen 12 packs of aluminium cans end up in landfills for every person in the US,” added Curt Wells, of the Aluminum Association. “We are throwing away more than $1 billion worth of aluminium each year. At a time of increasing demand and calls for greater domestic supply chain security, accepting the status quo on recycling is no longer acceptable.”
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