The latest report of the International Aluminum Association: the recycling of aluminum beverage cans is significantly higher than that of glass and plastic bottles!

This is the first comprehensive study on the recycling value chain of disposable beverage cans, covering five major regional markets. The data show that 71% of aluminum cans are recycled and recycled into new aluminum products, and the recycling rate is almost twice as high as that of glass (34%) and plastic (40%).

The research on the recycling of three kinds of beverage container materials (aluminum, glass and plastic (PET) commissioned by (IAI) shows that aluminum beverage cans are most beneficial to circular economy. Compared with aluminum cans, more glass and plastic bottles are eventually buried into the natural environment because they are not collected. In addition, the loss of PET and glass bottles collected by the recycling system is three times that of aluminum cans.

(EunomiaResearch and Consulting), an Eunomia research and consulting firm, studied data from five regions, including Brazil, China, Europe, Japan and the United States, on behalf of IAI. The mechanism studied the scrap loss of aluminum cans, glass bottles and plastic (PET) bottles. The mechanism also studies the material flow in the processes of collection, classification, reprocessing and heat treatment, closed-loop recovery and open-loop recovery.

The research report shows that 3.7 million tons of aluminum cans are put into the market in the above five markets every year, of which 79% of the scrapped aluminum cans are collected into the recycling system (that is, the collection rate is 79%), which is about 3 million tons. After considering the remelting loss, the recovery utilization rate is 71%. About 2.7 million tons of aluminum was recovered. After taking into account the metal loss in other processes, 69% of aluminum cans (2.6 million tons) enter the infinite cycle of aluminum, of which the utilization rate of grade-to-can closed-loop recycling is about 33%, the quantity is 1.4 million tons, and other recycled aluminum has a wider range of uses.

At the same time, the collection rate of scrapped glass bottles is 51%, and the utilization rate of material recovery and closed-loop recovery is only 20%. There is no other use. The collection rate of (PET) for scrapped plastic bottles is 61%, and the material recovery rate is only 8%, of which the closed-loop recovery rate is only 7%.

From the perspective of circular economy and resource utilization, the recycling performance of aluminum cans is significantly better than that of glass and plastic bottles, which is the best choice for beverage containers.

According to the data shown in the report, in the beverage container market, plastic bottles, glass bottles and aluminum cans account for 65%, 17% and 18% respectively according to the number of packages; according to the weight of packaging materials, plastic bottles, glass bottles and aluminum cans account for 81%, 14% and 5%, respectively. In terms of recycling the transport weight of the logistics link, plastic bottles, glass bottles and aluminum cans accounted for 79%, 6% and 16%, respectively. Aluminum cans have great advantages in improving the transportation efficiency of beverages. It can also be seen that the market application potential of aluminum cans is still great, and the market share needs to be further improved.

In terms of consumption level, each person in the United States consumes about five aluminum beverage cans per week, four in Japan, two in Brazil and Europe, and about one in China.

Ramon Arratia, Vice President of Global Public Affairs at Bohr, said: "No beverage container has achieved its full recycling potential and goals, but aluminum recycling performance is significantly better than glass and plastic (PET) at all stages of the waste management system. Today, aluminum cans are the beverage containers with the highest recovery rate in the world. Once aluminium cans are collected from consumers, the sorting, reprocessing and remelting efficiency will reach 90 per cent, while the efficiency of glass (67 per cent) and PET (66 per cent) cannot be compared. On this basis, aluminum can be described as the preferred material for circular economy. This is particularly important when we study the carbon reduction potential of recovery. "

Andrew Wood, strategy and business development executive of (Alumina Limited) Group of Alumina Co., Ltd., said: "the collection rate of aluminum cans at the end of their service life is 18% higher than that of PET bottles and 28% higher than that of glass bottles. A large portion of PET bottles and glass bottles end up in landfills or thrown into the water system because they are not collected. In the context of decarbonization, the advantages of aluminum cans in circular economy will lead to an increase in demand for recycled and primary aluminum. "

In the 1950s, Coors Brewery (Coors Brewing) made the first large-scale use of aluminum cans to improve the taste of beer and provide more sustainable beverage containers than steel cans. It is safe to see from this study that the environmental goals of pioneering new products have been achieved and improved many years ago.

MarlenBertram, director of scenarios and forecasting at IAI, said: "as IAI celebrates its 50th anniversary, we have been looking back at IAI's long history of data collection, analysis and modeling. Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials on the planet, and taking into account economic and environmental factors, IAI is carrying out related activities to ensure that aluminum scrapped products return to the field of recycling. It is pointless to compare the recovery rates of different materials if you do not know how the recovery rates of different materials are measured and what products the materials are recycled into. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the recovery degree and loss of three kinds of beverage containers in different regions. By improving the accuracy of identifying the location of significant losses, the study can provide solutions to improve the recovery rate of all materials. We are clearly in a new era of circular transparency. "

Emilio Braghi, CEO and European President of Norbelis, said: "the collection and classification system is essential to improve cyclicity and to tap the full potential of unlimited recyclable materials. We need a policy framework to motivate a real recycling and recycling system in which beverage containers are recycled over and over again at the end of their useful life without reducing quality. Aluminum is particularly suitable for recycling among a variety of products. We need to shift our thinking from waste to valuable resources, and then use existing materials to produce new packaging, thereby saving valuable natural resources and energy while reducing carbon emissions. "

Consumption and recovery rate of beverage containers in five major markets

The main destination of beverage containers in five major markets after recycling