Effective can recycling could save 60m tonnes of CO2 annually
Effective global recycling of used beverage cans could save 60 million tonnes of CO2e per annum by 2030, a new study has found.
The findings are from a study commissioned by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) and co-funded by Emirates Global Aluminium, Crown Holdings, Australian Aluminium Council and Novelis.
It proposes 20 ways of increasing recycling and a prioritised set of strategic recommendations to improve aluminium can recycling in Australia, Cambodia, South Korea, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
“This comprehensive study reaffirms what we published in 2022 – that 71% or more of all aluminium cans put on market are recycled globally,” said Marlen Bertram, IAI’s director of scenarios and forecasts. “The IAI has added processing losses to the delivered data by Roland Berger and can confirm that 79% of all cans put on the market in these six countries collectively end up in recycled ingots for a second life.”
The report highlights key improvements, including better awareness of the benefits of aluminium can recycling, investment in infrastructure and quality waste streams. It also shows how the industry can play its part in advocating for the implementation of schemes to improve recycling rates for aluminium cans.
“The carbon reduction potential of recycling cannot be underestimated,” Bertram added. “Recycling of used aluminium products has a huge role to play in the overall decarbonisation of the aluminium industry, because recycling these products emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2e per tonne compared to 16.6 tonnes of CO2e per tonne for primary aluminium. This is why IAI members focus their strategies on decarbonising their primary aluminium production and increasing the use of aluminium scrap, thereby reducing landfilling of aluminium products after use.”
For each of the six countries, various aspects were analysed including waste management and regulatory schemes, collection infrastructure, recycling and landfill rates, volumes put on market, usage trends, overall performance, used beverage can trade, material flows and future targets.
Other findings from the report include Thailand having the best can-to-can recovery rate of those in scope, at 78% of cans put on market, and South Korea having the highest recovery rate of 96% among the studied countries.
Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle, director of sustainability and external affairs at Crown, said: “The superior recyclability of aluminium beverage cans continues to inspire us to raise awareness and build infrastructure for a stronger recovery rate across the globe.
“Through this new study we have identified effective levers in four key markets for Crown which all actors within the aluminium supply chain can and should take responsibility to action. To utilise these avenues and advance progress, we are hopeful that governments in each of these regions will recognize the critical role they play in establishing proper policy frameworks. It is imperative we have legislative support to reach our goals to reduce our carbon footprint through higher usage of recycled aluminium, both in the immediate and long-term time frames.”
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