Four leading manufacturers have struck a deal to maximise the amount of recycled metal in drinks cans.
European Aluminium Packaging Group (EAPG) members Constellium, Elval, Novelis and Speira agreed to engage in a standardisation project to boost the reuse of secondary material in their products.
The ends of drinks cans are currently made from two different alloys.
The rolled aluminium for the can body already contains a high percentage of recycled aluminium and is easy to recycle but the partners agree there is potential to use more sustainable metal for the can end.
Ultimately they hope to develop and market a can that can be produced solely from recycled aluminium.
“Collaboration and pooling of expertise on this vital topic is something that all company members of the EAPG are fully committed to, and that will help decarbonise our industry,” said the trade body’s director Maarten Labberton.
“The project is a key driver towards full circularity and will make beverage cans an even more sustainable packaging.
“In addition, with the steady growth of deposit-return systems across Europe, we will be able to recycle more cans via can-to-can remelting solutions, in line with the joint roadmap with the can-makers towards 100 per cent beverage can recycling by 2030.”
