A circular economy is a framework for systems-level solutions addressing issues including pollution, waste, biodiversity loss, and climate change. By shifting away from take-make-consume-throw away economic model, we can achieve greater sustainability. Recycling and reusing waste are aspects of circular economies that involve using resources less frequently, re-designing materials to be less resource-intensive, and recovering and reusing waste. In actuality, it refers to minimising waste. When a product reaches the end of its useful life, its components are wherever possible preserved within the economy. These may be productively applied repeatedly, adding more value.
There is no doubt that aluminium cans, in this circular economy, are the most environmentally friendly beverage packaging options. Compared to other packaging materials, aluminium cans have a greater recycling rate and can be produced from high-content recycled material. Now due to its robust, stackable, and lightweight properties, marketers can package and ship more beverages with less waste.
It is one of the most adaptable metals globally with the advantage of being ductile, non-magnetic, low density and high strength-to-weight ratio. Around 75% of roughly a billion tonnes of aluminium produced throughout history are still being used today. Aluminium may be recycled several times without losing any of its mechanical or physical qualities.
Among the many products made of aluminium, beverage cans have been at the forefront of maximising the metal's recycling potential. Beer and carbonated soft drinks are typically packaged in beverage cans. Stakeholders are attempting to create a genuinely circular economy by employing the aluminium beverage can concept in several countries. After use, aluminium beverage cans go through recycling and are put back in the store in just 60 days as brand-new cans. It takes 95 per cent less energy to make an aluminium can from recycled aluminium than from processing bauxite ore thereby saving energy and extending equipment life.
When the customer collects aluminium cans, it has a superior sorting, reprocessing, and remelting efficiency rate of 90% compared to glass (67%) and PET (66%). Due to this, aluminium is an ideal circular economy material.
According to a study performed by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), aluminium cans are the best supporter of the circular economy. This assertion has been proven following research that included collecting, sorting, thermal processing, closed-loop recycling, and open-loop recycling in five different locations, including Brazil, China, Europe, Japan, and the United States. The result of the research showed that of the 3.7 million tonnes of aluminium cans sold, around 0.8 million tonnes or 21%, wind up in landfills, compared to 32.2 million tonnes or 49% of the 65.1 million tonnes of glass bottles and 4.5 million tonnes or 39% of the 11.5 million tonnes of plastic bottles.
