Special Feature (December 2021)
In North America, a growing number of beverage makers are switching to aluminum cans in consideration of the environment. The aluminum can market is currently brisk and prospects are positive for new recycling systems in the future.
Aluminum canned drinks regarded as premium products amid the growing sustainability movement
In North America, demand for aluminum beverage cans is projected to grow at a rate of 5% annually through to 2030. In the context of that demand growth, consumer preferences are changing. In recent years, consumers have been choosing products with sustainability in mind, and an increasing number of young people are deeply conscious of the environment. They understand that aluminum has a lower impact on environment because of its excellent recyclability and light weight. Consequently, many consumers have come to regard aluminum canned drinks as premium products, a status previously held by glass bottled beverages, and beverage makers are now choosing to sell many of their products in aluminum cans.
Today, the outlook for North America’s aluminum can market is very bright, and there are many new sustainability-related opportunities for growth. We intend to seize these opportunities with the goal of helping build a better future.
Recycling aluminum greatly reduces CO2 emissions, and we are initiating a framework for recovering scrap for recycling
Recycling scrap aluminum consumes only a fraction of the electricity required to produce virgin aluminum in the smelting process. As a result, CO2 emissions are greatly reduced. To widely promote aluminum recycling, technological solutions alone are not enough—systems for recovering aluminum from used products are essential. The UACJ Group cannot establish such systems on its own, so initiatives and projects encompassing the entire supply chain will be needed.
Tri-Arrows Aluminum has been taking the lead in efforts to establish recycling systems and calling on all members of the supply chain to take part. To recycle aluminum cans, for example, we have been approaching local governments that collect disposed cans as well as companies that handle scrap aluminum.
When recycling, it is necessary to consider the product lifecycle, which varies depending on its usage. Beverage cans and other products with a short life cycle can be collected comparatively soon after they are produced, but over a decade is needed for other products like auto parts. Taking these differences into consideration, our goal is to recycle aluminum recovered from all kinds of products in order to increase the overall recycling rate. Through these efforts, we hope to widen the scope of aluminum recycling to reduce environmental impacts.
Closed loop recycling of aluminum cans compared with smelting
