Special Feature (December 2024)
While recycling systems for aluminum beverage cans are more advanced than for other types of products, the UACJ Group has launched initiatives to make even more progress by enabling closed-loop recycling, which means recycling the same types of products. If this is achieved and all cans are recycled, virgin aluminum will no longer be needed to produce can stock, thereby eliminating the large quantities of greenhouse gas emissions from the smelting process.
Toward this end, the Group is carrying out projects and initiatives at both the production and recycling stages.
At the production stage, UACJ has teamed up with one of Japan’s leading beverage producers to manufacture beer cans made entirely of recycled aluminum. In Thailand, UACJ (Thailand) has strengthened ties with a major can manufacturing group and is raising consumer awareness of the importance of recycling in a project called CAN to CAN Journey. Looking ahead, the Group will sell products under its own new brand, ALmitas+ Smart Mass Balance, which have been certified by a third-party for their contribution to reducing Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. UACJ’s EcoEnd™ brand of beverage can lids are also set for mass production, which will emit around 40% less greenhouse gases than the production of conventional can lids. At the recycling stage, Tri-Arrows Aluminum has raised its recycling capacity of used beverage cans, and UACJ (Thailand) has increased its scrap aluminum recycling capacity. UACJ also plans to install new equipment for recycling used beverage cans and scrap at Fukui Works, and operate a closed-loop recycling system for aluminum beverage cans through a business partnership.
By carrying out all of these initiatives, the Group intends to increase the total amount of aluminum it recycles, and has set a fiscal 2027 target of raising this amount by 75% compared with in fiscal 2019. By bringing more scrap and used aluminum into its recycling process, the Group will increase the overall amount of aluminum it uses to manufacture products. Accordingly, it will aim to boost sales volume of can stock from 791 thousand tons in fiscal 2023 to 935 thousand tons by fiscal 2027.
Aiming to boost sales volume of can stock by recycling more aluminum
Aiming to increase the amount of recycled scrap aluminum
