Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings to host first Global Aluminium Can Sustainability Summit

The Global Aluminium Can Sustainability Summit organised by Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings is aimed at uniting people from various global organisations belonging to the aluminium value chain to activate the decarbonisation of aluminium that is used for producing can sheets. The event, in collaboration with the Cans Manufacturers Institute and the International Aluminium Institute, would present information on recycling and circularity.

The event is to be held in Rome, Italy, where almost one hundred estimated aluminium and energy sector members have been invited to be a part of the great discussion from September 13 to 14. The Cans Manufacturers Institute is comprised of entities such as the U.S. metal can manufacturers and their suppliers, whereas the International Aluminium Institute stands by the global primary aluminium industry.

The central ideology behind this for Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings is to uphold a sustainable beverage cans industry with all its necessary standards being met at every avenue of its production cycle. This event will also mention factors through which an aluminium can manufacturer can measure the recycled content in beverage cans.

The entire aluminium value chain, including Ardagh Metal Packaging and Crown Holdings, will have a better scope of building the aluminium beverage can's sustainability performance to meet the company's sustainability goals.

The increasing demand for sustainability and the user awakening with consumers ready to pay premium prices for sustainable products is leading the aluminium industry to take turns and introduce more green production methodologies to the value chain. Aluminium is the right choice when it comes to beverage cans as it is a non-ferrous metal that has the ability to retain its original properties even after going through infinite recycling cycles. Moreover, the beverage cans usually contain only aluminium as the main ingredient, which makes it easier to recycle as there is no initial sorting required. Beverage cans have the potential to build an integrated circular economy down the business line.

Summit speakers include executives and individuals from inside and outside the aluminium beverage can industry. Speakers within the sector include the CEOs of Ardagh and Crown. Outside the aluminium can industry, speakers include representatives from Energy Transitions Commission, McKinsey, and Science Based Targets, as well as the financial institutions Citi, Deutsche Bank, and Federated Hermes. In addition, Laura Thompson of the nonprofit environmental GreenBlue will present her initial findings on how to standardise the measurement of recycled content in aluminium beverage cans that is in accordance with international standards.

The chief sustainability officer at Ardagh Metal Packaging, Jennifer Cumbee, exclaimed: "The aluminium beverage can is the most recycled beverage container in the world, and these high levels of recycling mean significant carbon savings since processing recycled aluminium utilises around five per cent of the energy needed to mine and produce new aluminium. This summit will help further mobilise our industry toward decarbonisation and increased recycled content levels, further positioning the beverage can as the leader in sustainability excellence."

The aluminium beverage cans produced in North America at this moment have an average recycled content rate of 73 per cent. The 2021 aluminium beverage can sustainability key performance indicators report consists of this recycled content industry-average and the methodology recently presented by the Aluminum Association and CMI.

The global sustainability and regulatory affairs personnel at Crown Holdings, John Rost, stated briefly: "An aluminium beverage can with higher recycled content has a lower carbon footprint. As a result, there is increased interest globally, from consumers to customers to legislators, in the amount of recycled content in beverage packaging. So, in addition to discussing decarbonisation processes, another key focus of the Summit is to ensure global standardisation on how the industry calculates recycled content in aluminium beverage cans. These steps are indicative of our industry's focus on supporting our customer's sustainability platforms and being a leading example of a circular economy."