Metal - the environmental champion

18 July 2008



Nick Mullen, Director, Metal Packaging Manufacturers' Association, analyses the positive environmental characteristics of metal packaging


Metal is a true packaging environmental champion. It is unmatched by any other material in terms of waste prevention, consumer safety, cost-efficiency, recyclability, and resource minimisation. However, its environmental credentials often seem submerged in the scramble for a single catch-all that ticks the sustainability boxes.

Weight reduction - a blinkered vision?

The current target of weight reduction is being used to address the Courtauld Commitment. The argument is that reducing the packaging weight that goes to landfill necessarily reduces CO2 emissions. It is anticipated that governmental targets will be achieved by leaning on this one-dimensional measure. However, this is lightweight thinking: if only it were that simple. It is undeniable that this is a tidy, easily understood measure. Perhaps, most importantly in the current climate, it is a tangible measure. After all, weight is very easy to calculate. However, by making weight the key discriminator, materials with other environmental credentials that may be unmatched are potentially disadvantaged.

The can is a case in point. Over decades, cans have been constantly and continuously reduced in weight, with materials and processes being specifically developed to achieve this objective. Furthermore, recycling processes and facilities have become universally available, as a can is infinitely recyclable. In theory, the can recycled today could be back in your hand in just a few weeks. This could continue ad infinitum.

Also being overlooked is the fact that each time the metal is recycled, less CO2 is produced in the process - thus the higher the recycling rate, the lower the CO2 emissions.

Net environmental benefits

In order to effectively improve sustainability, it is necessary to understand that the net environmental benefits are not solely related to the potential recyclability of the material, but also to the proportion of packs that are actually recycled.

More than 30 years ago, the 'Save a Can' scheme was launched, the purpose of which was to bring recycling into the mainstream, educate the consumer and change behaviour. This campaign has been hugely successful, having a massive impact on reducing the amount of metal packaging waste that goes to landfill. In the UK, almost two-thirds of steel cans are currently recycled. In some European countries, recycling rates are well over 90 per cent and are thus the highest recycling rates of all packaging materials.

The extent to which can recycling has become mainstream is a major success story for packaging sustainability. Recycling is important for environmental specialists and consumers alike. A recent MPMA survey highlighted that 66 per cent of the UK adult population is concerned with the environmental impact of items in their shopping basket each week. Furthermore, 77 per cent expect the ease or efficiency of recycling a product and its container to be measured to assess the environmental impact of the goods purchased. The study also indicated that 83 per of shoppers would like to see products carrying an on-pack symbol, advising if the packaging will be recycled or sent to landfill.

The superior barrier

The other environmental credentials of the can are equally impressive: as a packaging medium it is unsurpassed for ensuring the quality and safety of the contents. Its very robustness is the essence that provides this integrity. However, this robustness has a dramatic impact on another major environmentally sensitive area - Storage and Distribution. Cans have a high compressive strength and may be stacked at high levels in ambient conditions, remaining undamaged during transportation and thus requiring less secondary packaging.

Consumer safety is another asset: cans are only equalled by glass regarding the reliability of opening and closing devices. Both have an opening failure rate of just one in a million, compared to most other containers that are around one in 10,000. Packaging efficiency is also optimal. For example, major European brand-owners can achieve filling speeds of 500 cans per minute for 400ml soups. This is five times faster than some other materials.

Concluding remarks

On behalf of the can - packaging's true champion - I urge manufacturers and retailers to consider the bigger environmental picture. Lightweighting is always a factor, but by no means should be the only criteria. Metal packaging defines the model for sustainability in the 21st century and will continue to deliver carbon reduction into the next.

MPMA

T: +44 (0)118 9788433

www.mpma.org.uk


In some European countries, more than 90 per cent of cans are recycled Cans make environmental sense Can recycling has been in the mainstream for over 30 years Can recycling is the norm

Cans make environmental sense Cans make environmental sense
Can recycling is the norm Can recycling is the norm


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