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Expanding the use of the ‘world’s greenest container’: Aluminium

In the recycling world aluminium is often seen as the star of the show due to its strong recyclability credentials. Aluminium doesn’t lose its quality or strength during the recycling process, making it a “permanent material” that can be recycled endlessly, in stark contrast to plastic.

Recycling aluminium uses just 5% of the energy needed to make it in primary production from bauxite ore, while also reducing the amount of bauxite that is mined. The 95% reduction in energy needed to recycle it significantly reduces carbon emissions and preserves the environment. Aluminium also has the advantage of being lighter than glass for example, thus using much less energy to transport. So, with all these beneficial attributes, why do we only really associate aluminium with drinks cans and foil?

What else can aluminium do?

A London-based start-up company called Meadow has asked exactly the same question and has come up with an alternative answer. Meadow has recently developed a whole range of ‘cans’ that have been designed to hold toiletries like shampoo, shower gel and handwash, as well as condiments such as ketchup, and everyday household cleaning products.

Meadow’s prime motivation is to try and reduce the amount of plastic packaging in the world. The National Packaging Waste Database states that the recycling rate for aluminium cans is 81% versus 52% for plastic. The company has taken a typical aluminium drink can and redesigned it to enable it to be slotted into a cannister, which can then be equipped with many different dispensing options, depending on the product. The dispenser could be a screw top, a squeezable top, a spray or a pump, amongst other varieties.

While a simple idea, it could change the way we all look at packaging and the products that ‘belong’ to different types. The wine industry is already introducing aluminium bottles for wine rather than the traditional glass. As aluminum is shatter proof, that is one obvious advantage over its glass rival, but the inability to see through the container is viewed as a drawback with consumers. Plus, the history and culture associated with opening a glass bottle of wine is deeply entrenched.

However, with toiletries for example, those objections subside somewhat. Using aluminium for shampoo or lotions seems like a practical, logical step to reduce society’s dependence on plastic, and for manufacturers there is also an impending imperative to change materials.

New EU packaging and waste regulations come into effect in January 2030, requiring all packaging to be at least 70% recyclable, with the figure rising to 80% by 2038. So, the incentive for manufacturers to look at alternative materials for their packaging is very much in focus.

What is the downside to using aluminium?

Unfortunately, there may be a few things that hold back the advance of the world’s ‘greenest container’. For starters, the cost of producing virgin aluminium is around four times more than producing glass. While being lighter to transport, and endlessly recyclable, that cost needs to be borne somewhere is the supply line. Aluminium also has the disadvantage over plastic and glass in that it cannot easily be shaped, thus losing a competitive branding edge (think tomato ketchup bottles or champagne bottles). Plus, the lack of ‘squeezability’ combined with the inability to see the colour or consistency of the product inside, are obvious drawbacks from the consumer’s point of view.

As ever with the world of recycling, there will always be benefits and downsides to any innovation. What is important is that we are all informed about how precious the earth’s raw materials are and remain constantly on the lookout for new ways to help preserve them.