FAQs

There are two types of steel for packaging : tinplate, which is steel coated with an ultra-thin layer of tin; and tin-free steel or ECCS, which is coated with chromium and chromium oxide. Another application is polymer-coated steel (a sandwich of ECCS and plastic films), which complements the range of products.

Two steel production processes are well-established throughout the world and both require the use of scrap:

• Integrated steel-making (BOS - blast furnace and basic oxygen furnace using iron ore, coking coal and scrap) – process used for steel for packaging
• Electric steel-making (EAF - Electric arc furnace, from 100% scrap)

• The inherent qualities of steel make it an excellent packaging material, not only for food
and drink, but also for household, promotional and industrial products.
• It offers convenient, protective packaging, allowing ambient storage for food products. It provides an absolute barrier against water, oxygen and light.
• It preserves its contents naturally without preservatives
• It ensures integrity of the content throughout its long shelf life.
• It helps prevent food waste.
• It is 100% recyclable, without loss in quality. 70% of all steel packaging is recycled in Europe (2008),
• It helps minimize CO₂ emissions per unit of volume. Over 2.5 million tonnes of food and drinks cans and other steel containers were recycled in 2008, saving 3.9 million tonnes of CO₂.
• It has light-weighting potential.
• It is cost-effective, enabling high-speed operations, and fulfilling efficient supply chain requirements.
• Due to the constant evolution of steel, can-making and coating technologies, steel packaging allows an increasing range of shelf differentiation possibilities.
• It is reliable, for example, low failure rate in closing operations at filling plant.

The five main packaging areas are:

• Food cans and ends
• Beverage cans
• General Line cans (paint cans, industrial cans, speciality packaging)
• Aerosol cans
• Caps & Closures

Yes - very easily and economically. Thanks to its unique magnetic properties, mechanical extraction of steel packaging from mixed waste or from other packaging is highly cost-effective and can easily be automated. Steel can be recycled time and time again, without its properties ever deteriorating.

• Steel packaging is 100% recyclable and is Europe’s most recycled packaging material
• Steel packaging is being recycled in ever increasing volumes: over the last 20 years
the recycling of steel packaging has increased threefold and currently exceeds 2.5 million tonnes
• The magnetic extraction of steel, combined with a variety of collection schemes adapted to local circumstances, ensures optimum sorting and economic recycling forsteel and enables sustainable and integrated waste management to deliver its best to the benefit of the environment and society.

• Innovation in steel for packaging production means that we are using less material and thus fewer resources than ever before. For example, between 1974 and 2006, a 3pc food can has reduced in thickness from 0.24 mm to 0.13 mm, meaning that it is 45 % lighter
• This light weighting innovation combined with the environmental benefits of recycling ensures energy and water savings. Every tonne of recycled packaging steel saves about 2.45 tons of raw materials (1.5 tons of iron ore, 0.65 tons of coal and 0.3 tons of limestone). Water use by ton of crude steel has been reduced by 66% since 1983. Since 1970, CO₂ consumption per 1,000 litres of filling goods dropped by 70% through innovations and recycling.
• The industry’s CO₂ emissions per tonne of crude steel output are now 50% lower than 40 years ago and the industry is now continuing its commitment into the future, by investing more than 40 million € in R&D to further reduce its carbon footprint. ULCOS stands for Ultra-Low CO₂ steelmaking, and is a consortium of companies, among which EU steel producers, who have launched a cooperative research & development initiative, supported by the European Commission, with the objective of reducing CO₂ emissions by at least 50%.
• Once steel for packaging has been used, its high recycling performance saves 3.9 million tonnes of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere each year. This is equivalent to saving the annual CO₂ emissions of 700,000 households.

• The latest figures show that 70% of steel packaging is recycled in Europe. This represents over 2.5 million tonnes of food and drinks cans and other steel containers being recycled in 2008, saving 3.9 million tonnes of CO₂. APEAL forecasts that by the end of 2015, the recycling of steel packaging in EU27 will reach 75%.

• It is important to distinguish between resource renewability and material renewability: wood fibres come from a renewable resource, but due to degradation, their properties are not retained when recycled i.e. they are a non-renewable material.
• On the other hand, steel comes from a non-renewable resource (iron ore) but, because it is an element, its properties can be fully restored when recycled i.e. steel is a reusable or in other word a “renewable” material.

• To make a positive contribution to the development of EU policy relating to steel for packaging – particularly in the areas of packaging, waste, recycling and recovery - by advocating the environmental, social and economic benefits of this unique material in dialogue with EU decision-makers.
• To inform and work closely with relevant stakeholders to ensure widespread understanding and support for steel as a sustainable packaging solution

• The APEAL members represents the direct and indirect employment of 12000 people in Europe.
• APEAL is a federation of four multi-national producers of steel for packaging. In total these four companies employ over 200,000 workers in Europe.

Recycled content is the scrap steel consumed as a percentage of total steel production. Recycled content for an individual steel can cannot be determined due to the homogeneous nature of the material (CEN Standards).

Recycling rate is the percentage of cans recovered and recycled as a percentage of cans placed on the market in the year. All cans returned for recycling are recycled. Steel cans can be recycled again and again without loss of quality. More recycling means less CO₂.