#19.09.2018 Global campaign launched to increase the use of steel beverage cans
APEAL, the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging, is backing a new campaign for increased use of steel for beverage cans.
This global Vote Steel campaign has been initiated by members of the Product Sustainability Committee of the World Steel Association.
The campaign has been designed to help consumers identify steel cans on the shelf and raise awareness of the environmental benefits of using steel for packaging, whilst also driving improved understanding and engagement with the recycling process. The campaign will also remind packaging producers that modern steel is an attractive alternative to other packaging materials. Not all cans are equal, is one of the key campaign messages, noting the unique magnetic properties of steel cans that facilitate their handling during filling operations and make them easy to recycle.
“It’s important to remember that modern steel is very different from that of 30 years ago, surpassing many other beverage packaging alternatives. It’s now thinner, lighter and stronger and 79,5% of steel packaging is already recycled across Europe in 2016, the highest rate of any packaging material”, commented Alexis van Maercke, secretary general of APEAL.
Steel cans are the perfect choice for beverage containers. They are easy to cool, keep contents fresh, reducing waste and prevent breakages when on the go, due to steel’s strength. They can also be recycled again and again, either as different products or even as another steel can, with no loss of quality.
Steel scrap is needed for the manufacture of new steel, and so every steel plant in the world is already a recycling plant with a wide recycling network already in existence. Choosing steel helps to keep recycling easy. Increased use and increased recycling rates of steel beverage cans reduces waste and saves energy.
“We recycle some 600 million tonnes of steel a year globally and every can recycled saves 70% of the energy of producing new steel. This campaign is designed to raise awareness of the benefits of steel for drinks cans and encourages manufacturers and consumers to choose steel”, added Clare Broadbent, Head of Sustainability, World Steel Association.
For more information about steel for beverage cans, visit the campaign’s website: www.votesteel.com