Novelis Introduces High-Recycled Content Aluminum for Beverage Cans

With a minimum of 90 percent recycled aluminum, the Novelis evercanTM aluminum beverage can body sheet will allow beverage companies to deliver soft drinks, beer and other popular beverages in a low-carbon footprint consumer package.

“We are excited to be able to deliver yet another tangible result of our commitment to sustainable aluminum product innovation,” said Phil Martens, Novelis President and Chief Executive Officer.  “Our Novelis evercanTM high-recycled content beverage can body sheet, backed by the industry’s first independent certification program, represents tremendous progress in sustainable consumer products packaging.  As the world’s leading supplier of aluminum beverage can sheet, this is an important step toward delivering on our ultimate vision of an aluminum can with up to 100 percent recycled content.”

Novelis evercanTM aluminum sheet has been certified for high-recycled content by SCS Global Services, a trusted leader in third-party environmental, sustainability and food quality certification, auditing, testing and standards development.  Novelis is initially offering aluminum can body sheet guaranteed to contain at least 90 percent recycled content.  When combined with the can end made of a different alloy during the can making process, the new Novelis evercan? will enable beverage companies to market their beverages in standard 12-ounce aluminum cans certified as made from a minimum of 70 percent recycled content.  The Novelis evercan? aluminum beverage can body sheet is commercially available now in North America and Europe, and will be available worldwide later this year.

The company’s efforts to increase the recycling of beverage cans is a key component of its plan to dramatically increase the recycled content of its products across its global operations to 80 percent by 2020. Already the world’s largest recycler of aluminum, Novelis has announced capital investments of close to $500 million over the last two years that will double global recycling capacity to 2.1 million metric tons by 2015.  Recycling aluminum requires 95 percent less energy, and produces 95 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), than manufacturing primary aluminum.