Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced the commercial availability of the industry's first independently certified, high-recycled content aluminum designed specifically for the beverage can market.
With a minimum of 90 percent recycled aluminum, the Novelis evercan™ 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 evercan™ 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 evercan™ 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.
"This first phase of the Novelis evercan™ high-recycled content initiative serves as a critical catalyst for Novelis to work more closely with consumer brand customers, our supply chain partners and other community stakeholders to increase end-of-life recycling of used beverage containers," said John Gardner, Novelis Chief Sustainability Officer. "We encourage wide participation from other aluminum suppliers, beverage and packaging companies, retailers and distributors, recyclers, municipalities, environmental groups and consumers themselves in promoting the use of more sustainable consumer packaging through aluminum recycling."
For more information about Novelis evercan™ aluminum beverage can sheet, including images, infographic and a video, visit novelis.com/evercan.
Quotes from Partners and Supporters:
- SCS Global Services Managing Director Stowe Hartridge-Beam
"We are pleased to have independently certified the exceptionally high levels of recycled content in Novelis' aluminum can sheet, which represents a new benchmark of performance in an industry that has been long known for its recycling efforts. Novelis' proven performance is evidence of its commitment to preserving natural resources, reducing waste and advancing sustainability."
- Stuart L. Hart, SJ Johnson Chair in Sustainable Enterprise Professor, Cornell University and author, "Capitalism at the Crossroads"
"Novelis' launch of the evercan is an important part of its larger strategy to de-link the production of aluminum from greenhouse-gas intensive bauxite mining and primary aluminum production. Through their imagination and collaboration across the supply chain, they are reinventing the aluminum industry."
- Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director, Forum for the Future
"This is a really exciting development. The benefits of using recycled rather than prime-based aluminum are well understood, and for Novelis to be able to guarantee 90% recycled content beverage can body sheet represents a real breakthrough."