Dive Brief:
- The global aluminum can recycling rate reached about 75% in 2023, according to a report released during the COP30 United Nations Climate Change Conference this week in Brazil.
- The beverage packaging study also calculated recycling rates of 47% for PET bottles and 42% for glass bottles. Recycling rates were defined using the “tonnage of recycling process output as a proportion of total material placed on the market.”
- The study was completed by Eunomia and commissioned by the International Aluminium Institute’s Global Beverage Can Circularity Alliance, a group that includes Ardagh Metal Packaging, Ball, Canpack, Novelis and others.
Dive Insight:
Two years ago at COP28, aluminum recyclers and producers under the International Aluminium Institute announced an industrywide target to recycle at least 80% of aluminum beverage cans worldwide by 2030 and nearly all by 2050.
“Reaching a 75% global aluminium recycling rate marks a significant step forward for our industry and for the circular economy as a whole,” said Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle, vice president of global sustainability and external affairs at Crown Holdings, in an IAI news release in response to the findings.
That figure is far above estimates for the U.S. recycling rate for aluminum beverage cans, which in 2023 fell to approximately 43%, according to data reported by AA and CMI late last year. Those groups have called for policy solutions, including extended producer responsibility programs and deposit return systems, to ignite change domestically.
Beyond just aluminum, North America has lower recycling rates in most material categories compared with other regions that Eunomia examined. The study called out substantial regional disparities.
Out of the three container types, Eunomia found that aluminum beverage cans had the highest rate of being collected for recycling and actually being recycled. The largest gap between amounts collected and recycled were with PET bottles, the result of high losses in the sorting and recycling processes.
2023 recycling rates by beverage packaging substrate
| North America | Global | |
| Aluminum | 45.3% | 74.8% |
| PET | 22% | 47% |
| Glass | 28.4% | 41.9% |
IAI touted the Eunomia study as “providing the most comprehensive analysis of beverage packaging recycling ever undertaken.” Still, Eunomia acknowledged notable data gaps and quality issues across the countries it examined.
“This study reinforces the need for continuous improvement in recycling infrastructure and policy,” said Andy Grant, technical director at Eunomia, in a statement. “With better data, we can set more effective targets, monitor progress, and ultimately close the recycling gaps around the world.”
In addition to enhancing data collection, transparency and publishing, recommended next steps include establishing national and/or state-level recycling targets for aluminum beverage cans.
Eunomia is under contract to repeat this work in 2026 and 2027.
