Hydro CIRCAL marks entrance into beverage can industry with “historically low CO2 footprint”

23 Jul 2020 --- Norwegian aluminum company Hydro is set to help Hungary-based Hell Energy produce its soft drink cans with its end-of-life recycled aluminum cans Hydro CIRCAL. Containing a certified content of 75 percent or more recycled post-consumer scrap, the Hydro CIRCAL used beverage cans (UBC) contribute to a “historically low CO2 footprint.” The collaboration marks the entrance of Hydro CIRCAL into the booming beverage can industry.

“We see an increasingly strong awareness of closed-loop materials and circular economies. This confirms our strategic direction to further increase activity and efficiency in recycling post-consumer scrap,” Boris Kurth, Head of Can Business at Hydro, shares with PackagingInsights.

The Hydro CIRCAL 75R aluminum for Hell will come from Hydro’s recycling line located in Neuss, Germany, for used beverage cans (UBC) and then cast, rolled and finished to can stock at the rolled products facilities nearby. However, Hydro takes a global approach to sourcing UBC from “all different can makers or brand owners in the world,” for its Neuss recycling line.

The plastic bottle space has been actively marketing its recyclability potential, but in reality plastic bottles can only be recycled a finite number of times. Moreover, plastic packaging is a major contributor to microplastic and marine plastic pollution. With this in mind, Hell has pledged to reduce the share of plastic bottles in its portfolio to 1 percent by 2025.Shredded aluminum is remelted at Hydro’s UBC line in Neuss for manufacturing new cans. (Photo credits: Hydro/Michael Rennertz)

Meanwhile, aluminum cans can be recycled almost infinitely, maintaining their quality and, therefore, retaining value. Both Hydro and Hell agree that metal plays a vital role in creating a truly circular economy.

Virgin and recycled materials – you need both
Theoretically, it would be possible to produce cans from nearly 100 percent post-consumer scrap, Kurth highlights. “But we take responsibility also for scrap generated in the industrial processing of our customers and our own production. This is why we decided to keep the number at 75 percent, adding customer scrap and alloying elements into our produced can stock,” he details.

Not only is UBC scrap available in good quality and quantity, but it is also cheaper compared to virgin metal. “However, the recycling production process compared to installed technology is more expensive due to the additional shredding and sorting process as well as different melting technology,” says Kurth.

Therefore, in terms of offering both aluminum sources, there is “no competition between virgin and recycled metal” in Hydro’s view. “You need both to deliver on all future requirements of the industry, end-consumer products and their market growth. Indeed, we in Hydro set our strategic focus on more sustainable solutions for all,” notes Kurth.

The canning process
It takes around 60 days to realistically recreate an emptied and returned aluminum can and bring it back to retailer shelves. First, Hydro shreds, sorts and separates the collected UBC scrap using X-Ray technology in the first phase of the recycling process. After the cleaning and sorting process, the material is then treated with pyrolyze gas and melted down.The liquid metal is cast into new sheet ingots, then hot- and cold-rolled to strip in the customer-required gauge.

Refined with some more metals for the order-specific alloy mix, the resulting liquid metal is used to cast new sheet ingots, which are then hot- and cold-rolled to strip in the customer-required gauge. The can ends and tab stock strips receive additional pre-treatment and a lacquer coating before they are shipped to the can makers, who use Hydro’s coiled strip to produce the parts of the can necessary for final production and filling.

The low carbon footprint turned out to be a critical benchmark for Hydro’s operations. Alongside Hydro CIRCAL 75R, the company has launched its brand of aluminum made with renewable energy sources, including water, wind and solar power. Called Hydro REDUXA, it can reduce the energy and emissions tied aluminum production and with a guaranteed carbon footprint of 4.0 kg CO2 per kg of aluminum, which is “way below the global and even European average,” concludes Kurth.

PackagingInsights recently examined the environmental sustainability credentials of both the alcohol beverage and bottled water packaging sectors and the role metal packaging plays in this space.

By Anni Schleicher