Deep Dive: CANs

Over the past few months, we’ve talked quite a bit about recycling, sustainability, and travel but haven’t truly taken a deep dive into the product behind this initiative: aluminum cans. Where do they come from? How are they manufactured? Where do they go after they’ve been used? How (un)sustainable are they? I’m glad you’ve asked, because today is the day that all of your questions will be answered!

Creation

Aluminum itself, first discovered as an element in 1782, is produced from a naturally occurring ore known as bauxite. Here in the U.S., a majority of our bauxite ore is imported from Jamaica and Guinea. After undergoing a smelting process to refine the ore, aluminum ingots are produced[1]. These ingots are then used to manufacture aluminum goods, such as aluminum cans.

However, not all aluminum used today comes directly from bauxite ore. Aluminum is a material that is said to be “infinitely recyclable,” meaning that it can be re-used over and over again without being downcycled into a lesser-quality good. As such, companies have two options when producing aluminum goods: use recycled materials or use raw materials.

Regardless of how the materials are sourced, the process for manufacturing aluminum cans is the same. The ingot is rolled into a thin sheet of metal. From this sheet, circles with a diameter of roughly 5.5 inches are cut. The bottom and sides of the can are formed by pushing down a smaller circle within the center of the larger circle of aluminum – the smaller circle that is pushed down becomes the base of the can and the side is formed by the remaining aluminum that folds up around the smaller circle. Then, after being filled with the proper beverage, the can is sealed with an aluminum top and the process is complete[1].

Use

Within the United States, over 100 billion aluminum cans are produced every year. The use of the cans is fairly straightforward – they are filled with soda, juice, or beer and delivered to retailers so that they can then be purchased by consumers.

Aluminum cans, as opposed to steel or other materials, are used as they are lightweight and do not react negatively with the beverage inside. Furthermore, when it comes to beer, the protection offered by aluminum keeps sunlight from penetrating the can and prevents skunking.

End of Life

As with all things on this earth, the life of a can must eventually come to a close. When this takes place, it’s ultimately up to the consumer (that’s you and me) to decide the fate of the can. It can go one of two ways: to the landfill or to the recycling facility (stay tuned during my next blog entry to read about the recycling process for cans).

Here in the U.S., roughly 63% of aluminum cans are recycled. While this number is significantly better than it is for many other products (31% for plastic bottles), it still leaves much to be desired, especially given the infinite recyclability of aluminum and the high environmental cost of mining and refine bauxite ore[2].

Sustainability

When it comes down to the bottom-line, how do aluminum cans stack up against plastic and glass bottles? At a high-level, the answer is significantly better; at a granular level, the answer is it depends. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each of these three materials.

When taken as a whole, aluminum cans are better than plastic or glass bottles IF a relatively high percentage of the aluminum comes from recycled materials.

Opportunities for Improvement

While minor improvements can be made, and are being made, throughout the entire lifecycle of creating and using aluminum cans, two principal areas for improvement exist – both of which are driven by the consumer.

1. Recycle more aluminum cans

2. Use reusable glassware and bottles as opposed to aluminum cans

Cheers,

The Consultant

[1] Madehow.com – Aluminum Beverage Cans

[2] Grist.org – What’s the greenest kind of drink container?