Metal is the true environmental champion among packaging materials. It is unmatched by any other packaging material in terms of waste recycling, safe use, cost efficiency, renewability and minimization of resource consumption. The environmental characteristics of metal are often ignored by companies that blindly compete to attract consumers' attention, but it is a truly sustainable packaging material.
Reduce weight-a narrow view?
The goal of reducing weight is part of the "Kotod Commitment", because reducing the weight of packaging can reduce carbon dioxide emissions during waste disposal. This single method can achieve the government's environmental protection goals. There is no denying that this standard is simple and easy to understand. After all, weight is easy to calculate, but it is by no means the best standard. If weight is taken as a key criterion, those important raw materials with other environmental advantages may be ignored.
Metal cans are an appropriate example. People have continued to reduce the weight of metal cans for decades. In order to accomplish this goal, many materials and processes have been developed. In addition, since metal cans can be recycled without restriction, corresponding regeneration processes and facilities have also been widely used. In theory, metal cans can be recycled and reused in just a few weeks, and this process can be endlessly looped. People have also noticed another fact that every time metal is recycled and reused, less carbon dioxide is produced during processing. Therefore, metal cans have a higher recovery rate and lower carbon dioxide emissions.
Environmental advantages
In order to effectively improve sustainability, it is necessary to understand that pure environmental advantages are not only related to the recyclability of materials, but also to the proportion of recycled materials used. More than 30 years ago, people initiated an activity with the theme of "saving a metal can", the purpose is to guide consumers, change corporate behavior, and make recycling of materials a mainstream trend. This activity has had a great impact, and the metal packaging waste being landfilled has been greatly reduced. In the UK, about two-thirds of steel tanks are made of recycled materials. In some European countries, the recycling rate of metal cans exceeds 90%. Therefore, in all packaging materials, metal recycling rate is the highest.
Metal can recycling has become a mainstream trend, and this is a major success in the field of packaging sustainability. Whether it is an environmental expert or a consumer, the recycling of packaging is an important issue. A recent MPMA survey showed that up to 66% of British adults are very concerned about the environmental impact of their weekly shopping baskets, and 77% of consumers expect that the recycling advantages or efficiency of products and packaging can be quantified to evaluate them The environmental impact of purchased goods. Research shows that 83% of consumers expect that the product packaging should clearly indicate whether the packaging should be recycled or reused or sent to landfill.
Unparalleled advantage
Other environmental protection features of metal cans are also outstanding: as a packaging material, it can ensure quality and product safety. Its stability is the foundation of quality assurance, and this stability has an important impact on other environmentally sensitive areas-storage and logistics. Metal cans have high compressive strength, can be stacked very high, and are not easily damaged during transportation, so outer packaging is rarely needed. Safe use is another advantage: in terms of switchgear reliability, metal cans are the only packaging materials that can rival glassware. Both have an opening failure rate of one in a million, while most other containers have a failure rate of about one in 10,000. The packaging efficiency of metal cans is also ideal. For example, a European soup product manufacturer’s 400ml soup product filling speed is 500 cans per minute, which is 5 times faster than some other materials.
Here on behalf of metal cans-the veritable champion of packaging materials-urgently calls on manufacturers and retailers to consider issues from the overall environmental protection. Although lighter materials will always be an important factor, it should never be the only criterion. Metal packaging accurately interprets the sustainable development model of the 21st century, which will further promote the continuous reduction of carbon emissions.