Steel: an enabler for sustainability

Sustainability has risen swiftly up the world agenda in recent years. Consumers, governments and the industry recognise that we must look to reduce our global footprint in every area of our lives. As the world demands solutions for a sustainable future, the sustainability performance of steel for packaging can provide an answer.

Steel’s natural properties – magnetic, infinitely recyclable, 100 per cent protective and naturally strong – make it a unique enabler for sustainability. It offers brand owners, retailers and consumers a strong performance product they can trust, while also enabling them to demonstrate their active role in building a sustainable society.

Caring for the environment … Naturally®

Because of its magnetic properties, steel packaging is easily and cost-efficiently extracted from the waste stream. It is a re-useable material that is endlessly recyclable, which means that it loses none of its intrinsic properties, no matter how many times it is recycled. Indeed, it is the world’s most recycled material and Europe’s most recycled packaging material, with almost 70 per cent of steel packaging being recycled – more than any other comparable packaging material. That figure has doubled in the past 10 years and is still on the rise. Well-established routes for the collection and recovery of steel cans have ensured recycling excellence.

Recycling steel enables CO2 emissions to be reduced. Indeed, the higher the recycling rate, the lower the CO2 emissions, as each item of recycled steel packaging saves twice its weight of CO2. Steel’s high packaging recycling performance saves 4.7 million tons of CO2 being released into the atmosphere each year, which is the equivalent of taking two million cars off the road. This saves energy and resources for future generations.

Sustainability is not only about recycling; it’s also about sustainable processes. The production process of steel for packaging now accounts for far fewer emissions than ever before. They are now 50 per cent lower than 40 years ago. The use of fossil fuels and energy consumption have also been similarly reduced. In addition, the industry has developed new grades for lighter cans using even less material per unit of volume packed without losing any of their inherent strength.

Protecting products … Naturally®

Steel packaging’s protective performance against light, water and air is 100 per cent absolute. This means that it protects its contents optimally, being completely impervious to natural elements and bacteria that can damage the quality of the product within, with respect to taste, colour and vitamins. Thanks to these barrier properties, the steel can offers the longest shelf life compared to all alternative packaging solutions – three years compared to competing solutions which offer from four weeks to two years.

Consumers in turn value the strength, convenience and energy free storage requirements of steel packaging. Here, once again, the environment benefits – frozen food, for example, requires 70 per cent more energy throughout the supply chain than canned food.

Delivering for business ….Naturally®

Today’s competitive markets need reliable and cost-effective packaging solutions with minimal environmental impact. Steel packaging is strong, versatile, compact, unbreakable, tamper-proof, stackable and needs no secondary packaging, making it a very high performance pack. It is also constantly being improved in a number of areas, including lightweighting, openability and decoration.

Steel for packaging offers a robust pack format for highest supply chain efficiency. Its inherent strength and magnetic properties, unmatched by any alternative packaging material, make steel packaging the optimum choice for high-speed filling lines with low spoilage. Easy handling and fast filling makes steel a natural choice for efficient high speed production and reliable distribution. In the retail environment, the benefits of steel for packaging are obvious: steel cans are easily stored, handled and stacked – and virtually impossible to spill or break.

The same qualities of steel packaging that commend it to businesses – outstanding functionality, economical resource utilisation, ready recycling – are also those that secure a greener future. Research conducted by TNO in 2005: ‘Comparative eco-efficiency and nutritional analysis of canned food and alternatives’ confirms that the combined environmental and economic performances of steel packaging make it an eco-efficiency champion. As companies search for ever-increasing environmental and economic credentials, steel packaging stands out as their first choice in sustainable eco-efficiency.

Further details are available on: www.apeal.org/sustainability