Precious resources. Nordic Empac

Transcription

1 Find out more online Empac (European Metal Packaging) brings together more than 200 companies involved in the manufacture and supply of rigid metal packaging together with their national associations to promote the benefits of metal packaging. Precious resources Nordic Empac A part of the European Metal Packaging Association EMPAC Questions or comments to the members of the Nordic Metal Packaging Manufactures can be sent to the member companies or to MEG: sekretariat@metalemballage.dk Nordic Empac

2 Managing responsibly The Nordic countries have a long history and tradition of environmentally responsible thinking. The Brundtland Commission had it s roots in the Nordic countries, carrying the name of its Chair Gro Harlem Brundtland, which was convened by the United Nations in The commission was created to address growing concerns about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development. In establishing the commission, the UN General Assembly recognised that environmental challenges were global in nature and determined that it was in the common interest of all nations to establish policies for sustainable development. Metal packaging has clear advantages. It is safe, reliable and robust, provides 100% barrier, has fast filling rates. It is efficient through the supply chain and is perfect for decoration and consumer information. What is sustainability? For us, sustainability is about managing resources and materials responsibly while supporting this with a continuous stream of innovative products and processes. People Sustainability Metal packaging is the optimum solution to safeguard an often valuable and highly processed product and to protect against risks of product waste. Keeping your chemicaltechnical products safe, longer lasting and intact is what keeps consumers satisfied. Choosing metal packaging will provide many positive arguments to complement your own messages and underline the sustainability of your processes and products. Planet Performance Front cover: Gendendis quisqua sitium etum qui dolor aliti qui optatiur mo min resedici ut earion conesti doluptatur ant harum faccum consequi occum ut qui quam volorit. Winning the sustainability debate The beauty of metal packaging is that there is no need to know the original product from which a new one is produced. This is a crucial factor in the debate over recycling content or productto-product between manufacturers of various materials. Metal keeps the argument about how to measure sustainability simply and effective, with demonstrably high recycling rates. Precious resources 1

3 Precious resources Who we are The Nordic metal packaging manufacturers are an integral part of EMPAC (European Metal Packaging). EMPAC brings together more than 200 companies involved in the manufacture and supply of rigid metal packaging together with their national associations to promote the benefits of metal packaging. We are proactive on industry issues across this vital sector to ensure that stakeholders fully appreciate how metal packaging contributes to social, environmental and economic objectives demanded throughout the supply chain. We support over 70,000 employees in 23 European countries using 5 million tonnes of metal to produce annually in excess of 70 billion units in steel and aluminium which reach consumers every day of the year. Recycling. An integral part of steel making Recycling is one of the most important factors in increasing the contribution metal packaging makes to the sustainability of products. The unique properties of metal allow for an infinite material loop, where metal always goes back to being metal, ready to be used again in a variety of different products. Recycling rate (%) Recycling of Main Packaging Materials in Europe (2009) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 30% Plastics 34% Beverage cartons 67% Glass 72% Steel SOURCE: Source: Industry experts PlasticsEurope, ACE (Alliance for beverage cartons and the environment), FEVE (European Container Glass Federation), APEAL (European Association of producers of steel for packaging). 70,000 Metal packaging employees across Europe 300 Factories producing metal packaging in Europe 70bn Metal packaging units produced annually in Europe 15% Metal packaging share of the European packaging industry 9m Cans recycled every hour worldwide 75% Maximum energy saved due to recycling of steel 76% Recycling rate in Nordic countries % Steel recycling objective 2020 Our vision to establish metal packaging as a recognised and valuable contributor to sustainability throughout the supply chain and beyond. Industry objective As an integral part of Metal Packaging Europe, Empac supports the industry aim to achieve an average European recycling rate of 80% by 2020 by working with relevant stakeholders. 2 Precious resources Precious resources 3

4 Precious metal recycles......again and again A permanent material All materials used for packaging are produced from the earth s natural resources. Different resources require different management strategies to maximise their efficiency. Using resources responsibly has always been key to our success. We have long standing experience in sustainable materials management and continuously increasing resource efficiency. Good reasons for recycling and recovery Metal packaging recovery saves resources and reduces CO 2 emissions, litter and landfill. The market for scrap metal is long established and well functioning. It is a material with real value. Recycling rate the proper environmental measure for steel Restricting the end use of recycled metals such as steel to a single use distorts the market. It makes good environmental and business sense to increase the recycling rate, rather than recycled content in order to gain both economic and environmental savings. Steel is made to be recycled The recycling process is embedded into steel production, meaning that every steel plant is a recycling plant too, producing steel of virgin quality while saving valuable resources. Every ton of steel recycled or recovered saves: 1.5 ton of iron ore 0.65 ton of coking coal 0.3 ton of limestone up to 75% of the energy. 4 Precious resources Precious resources 5

5 Protecting our resources Life Cycle Assessment and metal packaging Protecting our planet The Carbon footprint of steel Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) uses environmental indicators to quantify the environmental burdens of a product, process or activity and to assess the potential environmental impact on the environment. Life Cycle Assessment Raw material extraction Metal production As an industry we have used this methodology to identify opportunities for improvements across the whole life cycle of our products. Our efforts have continuously resulted in more energy efficient processes and the development of thinner, lighter and stronger steel for metal packaging in particular. Strengths of LCA Identifies the major burdens and impacts by evaluating the findings. Identifies hot spots by carrying out sensitivity analysis. Identifies best alternatives by comparing options when using the same criteria. Identifies environmental improvement opportunities. Production of metal products Carbon footprint relates to the amount of Greenhouse gases (GHG) produced through burning fossil fuels. It is one of the key measurements of climate change. Recycling rate The higher the recycling rate the lower the CO 2 emissions Key: Recycling rate CO 2 emissions By manufacturing new steel from recycled material, rather than only from primary raw materials, the steel for packaging industry is reducing its CO 2 emissions. Steel s high recycling performance saves 4 million tonnes of CO 2 from being released into the atmosphere each year. The impact of these GHGs is calculated is usually calculated as the Global Warming Potential over a 100 year period (GWP 100). The carbon footprint is made up of all GHG that are produced and expressed as carbon dioxide equivalents. Contact us to see carbon figures based on verified European (Empac) figures and methodology for used metal packaging. Two steel production processes are well-established throughout the world and both require the use of scrap: Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) or integrated steel-making (using iron ore, coking coal and steel scrap). Electric arc furnace (EAF) steel-making (from 100% steel scrap). Pre-consumer scrap The recycling process is embedded into steel production, meaning that every steel plant is a recycling plant, producing steel of virgin quality while saving valuable resources. End of life phase Use phase of end products 6 Precious resources Precious resources 7

6 From used metal to new metal Cost-effective recovery Recycling in practice Towards the infinite loop in the Nordic countries Long established producer responsibility schemes in Norway, Finland and Sweden have established waste management systems supporting the recycling of metal packaging. In Denmark, municipalities are responsible for organising the recycling of metal packaging. Although some minor differences exist the systems are very much alike across the Nordic countries. Bring systems for empty containers consumers an important partner Efficient bring systems rely on environmentally conscious consumers who are willing to use the recovery systems available. Across the Nordic countries there are containers for mixed metals distributed at municipal sorting centres or shopping centres. In Norway systems with igloos for a mix of empty glass and metal containers are also available. Emptied metal packaging for the transport of dangerous goods can contain some waste residues. This is not a problem for the environment as these can be melted to recycle the metal. In a Cryogenictreatment (very low temperature treatment) paint buckets and aerosol cans are frozen down to -180 o C with fluid nitrogen. The frozen material is shredded, the metal separated and recycled and the filled product, for example, paint utilised as fuel. Closing the loop with efficient recovery systems metal too precious to waste Even with efficient recycling schemes, a certain amount of metal ends up in the waste disposal systems for waste-to-energy plants. However the laws against the landfill of recyclable materials, the laws for treatment of metals in bottom ashes and the laws of economics work together in closing gaps in the recycling system. The value of metal is well known and the recovery technologies and equipment are highly sophisticated and cost effective. Rigid metal packaging does not burn and is easily recovered from the bottom ashes using a simple and cost effective system containing a rotary drum sieve and magnets. All ferrous and non-ferrous metals are recognised materials and therefore also increasingly recovered from the bottom ashes from waste incineration plants. This is effective across the Nordic countries Norway, Sweden and Denmark and will be implemented in Finland in the near future. Surprisingly, the partly oxidized metal comes out of the remelting process just as shiny. It is able to be used again for metal packaging or other metal products. Bring system with igloos for small empty metal and glass containers Norway Bring systems with containers for mixed metal including empty metal paint cans All metals separated and recycled systems in place in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. Bring systems for dangerous waste collection Substance destroyed and metal recycled systems in place in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark. 8 Precious resources Designed and produced by