How much PCR content can aluminum packaging carry?
Aluminum packaging can carry up to 100% recycled content: evercycle™ is certified at 100% recycled aluminum with 99% post-consumer content, and the HRC alloy runs 68% PCR — both finish in satin and matte at medium brightness.
Post-consumer recycled (PCR) content is the share of a material that has already lived a life as a consumer product. Aluminum is unusual among packaging materials in that recycling does not degrade it, so high-PCR alloys perform like virgin metal in forming and anodizing.
The trade-off is optical, not structural. Recycled feedstock carries trace elements that shift how the anodized surface reads, which is why the eco-alloys are specified for satin and matte finishes at medium brightness rather than high-gloss bright work.
The question is not whether aluminum can carry PCR content — it is which finish family your design lives in.
evercycle™ was developed with Novelis and is certified by SCS Global Services at 100% recycled aluminum. Against the industry-standard ingot it cuts greenhouse gas per ton by 89% — the largest footprint reduction available in the eco-family.
The eco-family at a glance
- evercycle™ — 100% recycled, 99% PCR, −89% GHG per ton.
- HRC high recycled — 68% PCR, −41% GHG per ton.
- Low GHG high pure — 0% PCR but −61% GHG via hydroelectric smelting, for high-brightness work.