Recycled aluminum saves more than 90% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with primary aluminum products and requires only 8% of the energy. Although recycled aluminum is ideal, the energy needed to produced primary aluminum is down more than 25% since 1995 and the carbon footprint is down nearly 40%. This is the equivalent of 37 million barrels of oil saved and 25 million tons of CO2e GHG reduced per year. Brands across the world understand the environmental advantages of aluminum.¹
World-leading companies in the beverage industry, for example, are switching from PET bottles to aluminum cans or bottles, a prudent choice considering aluminum cans offer 3X the recycled content of glass or plastic bottles. In fact, the average can contains about 70% PCR, offering a true closed loop recycling process.
Several years ago, the nation's most popular pickup truck was converted from an all-steel body to a high-strength, all-aluminum body. The resulting vehicle was incredibly durable, 700 lbs lighter, and boasted 23% better fuel economy with lower emissions. It has the smallest life-cycle carbon footprint of any full-size truck in North America. That's the power of aluminum.
1 DriveAluminum – www.drivealuminum.org