Novelis recycled 40 billion cans

Novelis Inc. has recycled an estimated 40 billion used beverage cans in 2009.

The company’s focus on beverage can recycling saved more than 76 trillion BTUs of energy in the last year alone – the equivalent of more than 13 million barrels of oil. The impact of this savings avoids the emission of five million metric tons of greenhouse gases.

In 2009, Novelis recycled more than half a million metric tons of aluminum cans through its extensive and expanding recycling operations on four continents. By utilizing recycled cans to produce the aluminum needed to make new beverage cans, the company eliminates 95 percent of the energy required to produce primary aluminum from mining and smelting.

Used beverage cans are an excellent source of aluminum because they can be recycled and returned to the store shelf as new cans in as little as 60 days. There is no limit to the number of times an aluminum container can be recycled, making it one of the most successful examples of sustainable manufacturing in the world today.