With 52,900 tonnes of aluminium packaging recycled in 2021, representing 67.5% of the 78,400 tonnes sold on the market – plus 3,700 tonnes of thin packaging destined for waste-to-energy treatment – in 2021 Italy confirms its leading position in Europe in terms of production of recycled aluminium.
These are the key figures that were announced at the annual meeting of the 250 member companies of CIAL – Consorzio Nazionale per il Recupero e il Riciclo degli Imballaggi in Alluminio, Italy’s national consortium for recycling of aluminium packaging, held in Milan on May 6th 2022.
This result, of vital importance a country whose aluminium production is 100% based on recycling, saved the equivalent of 371 thousand tonnes of CO2 in greenhouse gas emissions while saving energy equivalent to more than 159 thousand tonnes of oil, all made possible by the combined efforts of institutions, companies, dealers, citizens and municipalities.
5,638 municipalities and about 47 million citizens participate actively in aluminium waste separation. CIAL collaborates with them under the Anci-Conai Framework Agreement in effect all over the country.
Numbers that have made it possible to maintain the positive trend of separate waste collection managed by the Consortium in recent years, with an increase, in 2021, both in the amount marketed (+ 11.4%) and in the quantities recycled (+ 11.6%).
“Our country” commented the President of CIAL Carmine Bruno Rea during the Assembly “with a recycling rate of 67.5% – in line with the values of recent years – not only has it long since achieved and exceeded its objectives for 2025 and 2030, but it ranks among the top in Europe with almost 10 percentage points above the average of other countries. This is a very important result that distinguishes the validity and effectiveness of the national packaging waste management system based on a solid and consolidated collaboration between public and private sectors. In fact, one of the most important tools that guaranteed that the system worked successfully, efficiently and effectively” continued President Rea “is the Anci-Conai-CIAL Framework Agreement, with increasing results and performance in line with best European standards. The national framework agreement confirms the importance of CIAL’s additional vocation to the market and its strong commitment to a correct and fluid management of packaging waste within a regulatory framework that is constantly evolving and in a historical moment characterised by great uncertainties on the commodity market. In 2021, our Consortium, on the basis of the Anci-Conai-CIAL framework agreement and a quality reward system, modelled on the trend of the aluminium market,” concluded Rea “awarded about 11 million Euro to Italian municipalities affiliated with CIAL.”
The CIAL assembly then approved the 2021 Financial Statements and appointed the new Board of Directors for the next three years.
The Board of Directors, made up of 9 members – representing the packaging material producers, packaging producers, packaging users and collection categories – met at the end of the meeting and unanimously confirmed Carmine Bruno Rea of the Laminazione Sottile Group as President of CIAL.
Since June 2017, Carmine Bruno Rea is also President of EAFA, European Aluminium Foil Association
In addition, Francesco Bove, Group Chief Operating Officer of Guala Closures Group, a leading company in the production of aluminium closures, and Chairman of Aluminium Closures Group, was appointed Vice President.
Alberto De Matthaeis of Carcano Antonio SpA, Laura Basile of Novelis Italia SpA, Luca Nasi of Crown Commercial Italy srl, Claudio Ruffoni of Ball Beverage Packaging Italia srl, Giulia Miceli of Coca Cola HBC Italia srl, Marco Ravagnani and Alessandro Della Valle expression of the collection category are members of the new BoD.
The Board of Statutory Auditors has also been renewed, with Barbara Hell as Chairman and Claudio Artigiani.
The members of the Supervisory Board have been reconfirmed:
- Marco Brignone, Chairman
- Renato Montedoro
- Salvatore Rocco
“I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their trust, which allows us to continue along the path of development and evolution of our Consortium in a context characterised by great changes and new challenges, possible thanks to the contribution and combined action of institutions, companies, municipalities, operators and citizens.” commented Carmine Bruno Rea who continued “Today, new challenges require a new and innovative approach from a cultural point of view to facilitate the transition from the linear to the circular economy and therefore consolidate the significant performance and growth trends in recent years, introducing the tools and actions necessary to create a new model of production, consumption and management of resources and energy, according to the values underlying the principle of Circular Responsibility, of which CIAL promotes.”
‘Permanent’ packaging
Lightweight, non-polluting, and 100% recyclable for an infinite number of times. Robust but ductile, resistant but malleable. Aluminium is used today for the production of various types of packaging used to contain, protect and preserve food and other products: beverage cans, food tins and trays, foil, spray cans, tubes, caps and seals.
All these materials, having fulfilled their function, can easily be transformed into new aluminium ready to be (re)used to make numerous long-lasting products at a particularly low cost to the environment. 75% of all the aluminium ever produced in the world is still in use today!
CIAL 2021 figures
- 250 companies in the consortium
- 441 affiliated entities, 270 platforms and 12 smelting centres throughout the country ensure the collection, treatment, recycling and recovery of aluminium.
- 5,638 municipalities (over 71% of all active Italian municipalities) collaborate with CIAL in the separation of aluminium packaging waste, involving 47 million citizens (79% of the Italian population served).
- 9% average increase in separate collection over the last three years.
- Quantity of aluminium packaging entering the Italian market: 78,400 tonnes.
Total recovery of aluminium packaging in Italy (percentage recycled + percentage of packaging converted to energy in waste-to-energy plants): 56,600 tonnes.
Recycling: 52,900 tons of aluminium packaging, equivalent to 67.5% of the quantity on the market
- Energy recovery: 3,700 tons (share of thin packaging that goes to waste-to-energy plants)
- The recycling of 52,900 tonnes of aluminium packaging avoided greenhouse emissions totalling 371 thousand tonnes of CO2 while saving energy equivalent to 159 thousand tonnes of oil.
AL 100% responsible
- Aluminium is infinitely recyclable.
- Aluminium recycling guarantees energy savings of 95% compared to traditional production processes.
- 75% of all the aluminium ever produced in the world is still in use.
- The highest amount of aluminium per capita in the world is recycled in Europe.
- Italy’s aluminium production is now 100% based on recycling.
- Italy ranks among the first in Europe in terms of the amount of recycled aluminium produced.