Savona (Italy) – 13th February 2016 – CIAL, Costa Cruises and the Port Authority of Savona presented, on board the Costa Diadema, “Message in a can”, a promotion and development project for the collection and recycling of aluminium beverage cans, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea.
“Message in a can” involves three main activities:
- the recycling of aluminium from Costa ships calling at Savona;
- an awareness campaign created specifically for the citizens of Savona, and developed in cooperation with the City, to donate to the city urban furnishings made from recycled aluminium;
- a campaign to enhance awareness on social media, for which the best photograph will be rewarded with a Costa cruise.
In 2007, Costa Cruises partnered with CIAL to launch a project aimed at promoting and developing the selective collection of aluminum beverage cans on board the company’s cruise ships. Over the past nine years, around 334 tons of aluminum have been collected.
From the beginning of the project, the quantity of aluminium collected from Costa ships has more than doubled: from 23.2 tons in 2007 to 48.6 in 2015. In addition to important environmental advantages, “Message in a can” also has guaranteed social benefits: the economic compensation from CIAL for the material collected is redistributed to Costa personnel who, on board the ships, are involved in the aluminium collection and compacting operations.
This is a very important datum which translates into over 27 million cans that were properly collected, selected and sent off to be recycled.
Placed in a single row, these millions of aluminum cans would be enough to cover a distance of 3915 kilometers, which is equal to the route that Costa Crociere’s flagship, Costa Diadema, covers in two 7-day cruises in the Mediterranean Sea.
Taking the typical beverage can as the measuring unit, recycling 27 million cans allowed for the production of:
- 33,400 bicycles (such as Ricicletta®, CIAL’s city bike made from recycled aluminum)
- 722,000 Moka pots (3-cup pot)
- 300,000 frying pans (professional 5mm thickness)
- 221,000 desk lamps
- 43,500 car rims (sedan)
The statements of the speakers at the event on February 13 in Savona:
Here is the complete photo gallery of the event.
The message of the Minister of the Environment, Gianluca Galletti, absent for institutional reasons: “The project to collect and recycle aluminium cans on board ships, successfully kicked off a few years ago thanks to collaboration between CIAL and Costa Cruises, has generated its environmental and economic results and benefits: concrete proof of how necessary it is to keep awareness high regarding issues involving the prevention of waste production in all areas, including such an important field as the maritime sector. This is a positive experience, to utilise as a point of departure for developing an increasingly efficient system for managing waste on ships, ferries and in marinas and commercial ports.”
Stefania Lallai, Sustainability and External Relations Director of Costa Cruises, observed: “Thanks to cooperation with CIAL and the Port Authority of Savona, we developed a project on board our ships that led to the recycling of 334 tons of aluminium in 9 years. Our long-term objective is to extend this message of sustainability to the entire city of Savona and to an increasingly wider public, so that such conduct becomes everyday practice in everyone’s life.”
“For a new and renewed development of the global economy” – points out Gino Schiona, General Manager of CIAL – “the keywords are ‘energy savings and efficient use of resources’, and the recycling of waste will reduce the use of raw materials in all developed countries on a regular basis. And, to explain the phenomenon there’s nothing better than the recycling of aluminium beverage cans, which helps save 95% of the energy needed to produce new metal. And this is perhaps the main message contained in aluminium beverage cans. A strong and important message that involves participation and sharing. It also embraces the concept of environment and social protection while also ensuring truly sustainable development and growth. In other words, the can as a packaging symbol is capable of reconciling consumer needs with respect for the environment.”
“The Port Authority of Savona is proud of this initiative, which is part of its policy of commitment to waste management in Savona-Vado port area. In 2007 we implemented a certified waste separation area, that is currently able to stock 79 different types of waste and separate for disposal and recycling 87% of total waste produced in the port area” declared the president of the Port Authority of Savona, Gian Luigi Miazza.
View video experience that tells the project.
[youtube src=”6xh0Sv4GGec”]
Project value
The project envisaging the collection of aluminum cans on board ships and their subsequent delivery to CIAL to be recycled, takes on a special significance not only for the tremendous amount of material delivered, but also for its many inherent features and benefits.
- it is the first selective waste collection project for recycling purposes to be implemented in the maritime industry;
- it actively promotes the principles of selective waste collection among a considerable number of passengers every year;
- it guarantees material and energy recovery by recycling material which is re-introduced into the production process for different uses;
- the reuse of used aluminum packaging contributes to limiting the use of primary aluminum, thus safeguarding natural resources and reducing the emission of CO2 by as much as 95%;
- the amount paid by CIAL to Costa Cruises for the delivered material is given directly to crew members who are engaged in post-collection aluminum recovery operations, such as cleaning the material and compacting it into shapes that best respond to onboard storage requirements, and in material handling operations on the pier at the final port of destination.
In addition to major environmental and economic benefits, therefore, there are also social gains and recognition of the services rendered by all the employees involved in the process.
Given the unique and remarkable features of this project, and with a view to sharing the impressive project results and this model of virtuous waste management with all relevant audiences, CIAL and Costa Cruises have decided to organize an event to describe the project organizational structure, results and the outlook for the future.
Apart from confirming CIAL and Costa Cruises’ joint commitment towards the intrinsic environmental and social aspects of the project, the “Message in a Can” event is also an opportunity to further promote, among the public at large and in all settings, the importance of selective aluminum packaging collection and its benefits; moreover, it is an opportunity to enable greater involvement and to disseminate a culture of social and environmental sustainability.
SOCIAL NETWORK PROJECT
#messageinacan – put your message to save the planet in a can.
CIAL and Costa Cruises will promote selective aluminum can collection and recycling on board cruise ships by launching an awareness campaign on the Internet, reaching out to and involving a considerable number of individuals through the use of social networks and a photo contest.
Scheduled to be underway from March to June 2016 on the social media channels Instagram and Twitter, the campaign requires submitting a snapshot on the theme #messageinacan, “put your message to save the planet in a can”. Relevant themes are sustainability, the green economy, circular economy, safeguarding nature and the sea, the social commitment that all of the above entails for everyone.
SAVONA, MESSAGE IN A CAN
The “Message in a can” theme will also be used for an informative and awareness campaign conceived specifically for the people of Savona.
“Savona, Message in a Can” is a project promoted by CIAL and Costa Cruises for the purpose of improving the amount and quality of selective aluminum waste collection in the city of Savona.
The project targets households, business establishments and all citizens, who are called upon to be part of a grand collective action: dramatically increasing the amount of selectively-collected aluminum packaging in the city of Savona.
Between March 1st and June 30th 2016, the people of Savona will be asked to make an extra effort to separate all forms of aluminum packaging according to the indications provided by the Municipality.
If the amount that is collected over the four months is greater than in the past by at least 25%, CIAL and Costa Cruises will undertake to donate to the city several pieces of street furniture made of recycled aluminum: three benches designed specifically for this purpose and bearing a customized environmental message, to be installed in a city park as indicated by the public administration.