Sustainable packaging solutions
We work closely with our customers to continue to optimise the design and manufacturing process for steel packaging.
Our expertise in simulating material behaviour using computer models allows us to identify material gains – for example by reducing the weight of aerosol can ends by up to 30% – which can generate significant added value for the customer.
Packaging recycling
Steel is 100% recyclable and its magnetic properties make it easy to separate from the post-consumer waste stream. Globally, more than two out of every three steel cans are recycled after use – preventing 13 million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere. This exceeds recycling rates for plastic and aluminium, the two most common alternative packaging materials. In the Netherlands, more than 85% of all steel packaging is recycled – much of it at our IJmuiden site, which turns the steel waste into new high-quality steel through its basic oxygen steelmaking process.
In the UK, we have a dedicated team responsible for managing compliance with packaging recycling regulations, and we are the country’s largest issuer of steel Packaging Recovery Notes (PRNs). The Tata Steel Packaging Recycling team plays a central role in steel recycling within the UK, helping to fund recycling infrastructure, working with schools and via our educational resource website SCRIB to help raise awareness, and participating in nationwide recycling awareness campaigns such as ‘Every Can Counts’.
In 2009, the UK surpassed its national steel packaging recycling target of 54.6% and reached 58.16%. Members of the team also visited 25 schools in the UK in the past year to spread the recycling message.
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