Challenges for the European
aluminum aerosol can industry
Gregor Spengler, International Organization of Aluminum Aerosol
Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) Secretary General
January 2019 SPRAY 17
Europe
• A Communication on options to address the interface
between chemical, product and waste legislation that
assesses how the rules on waste, products and chemicals
relate to each other. This Communication has the potential
to impact the recycling of post-consumer aerosol packaging
waste.
Several months later, Directive (EU) 2018/851, amending the
Waste Framework Directive, and Directive (EU) 2018/852,
amending the Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive, were
published.
EU Member States will promote the reduction of the content
of hazardous substances in materials and products. EU
Member States must also take measures to attain, by the end
of 2025, the following minimum targets for the recycling of
packaging materials:
• 50% for plastics
• 70% for ferrous metal
• 50% for aluminum
It is important to note that on top of higher recycling
targets, the calculation method has changed. It is expected
this will lower current figures and so further efforts will be
required.
The recycling of aerosols will be discussed, re-discussed or
maybe even challenged in the near future, at least in several
EU Member States. New Deposit Return Schemes, if implemented,
would disrupt existing collection of post-consumer
aerosol packaging waste.
Different tools and instruments have been developed by
the European Commission to facilitate the transition towards
a more Circular Economy. These tools include the Product Environmental
Footprint (PEF) and Organization Environmental
Footprint (OEF). In November 2018, the European Commission
launched a series of targeted consultations on potential policy
applications for the Environmental Footprint methods, as well
as an open consultation on a product policy framework for
the circular economy. Potential policy options could include
the integration of the Environmental Footprint methods into
existing voluntary policies such as the EU Ecolabel and Green
Public Procurement, or the development of a new, stand-alone
instrument implementing the methods. The tool also has the
potential to support the implementation of the Action Plan on
Sustainable Finance.
In 2017, total production of aluminum aerosol cans in Europe
amounted to approximately four billion cans. With an increasingly
saturated market in Europe, demand is expected to stay
around the same level in 2018.
About 80% of aluminum aerosol cans are manufactured for the
cosmetics/personal care industry. Out of this 80%, deodorants and
perfumed body sprays account for almost 55% and are by far the
most important end-use market for aluminum aerosols in Europe.
In the last few years,
other cosmetic/personal
care products such as dry
shampoos, shower foams
and sunscreen products showed promising growth rates that are
likely to continue in 2019. Besides personal care, pharmaceutical
products, which require extremely high hygienic and safety
standards, are also increasingly packaged in tailor-made aerosol
applications that guarantee safe, clean and accurate dispensing.
Despite these achievements, ideas for new aerosol applications
are needed in a saturated European market to get back on the
growth track.
Can producers in the European market are facing several challenges
that go back to increasingly demanding legislation and
customer requirements.
The revised European Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
set a recycling target for aluminum packaging of 50% until
2025 and 60% until 2030. At the same time, a stricter calculation
method applies based on the weight of packaging waste actually
entering the recycling chain. These recycling targets can only
be achieved with appropriate extended producer responsibility
(EPR) schemes and an efficient collection, sorting and recycling
infrastructure.
In this scenario, the enhanced material properties of aluminum
come into play. Aluminum is a so-called permanent material that