Encouraging insights
CMI's Scott Breen addressing the Summit audience. Image: Alex Rivers
I feel like I’m typing ‘just a quick blog this week’ more often than not recently, but the events just keep on coming! For the past two days, I have been attending the Global Aluminium Can Sustainability Summit in London. Hosted by the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), the Summit has featured panel discussions and talks around circularity, recycling rates, decarbonisation and greenwashing to name but a few.
All attendees have been part of interactive polls between and during sessions, as well as pair and even group activities. Today we were divided into four groups for a ‘visioning exercise,’ which involved discussing what the aluminium can industry’s sustainability vision should be moving forward, what the KPIs are, as well as drivers and hindrances toward said goal. This was an eye-opening insight into the various opinions of industry experts, and a great break away from a traditional conference format.
What was apparent across all four of the groups was the drive in the industry for metal to be the best available packaging option, in terms of sustainability, innovation and by public perception. There is clearly a long way to go until we get to this stage, but if the past two days are anything to go by, I personally believe this is achievable. There are many intelligent, powerful voices in the aluminium sector, and it will take collaboration between everyone to reach net zero and make metal packaging 100 per cent circular.
Thank you to the CMI for my invite, and for an incredibly insightful and smooth-running past two days. You will be able to find more insights in the November edition of CanTech International.
- Alex Rivers (she/her), CanTech International editor
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What a pity the tinplate can makers were not involved, as the message must be “metal v the rest”! The food can has just as good a story to tell as the beverage can, and, of course has been around for 200 years. Let’s face it, without the food can the world would starve. How do we get the fillers, brand owners etc, to promote the food can in the same way as the beverage can?
Hi Philip, I do agree with you that the food can is just as important. The event was more based around aluminium as a material but perhaps this is something the organisers could include in the programme for the next edition if you contact them?