Novelis develops new laminated aluminium surfaces for beverage can ends
Laminated can ends. Image: Novelis
Novelis has announced the development of its new laminated aluminium surfaces for beverage can ends. This innovative application improves beverage container appearance, increases production process efficiencies, and lowers CO2 emissions for European beverage brands and can makers.
Coloured aluminium beverage can ends, especially black, are particularly popular for new and innovative beverage products and energy drinks. However, producing lacquered, black ends also poses challenges in terms of colour stability and can makers’ production processes.
High-quality surfaces and colour stability are especially important for the premium beverage segments. Novelis’ new aluminium sheet comes with a black laminating film. The laminating film is free of Bisphenol A (BPA) and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and meets all food and beverage industry requirements.
At Novelis’ Göttingen site in Germany, which specialises in rolled aluminium surface finishing, the laminating film is applied by a combination of pressure and heat.
For beverage can makers, adoption of the laminated sheet is simple, as the production of laminated ends does not require any can line retooling. It requires less cleaning, leading to increased productivity, according to Novelis.
Novelis’ product innovation supports can makers and beverage brands in reaching their sustainability goals. The lamination of aluminium coils for can ends reduces CO2 emissions by 33%, compared to the conventional liquid coating, as the lamination process requires less heat and chemicals. Laminated ends have no adverse impact on beverage can recyclability. Similar to the conventional can coating, the laminating film is removed as an organic component in the recycling process by thermal pretreatment and waste heat is reused in the process.
“This innovation meets the food and packaging industry’s requirements for high-quality, lower CO2 footprint material,” said Alexander Kuzan, vice president of Can for Novelis Europe. “Together with our customers, we are creating better, more sustainable products and efficient manufacturing processes. Using high levels of recycled aluminium in our products helps reduce the consumption of natural resources, strengthen the circular economy and limit climate change.”
Novelis annually recycles approximately 80 billion used beverage cans worldwide. In Nachterstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, Novelis operates one of the world’s largest, most technologically advanced aluminium recycling centers. At the facility, up to 400,000 tons of aluminium scrap is shredded, sorted, thermally decoated, melted, cast and returned to the infinite production cycle each year.
Together, with its partners along the value chain, Novelis is developing innovative, low-carbon aluminium solutions and creating closed-loop recycling systems for production and end-of-life scrap.
To learn more about laminated aluminium for can ends, visit: https://www.novelis.com/can-innovations/
