Mr Chris Homfray of Metal Packaging Europe during an interview said that Metal Packaging Europe has been formed by a group of senior executives to take a lead in the metal packaging chain. It is an umbrella organisation that brings together the metal producers, the metal packaging manufacturers and four trade associations APEAL, EAA, BCME, EMPAC.
The structure of Metal Packaging Europe is unique. Horizontally it covers all sectors of rigid metal packaging (beverage, food, general line and specialty, closures) and vertically it brings the support of the two major metals, aluminium and steel. This powerful combination provides a united voice for the industry and is a force for combined action across the whole chain.
Q - What are the target audiences of MPE?
A - Our target audiences are clearly defined. On the one hand, policy makers and key influencers at both European and national levels. On the other hand, the supply chain, our customers and retailers.
Our aim is to establish metal packaging as a recognized and valuable contributor to sustainability in public policy and throughout the supply chain.
Our industry has established track record of sustainable materials management. Once metal is extracted from the earth’s crust and refined, the application may vary but the permanent nature of the material allows for an infinite sustainable use in new products and applications, which is what differentiates it from other materials.
“Metal Packaging Europe has the knowledge to make a real difference. We must and will play our part and communicate the benefits of the metal material loop.”
Q - MPE promotes metal as a permanent material that should be considered as a permanently available resource. What is meant by a permanent material?
A - Metals are elemental and as such are permanent.
Conventional thinking in public policy regards the extraction of metal ores as depletion of the earth’s resources and therefore sometimes compares metals unfavorably with “renewable resources”. Such thinking ignores the fact that metals, once produced, are not lost. They merely move location and appear in different forms.
Let me put that another way. Metals are formed into packaging or other product applications. Once these product applications reach the end of their useful life, the metal from which the product applications were formed, can be recycled and used again to make another product application. This cycle can be performed an infinite number of times while always retaining the metal properties. This is the permanent nature of metal.
Conversely, other materials go through one or more recycling spirals but ultimately they reach the point of final disposal and are either land filled or incinerated for energy recovery.
Q - Metal Packaging Europe’s members have agreed upon a “sustainability manifesto.” Can you tell us more about that?
A - We have an agreed strategy to use our resources in the most efficient and accountable way possible.
Because of the permanent nature of our metal materials we have a vision that no metal packaging should go to landfill. We will strive to keep all metal packaging in the material-to-material loop and have already established significant projects to ensure the availability of metal as a permanent resource.
We have an average European recycling rate of 70% for metal cans (steel and aluminium) and have committed to a target of 80% by 2020.
Q - Do you think that is achievable?
A - We produce over 100bn metal packs annually across all of the industry. Our European recycling rate target under EU legislation is currently set at 50%. We have already exceeded that, which is why we feel we can and should aim much higher.
Q - Do you think that is sustainable?
A - We have researched this exhaustively and the environmental and economic levers are unequivocal. By keeping all metal packaging in the material loop up to 95% of energy is saved. Real scalability is possible.
Much of the infrastructure is in place and we know what we have to do to go further. Consumers are generally motivated to recycle because they feel they are playing a positive role. We are engaged in a number of projects that help to make recycling easy for consumers, both in the home and out of home.
This brings me to our second goal.
We believe there is a need to raise awareness of responsible material management and to educate all stakeholders to provide greater coherence for action and impact across the whole of Europe.
There is, in our view, widespread confusion about the properties of different pack types, materials and resources used to produce packaging and what action is required. There is real and present danger that policy is being set based upon unsustainable principles that do not play to the relative inherent strengths of materials and responsible resource and materials management.
Metal Packaging Europe has the knowledge to make a real difference. We must and will play our part and communicate the benefits of the metal material loop so that they are fully understood and exploited.
We will engage policy makers, retailers, brand owners and consumers in our mission so we make the right decisions for all our futures.
Q - A final word?
A - Steel is a permanent material. Our ambition is to provide a united voice to establish metal packaging as a recognized and valuable contributor to sustainability. We believe that the common strength of the Metal Packaging Europe membership, a real first across the packaging industry, will lay a strong foundation for engaging retailers, policy makers and the consumer to make the right decisions for a sustainable future.
