Beverages — Aluminum Can (330ml)

Material Composition Assumptions

The default bill of materials for a standard 330ml aluminum beverage can (approximately 14–15 g total) includes:

• Can body (DWI — drawn and wall-ironed): 3004 aluminum alloy, approximately 10–11 g. Formed from thin rolled sheet (0.09–0.11 mm wall gauge after ironing).
• Can end: 5182 aluminum alloy, approximately 2.5–3 g. Higher magnesium content for stiffness.
• Pull tab (stay-on-tab): 5182 alloy, approximately 0.4 g.
• Internal lacquer: Epoxy or acrylic coating, approximately 0.1 g — prevents metal–product interaction.
• External decoration: Ink and varnish, approximately 0.1 g.

The can is one of the lightest rigid beverage containers by mass (~15 g vs. ~200–330 g for glass), but aluminum is an extremely energy-intensive material to produce from bauxite ore. Primary aluminum smelting via the Hall–Héroult electrolysis process consumes approximately 13–15 kWh of electricity per kg of metal produced — among the highest electricity intensities of any commodity material.

Recycled content is the dominant variable. The global average recycled content in beverage cans is approximately 60–70% (EU ~75%, USA ~73%, global average ~63%). At 65% recycled content, the effective emission factor for can stock is approximately 4–6 kgCO2e/kg vs. ~18–20 kgCO2e/kg for 100% primary aluminium. This accounts for why the per-unit score (0.17 kgCO2e) is relatively low despite the high per-kg intensity.

Manufacturing Geography

The default manufacturing region is mixed global, with primary aluminum smelting concentrated in China, the Middle East (Gulf states), and to a lesser extent the EU and Canada.

• China: Produces ~57% of global primary aluminium. Grid intensity ~565 gCO2e/kWh, predominantly coal-fired. Chinese smelters are generally the most carbon-intensive globally.
• Middle East (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar): ~700 gCO2e/kWh grid; gas-fired captive power plants. Lower than coal-fired China but still high.
• EU (Norway, Iceland): Hydropower-dominant smelting at ~20–50 gCO2e/kWh. Produces some of the lowest-carbon primary aluminium globally.
• Canada: Hydro-dominated smelting at ~30–60 gCO2e/kWh.

Can forming (rolling mills, DWI lines) is more geographically distributed, often co-located with beverage filling plants. Secondary aluminium remelting (recycled content) is significantly less energy-intensive (~5% of primary smelting energy) and occurs regionally.

The default score uses a blended global average reflecting the ~65% recycled content mix and a weighted grid intensity across smelting regions.

Regional Variation

Region	Primary Al Grid	Estimated Score Adjustment
EU (hydro-heavy, 75% recycled)	~50 gCO2e/kWh	-40% total (saves ~0.07 kgCO2e)
USA (73% recycled)	~390 gCO2e/kWh	-10% total (saves ~0.02 kgCO2e)
China (60% recycled, coal grid)	~565 gCO2e/kWh	+25% total (adds ~0.04 kgCO2e)
100% primary aluminium (coal grid)	~700 gCO2e/kWh	+150% total (adds ~0.26 kgCO2e)
100% recycled aluminium (renewable)	~30 gCO2e/kWh	-70% total (saves ~0.12 kgCO2e)

Note: The recycled content rate has a far larger impact on total emissions than grid intensity alone, because smelting electricity consumption per kg drops by ~95% when switching from primary to secondary production. Increasing recycled content from 65% to 85% saves approximately 0.05 kgCO2e per can — roughly equivalent to the current total footprint.

Provenance Override Guidance

A supplier or manufacturer may override the default CCI score by submitting:

1. Recycled content certification from a recognised aluminium recycling scheme (e.g., ASI Recycled Content Standard, ISO 14021 self-declaration with audit, or chain-of-custody certificate from a scrap processor).
2. Smelter-specific emission factor from an IAI-verified primary smelter, or a secondary smelter’s verified energy and emission data.
3. Rolling mill energy data including electricity consumption per tonne of can sheet and any renewable energy certificates (RECs) or power purchase agreements (PPAs) in place.
4. Product Environmental Declaration (EPD) per ISO 14025 covering the specific can format and production region.
5. Conversion efficiency data from the DWI can-forming line (scrap rate affects material efficiency and therefore upstream emissions).

Can manufacturers Ball Corporation, Ardagh, and Novelis all publish sustainability reports with product-level carbon data that can serve as validated override sources.

Methodology Notes

• CCI score of 0.17 kgCO2e represents a global-average estimate at ~65% recycled content. This is broadly consistent with published industry LCA data from Ball Corporation and European Aluminium.
• Scope breakdown: Scope 2 (smelting electricity for the primary aluminium fraction) dominates at ~53% (0.09 kgCO2e). Scope 3 (rolling, forming, coating, logistics) accounts for ~41% (0.07 kgCO2e). Scope 1 (direct fuel combustion at forming facilities) is minimal at ~6% (0.01 kgCO2e).
• Functional unit: One 330ml non-returnable aluminum beverage can, cradle-to-gate (manufacturing only; filling, distribution, and end-of-life excluded unless stated).
• High confidence rating reflects the availability of multiple independent certified LCA studies and industry-level EPD data. The primary uncertainty is recycled content rate, which is well-characterised at the regional level.
• Per-kg vs. per-unit: The per-kg score of 11.5 kgCO2e/kg is high relative to other packaging materials, reflecting aluminum’s energy-intensive production. However, the low unit mass (~15 g per can) means the per-unit score is competitive with alternatives.
• End-of-life: Aluminum is infinitely recyclable with minimal quality loss. High collection and recycling rates (especially in deposit-return markets) are a key part of the system-level environmental case for aluminum packaging, though end-of-life credits are excluded from the CCI score.