The Hamlet dilemma for aluminium cans in the circular economy: to be or not to be in a closed loop

Abstract

In the context of circular economy the focus is not only on recycling from a quantitative point of view, but also on improving the quality of materials. We considered the case of aluminium cans, and quantified the influence of alloying elements on the overall environmental performances of aluminium can recycling. We performed a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparing different sources of aluminium: primary aluminium and mixed scraps, Used Beverage Can (UBC) scrap, mixed aluminium packaging scrap and building scrap. The preliminary LCA results show that the lowest environmental impacts come from the use of UBC scraps. This suggests that in a circular economy context for aluminium cans it is better to be in a closed loop