Rio Tinto, InBev pledge aluminum sustainability

London-based mining and metals firm Rio Tinto and Belgium-based beer and beverages producer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) say they have formed a global partnership “to deliver a new standard of sustainable aluminum cans.” The initiative will initially focus on North America, the companies say.

The two companies say they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing to work with supply chain partners to bring AB InBev products to market “in cans made from low-carbon aluminum that meets industry-leading sustainability standards.”

The partnership “will see AB InBev use Rio Tinto’s low-carbon aluminum made with renewable hydropower along with recycled content to produce a more sustainable beer can,” states Rio Tinto. The company says the arrangement will offer a potential reduction in carbon emissions of more than 30 percent per can compared with “similar cans produced today using traditional manufacturing techniques in North America.”

The first 1 million cans produced through the partnership will be piloted in the United States on Michelob Ultra beer. Low-carbon technology used will include the North America-based Elysis process, which Rio Tinto calls “a disruptive zero-carbon aluminum smelting technology.”

Rio Tinto further describes Elysis as a partnership with Alcoa supported by Apple and the governments of Canada and Quebec intended to develop a “revolutionary new direct greenhouse emissions-free aluminum smelting technology.”

Rio Tinto CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques says, “Rio Tinto is pleased to continue to partner with customers in the value chain in an innovative way to meet their needs and help produce sustainable products. Our partnership with AB InBev is the latest development and reflects the great work of our commercial team.”

The companies say that currently around 70 percent of the aluminum used in AB InBev cans produced in North America is made with recycled content. By maintaining the existing recycled content level with Rio Tinto’s Elysis low-carbon aluminum, the brewer “will take a key step toward reducing the carbon emissions in its packaging supply chain,” states Rio Tinto.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint across our entire value chain and improve the sustainability of our packaging to reach our ambitious sustainability goals,” says Ingrid De Ryck, vice president of procurement and sustainability, North America at AB InBev. “With this partnership, we will bring low-carbon aluminum to the forefront with our consumers and create a model for how companies can work with their suppliers to drive innovative and meaningful change for our environment.”

Rio Tinto Aluminum Chief Executive Alf Barrios adds, “This partnership will deliver cans for AB InBev’s customers that pair low-carbon, responsibly produced aluminum with recycled aluminum.”