Rio Tinto boosts aluminum’s presence at hockey venue

An agreement between global metals production firm Rio Tinto plc and the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, will see Rio Tinto help supply aluminum beverage cups to the venue.

London-based Rio Tinto says the cups to be used at the venue will be made from aluminum produced in Québec and the use of aluminum cups can help create an “infinite” recycling loop.

The five-year partnership to use the cups is part of the Canadiens’ “The Goal is Green” initiative, backed by Montreal-based Banque Nationale, which intends to reduce the environmental footprint of the sports franchise and encourage fans to do the same.

The new aluminum cups are expected to replace 1.5 million plastic cups formerly used annually, which represents a materials substitution of approximately 24 metric tons, Rio Tinto estimates. The city of Montreal banned the use of single-use plastics earlier this year.

“The low-carbon aluminum we proudly produce right here in Québec is reusable, traceable and infinitely recyclable,” says Sébastien Ross, managing director of Rio Tinto’s Aluminium Atlantic Operations.

“Our company has deep roots in Montreal and the province of Québec, and, through partnerships such as this one, we are finding better ways to provide the materials needed to make events and locations in our host communities more sustainable."

Rio Tinto says its hydro-powered operations in Saguenay-Lac and Saint-Jean, Québec, produce “some of the lowest carbon aluminum in the world.”

Rio Tinto also has been adding recycled-content melt shop capacity in the Canadian province. Earlier this year, Rio Tinto bought a 50 percent stake in Ontario-based recycled-content aluminum producer Matalco.

The aluminum cups with Rio Tinto-made content will be available to fans by the end of this year and will display a new, original design.

Rio Tinto and the Canadiens also have cooperated on La Cour Rio Tinto, a courtyard space in front of both the Bell Centre and Rio Tinto’s Montreal hub—the nearby global headquarters for the company’s aluminum business unit.

“When Montreal Canadiens fans make their way toward the Bell Centre to cheer on their favorite team, they first walk through La Cour Rio Tinto, where we celebrate the greats of our storied franchise,” says Daniel Trottier of Groupe CH, which is affiliated with the Bell Centre and the Canadiens.

“It is fitting to see our next-door neighbor deepen its partnership with our organization by supplying the aluminum we need in order to reduce our environmental footprint and enable our fans to do the same.”