Novelis Yeongju Facility Reaches Milestone Of 20 Billion Beverage Cans Recycled

In Just Two Years, Plant has Recycled Enough Cans to Circle the Globe 57 Times

SEOUL, November 10, 2014 – Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced that its recycling center in Yeongju has recycled an estimated 20 billion used beverage cans since beginning operations in October 2012. With an annual capacity of 265,000 metric tons, the Novelis Yeongju Recycling Center is the largest aluminum can recycling center in Asia.

Used beverage cans collected from all across Asia through Novelis’ extensive scrap purchasing network are processed at the Yeongju recycling center for re-melting and casting into sheet ingot. The metal is then rolled at the company’s Yeongju and Ulsan plants to be supplied as new can sheet to customers throughout Asia. The center is an integral part of Novelis’ sustainable growth strategy by providing an important source of metal and helping the company save energy and natural resources, as well as reduce carbon emissions.

Since 2011, Novelis has invested approximately $500 million globally to expand its recycling network, doubling its recycling capacity to 2.1 million metric tons per year and raising its recycled content from 30 percent to 46 percent. The company's goal is to achieve 80 percent recycled content by 2020.   As part of this strategy, Novelis recently opened the world’s largest aluminum recycling center in Nachterstedt, Germany. 

“Our strategy will enable us to capitalize on the sustainability potential of aluminum as a lightweight, infinitely recyclable metal and to dramatically reduce the embedded carbon in our products,” said Shashi Maudgal, Senior Vice President, Novelis and President, Novelis Asia.  “In an increasingly energy- and carbon-constrained environment, our recycling strategy will be a key source of competitive advantage for our company and for our customers.”

With its economic and environmental benefits, demand for aluminum in the beverage can market is growing at a compound annual rate of four to five percent. Recycling aluminum requires 95 percent less energy, and produces 95 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), than manufacturing primary aluminum. Recycling one aluminum beverage can saves enough energy to run a television for three hours or run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours.

Novelis, as world’s leader in aluminum recycling, recycles approximately 50 billion used beverage cans a year globally. Moreover, the company has launched evercan™, the world’s first certified high recycled-content can sheet made from a minimum of 90 percent recycled aluminum.  Available globally, evercan™ has been certified by SCS Global Services. In Asia, the Yeongju recycling center has been certified to produce evercan.

About Novelis

Novelis Inc. is the global leader in aluminum rolled products and the world's largest recycler of aluminum. The company operates in 11 countries, has approximately 11,200 employees and reported revenue of approximately $10 billion for its 2014 fiscal year. Novelis supplies premium aluminum sheet and foil products to transportation, packaging, construction, industrial and consumer electronics markets throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The company is part of the Aditya Birla Group, a multinational conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. For more information, visit novelis.com and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/NovelisInc and Twitter at twitter.com/Novelis.

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Released November 10, 2014