Sustainable Metal Packaging Options
Sustainability is the hottest topic in packaging at the moment. Higher public awareness of the problems of plastic waste and environmental taxes such as the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) have meant businesses, retailers, and consumers are thinking about their packaging differently.
But what makes metal packaging sustainable? Having been in the packaging industry for over 50 years, Invopak investigates the environmental advantages of metal packaging and why a material that recycles forever is a great fit for packaging sustainability.
Types of Metal Packaging
Any packaging material must meet two key requirements: It must be fit for purpose and economically priced. It's possible to make a food can out of gold, but it would be prohibitively expensive, and gold is one of the softer metals anyway.
Steel and aluminium dominate the market for metal packaging. Both metals are plentiful, which means they're relatively affordable. Steel and aluminium also have the right physical properties to be made into packaging: they are malleable, non-toxic, and durable.
Aluminium
Aluminium's physical properties make it ideal for packaging. It’s non-magnetic, non-sparking, malleable, lightweight, and corrosion-resistant, so it won’t rust in water, making it suitable for holding liquids.
Aluminium is sustainable; regardless of how often it’s recycled, there is no permanent material with no loss in quality. Aluminium is also the most valuable material we ‘throw away’, which means there’s always been a strong incentive to recycle it.
Recycled aluminium is so valuable because it’s expensive to mine. It’s extracted from bauxite ore using an electrolysis process that requires a lot of energy. Making cans using recycled metal requires 95% less energy than primary aluminium.
Aluminium is non-magnetic, so it’s separated from other waste using an electrical current. Once collected, it is shredded, heated to burn off any residual paint finishes, melted down, and cast into ingots.
Aluminium is one of the fastest and easiest materials to recycle. Recycled aluminium drink cans can be used, recycled and back on the supermarket shelf in just 60 days. Unlike many plastics, it doesn’t travel large distances for recycling, with 90% of the aluminium packaging consumed in the UK recycled within Europe.
Drink cans are the most common form of aluminium packaging, with 180 billion produced globally each year. And it’s not just fizzy drinks: beer, cocktails, wine and iced coffee are now often packaged in aluminium.
Aluminium bottles are ideal for packaging liquids, including fragrances, and are available in sizes from 19ml to 12.5L and every size in between.
Steel
Mild steel is 99% iron, one of the most plentiful and commonly mined metals (94% of the metal mined globally is iron). It’s the cheapest metal because there is so much of it, and it’s relatively easy to extract and refine, making steel the best material for large containers like steel drums.
Steel is also one of the world’s most recycled metals: 85-90% of steel products are made from recycled steel.
Steel is a practical packaging material because it is strong and readily available, making it cost-effective for storing large quantities of petroleum, oils and liquids.
Steel drums are used for shipping goods in bulk. They're manufactured from cold-rolled steel formed into tubes, seam-welded, with a bottom also welded on to create a drum.
Open-head drums are sealed with a ring latch closure. They’re suitable for containing everything from paints and powders to oils and liquids. Tight-head drums have bung closures specifically designed for liquid and oil storage.
Steel kegs can have lacquered or plain interiors. Solvents can be safely stored in a standard unlacquered barrel because they won’t react with the steel, but water-based goods should be stored in a lacquered container to prevent corrosion.
Steel drums and barrels are durable and can be cleaned and reused. Reconditioned steel drums are an economical and sustainable option.
Tin
Tinplate packaging is made of a core of steel coated with a thin layer of tin to prevent rusting. It has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, is cost-effective to produce and is easily recyclable after use. It can also be pressed, rolled, printed and welded into any style, shape or size of packaging a manufacturer can dream of.
Tinplate is one of the oldest packaging materials, and Napoleon Bonaparte is to thank for it. He needed to feed his army efficiently, so he offered 12,000 Francs to anyone who could find a way to preserve foodstuffs. The result was the tinplate food can.
Tinplate remains one of the most commonly used types of metal packaging today. It's a practical and cost-effective choice for storing paint, and pails and drums are ideal for storing resins, oils, coatings, and powders.
It's also suitable for photographic-quality colour printing. The offset printing process allows durable, high-quality graphics to be printed directly onto the tinplate sheets before tins are made. This is ideal for high-volume users, helping products stand out on the shelf before flying off them.
Tinplate is 100% recyclable, and recycling tin makes economic sense, too. Recycling one tonne of tin saves 99% of the energy required for its primary production. All tinplate containers can be recycled, even if they've been used for paint because any residual coatings are burnt off through incineration as part of the recycling process.
According to the International Tin Association, the average amount of recycled content for any tin product is 33.1%. So, one-third of the metal in that new paint tin has already been used.
Invopak has been a metal packaging wholesaler for decades, and in 2024, we entered the manufacturing arena. The Invopak tinplate factory was built in Manchester, and we're now producing our own lines of the most in-demand tinplate products, including lever lid tins.
Advantages of Metal Packaging
Durability and Practicality – Metal is the strongest packaging material. It doesn’t break like glass. It has a high puncture resistance, is impermeable and suitable for heavy loads
Metal will always be 100% Recyclable – Metals are permanent materials. They can be used and re-used forever with no loss in quality. Sustainability matters and metal is one of the most sustainable packaging solutions.
Easy to Recycle – Metal packaging is made of one material, so it's easy to recycle. Drink cans and paint tins are made from aluminium or steel, nothing else. There's no need to separate different layers or material types. Collect, melt down, reuse – it's that simple with metal.
Tried, Tested, and Trusted – Businesses and customers trust metal packaging. Metal paint tins and food cans have been used for decades. Metal packaging has a proven track record for safely storing and shipping a wide range of products.
Quality and Prestige – Customers equate metal with quality. Businesses can charge more for goods stored in metal packaging. Premium paint brands use tinplate tins to lend prestige, and the beverage industry has also reaped the benefits of metal, with companies like Beavertown using full-colour printed aluminium cans to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Choose Sustainable Metal Packaging
Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their packaging choices. The huge environmental cost of single-use plastic bottles is hard to ignore once you see their sheer quantity in rubbish heaps and beaches.
Large retailers are also investing in metal packaging, offering re-fillable aluminium bottles for cleaning and laundry products because they know customers want to live more sustainably.
Many suppliers are also moving away from plastic to metal for economic reasons. Environmental taxes such as the Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) are designed to reduce the use of plastic by charging higher tariffs on plastic products. These taxes are set to increase yearly as the government seeks to reduce our reliance on plastic.
Choosing metal packaging sends a powerful signal to your customers that you're serious about sustainability, so why wouldn't you switch to metal?
Sustainability for Longevity
When it comes to metal recyclability, nothing has changed. Metal is a permanent material, so its structure stays the same no matter how many times it's been used. It's as recyclable today as it was 1000 years ago.
Plastic can be recycled, but it loses some of its physical properties in the process. This means that unlike metal, plastics are in a downcycling spiral that eventually leads to incineration or landfill. Paper and cardboard packaging are often championed as sustainable packaging solutions, but they also lose quality in the recycling process and require a constant supply of wood to replenish the primary stock.
Metal can't be beaten when it comes to long-term sustainability
For more information, visit https://invopak.co.uk/