Danish move on cans seen boosting aluminium use
Date: 18-Jan-02
Country: UK
"It's not huge, but it's an increase of around one percent in total European can consumption," the spokesman said. The European can market consumes an estimated 35 billion cans a year. The figures assume Danish can consumption at the European average of around 75 cans per capita per annum, he said.
Further assuming a mix of 33-and 55-centilitre cans averaging around 14-15 grams of aluminium per can would give an estimated additional annual tonnage of aluminium of around 4,200-6,000 tonnes.
The Danish government bowed to European Union complaints this week, announcing that the 20-year-old ban would end on January 23 on condition that retailers charged a deposit of 1.50 Danish crowns ($0.18) to ensure customers returned empty cans. The deposit scheme should favour aluminium cans over steel, the EAA spokesman said.
"Aluminium cans fit the system better as the value of the scrap can cover its costs," he said.
The Danish beer market is dominated by Carlsberg , with around a 70 percent market share, and Bryggerigruppen with 20 percent.
Both companies currently purchase cans from a Swedish unit of British consumer packaging group Rexam .
A Rexam spokesman in London was slightly more cautious than the EAA, forecasting a Danish market of 200 to 300 million cans per year based on consumption elsewhere in Scandinavia, but agreed that the deposit system favoured aluminium cans.
"If you're going to introduce a recycling system it makes sense if it's aluminium cans, though it could be steel cans as well," he said.
Rexam has facilities in northern Germany and Sweden that may be able to supply the Danish market, the spokesman added.
