Rexam defends green credentials of beverage can

Talking from the Brau Beviale trade fair in Nuremberg, Germany, Rexam executive John Revess outlined the lobbying and marketing work needed to improve the environmental image of the beverage can.

The VP for marketing and environmental affairs at Rexam Beverage Can Europe explained that there is great variation in can sales in different European countries. A lot of this is down to the reputation of the beverage can at a policy level.

Germany, for example, is a country where, despite a recent resurgence, the can still holds a comparatively small share of the market.

In an effort to reopen such markets, Revess said Rexam is working hard in partnership with its fellow can makers to address perception issues among consumers and policy makers.

He said at the heart of this strategy is the message that metal is a sustainable material that can be infinitely recycled but added that lobbying is not the whole story. The can industry is also working to help increase recycling rates, especially in countries where recycling levels are low.