Red Hare Brewing Company to package its craft beer in the world's first certified high-recycled content aluminum beverage can
Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, today announced at the 2014 Craft Brewers Conference in Denver that Red Hare Brewing Company will launch the world's first commercial use of evercanT, the company's independently certified high-recycled content aluminum sheet for beverage cans.
Red Hare craft beer packaged exclusively in cans made of Novelis' evercan aluminum sheet, which is made of a guaranteed minimum 90 percent recycled content, is expected to be on store shelves beginning in May 2014 in key markets throughout the southeastern U.S.
"This introduction marks the commercial availability of the world's first certified high-recycled content aluminum beverage can," said Phil Martens, President and Chief Executive Officer for Novelis. "Working with Red Hare, we have developed a proven supply chain to deliver this industry-first offering to consumers, setting an example that other beverage companies are sure to follow."
"Novelis' evercan is a perfect fit for Red Hare," noted Roger Davis, founder and CEO of Red Hare Brewing Company. "The independent certification of the closed-loop recycling process behind evercan strengthens our commitment to employing the best in sustainable business practices, making evercan a natural extension of the Red Hare brand."
Red Hare Brewing Company, one of the fastest-growing micro-breweries in the U.S., selected Novelis' evercan aluminum as part of its commitment aimed at reducing the company's environmental footprint, while preserving the freshness and enhancing the taste of its finely crafted beer. Red Hare was the first craft brewery in Georgia to package its products in aluminum cans, following a trend in the micro-brewery industry to move from bottles to cans as a way to expand distribution and appeal to on-the-go consumers. Nearly 400 craft brewers in nearly every state in the U.S. are canning more than 1,300 different beers.
"Novelis' evercan is an excellent model for sustainability-based innovation, which will enable beverage brands and retailers to advance their own sustainable packaging goals," said Stuart L. Hart, S. J. Johnson Professor Emeritus in Sustainable Global Enterprise, Cornell University, founder of the Enterprise for a Sustainable World and author of Capitalism at the Crossroads. "This introduction also serves as an important catalyst to educate other brand holders and consumers about the value of closed-loop aluminum recycling and engage them to take action themselves."
Novelis' evercan is now available to beverage companies globally. Company facilities in North America, Europe, South America and Asia are now certified to produce evercan by SCS Global Services, a recognized leader in environmental auditing.
The company's efforts to increase the recycling of beverage cans is a key component of its strategy to dramatically increase the recycled content of its products across its global operations to 80 percent by 2020. Already the world's largest recycler of aluminum, Novelis has announced capital investments of approximately $500 million over the last two years that will double its global recycling capacity to 2.1 million metric tons by 2015. Recycling aluminum requires 95 percent less energy, and produces 95 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), than manufacturing primary aluminum
