"Krueger's Beer" first appeared on January 24, 1935 in a cylindrical tin can in Richmond, Virginia, and was sold 200 million the same year. The "original can" alone weighed as much as a bar of chocolate: around 100 grams.

What a difference: Today's cans, made entirely of aluminum, are only 10 grams light and their walls, at 0.097 mm, are even thinner than human hair.

Aluminum cans save energy and raw materials in transport and use. They weigh the least compared to the drink. They hardly ever break, there are no dangerous fragments like glass. They cool or warm up because aluminum conducts heat and cold so quickly, much faster than other packaging.

Even more important is & nbsp; the sustainable environmental balance: According to Ball, one of the most important can manufacturers and a long-standing customer of Hydro's can band and can lid band, the can is & nbsp; the most recycled packaging in the world.

In Germany, nine out of ten cans are directly recycled, without loss of quality, again and again. The use of recycled material today saves up to 95% of the energy that would be required to produce new material. Hydro is committed to more recycling and a fair comparison of packaging forms, also as a partner of Deutsche Aluminum Verpackung Recycling GmbH (DAVR).

A round thing

DAVR Managing Director Hans-Jürgen Schmidt comes to the conclusion: "Only if recyclable packaging (disposable) and refillable packaging (reusable) can be used side by side for market supply without discrimination, can the respective strengths - economically and from an environmental point of view - lead to an optimum On the other hand, there are disadvantages if reusable systems are also used where recycled recycling packaging such as the aluminum beverage can would be the better alternative economically and ecologically. "

Due to constant improvements in the areas of weight reduction, forming and recycling, the beverage can is a well-rounded affair and popular with consumers. There is therefore no sign of a crisis in the can industry and one can only say: Good idea that inventor George Newman from the US state of New Jersey had in 1935.