The facilities are located in the heart of an increasingly growing market, as Europeans today use around 30 billion beverage cans a year, equivalent to 450,000 tonnes of used beverage cans ( UBC) for recycling. Waste for some, “silver” resource for others. With the line, Hydro will transform this urban resource into new tin parts and, thus, close the cycle of a product with a short shelf life. & Nbsp;

Countries use different types of can collection and often, much of the collected material contains impurities and other materials besides aluminum. “The Hydro plant in Neuss is the first to adopt a patented and advanced technology for the selection of used beverage cans, capable of processing the collected aluminum with up to 20% impurities - which makes the new recycling line the best destination for any used beverage can, ”explains President and CEO Svein Richard Brandtzæg.

With the new line of can recycling, Hydro further optimizes its metal supply for subsequent manufacture of laminated packaging products that help preserve food and medicines and aluminum plates that allow for lighter and more efficient cars, in addition to other applications that ensure functionality and energy efficiency.

Recycling used beverage cans in Neuss will save 350,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, compared to the use of primary aluminum. In addition, the energy required to produce primary aluminum for one can is sufficient for recycling aluminum for 20 cans.

“With the new recycling line, we will offer our international customers a closed recycling cycle, literally transforming old cans into new ones. The new line highlights our commitment to developing close and responsible partnerships with international can producers, as well as our role as leaders in technology, "said Executive Vice President Kjetil Ebbesberg during the opening ceremony.

Ebbesberg and Brandtzæg officially opened the new line together with the Federal Minister, Hermann Gröhe, and the Westphalian Economy Minister, Garrelt Duin, who applauded Hydro for its growing investments and the efficiency of its value chain in the Rhineland region .

Since 2002, Hydro has invested more than 1 billion euros in Germany. In addition to the used beverage can recycling line, we will soon have an automotive line at the Grevenbroich plant, which represents an investment of 130 million euros and which will increase the body plates by over 150,000 tonnes this year. The hot rolling mill Alunorf, a joint venture in Neuss and the largest aluminum rolling and remelting plant in the world, has been modernized and expanded by over 80 million euros.

The innovative and newly conceived technology being adopted in Neuss highlights Hydro's leadership position in innovation in the recycling sector. The sensor technology for the separation and classification of the different types of metals used is based on technology developed and patented by Hydro itself. The technology has been designed especially for the recycling of beverage cans used at Hydro's research and development center in Bonn and is cutting edge technology in the recycling sector.

In pursuit of Hydro's goal of being carbon neutral by 2020, the next step to be taken will be in June in Clervaux, Luxembourg, when the 15 million euro renovation of the aluminum remelting plant is complete and begins. recycling aluminum products, which will be transformed into extrusion ingots for the construction sector.

The recycling line for beverage cans used in Neuss represents 40 new jobs at Hydro Neuss, which now has approximately 700 employees. In Germany in general, Hydro has about 6,000 employees, including direct and joint operations employees, and sales of 1.3 billion euros in 2015. The Rolled Products business area dispatched 948,000 tons in 2015, with total turnover of 2.3 billion euros.