Ball Corporation recycled aluminum is a big part of how the company makes beverage cans, and the numbers are worth a close look. According to Ball, 74% of the aluminum in its beverage cans in 2025 was recycled content.
What Ball reports
Ball also says 84% of its electricity came from renewable sources, and 34% of its aluminum was certified under the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative. These figures come from the company, so treat them as company reported until you check the full sustainability report.
Why aluminum is a good fit for recycling
Aluminum can be melted and reused many times without losing quality, and remelting it takes far less energy than making new metal from ore. That is why a can maker can build a real circular loop if enough used cans come back.
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The goals and the caveat
Ball has set a target to cut absolute greenhouse gas emissions 55% by 2030 and to cut value chain emissions 16%. One caveat matters: recycled content is not the same as a recycling rate. Recycled content tells you how much of a new can came from old metal. The recycling rate tells you how many used cans actually get collected, and that depends on local collection systems and deposit laws.
What readers can take from it
Buying drinks in aluminum and putting the empty can in the right bin keeps this loop moving. Good companies show their numbers and the limits of them, and Ball does a fair job of that.
What this means for smaller businesses
You do not need to be a global brand to learn from this. Start by measuring one thing, such as how much of your packaging is recycled material or how much of your metal scrap leaves your shop. Once you have a number, ask your supplier for theirs. Buyers who ask for recycled content early often get better pricing later, because suppliers build capacity around steady demand. If you run a small shop or a local brand, a simple page that lists your recycled content and your goals for next year builds more trust than a long statement full of big promises.
Cans are also a useful reminder that the best recycling program is the one people actually use. Clear labels, easy drop off and a small deposit all raise return rates. Companies that want recycled content to keep growing need customers to send the material back, so it is a shared job between maker and buyer.
The bottom line
Ball shows that a simple product can carry a serious climate story when the numbers are public. The next report will show whether recycled content keeps rising and whether collection of used cans improves alongside it. That is the part every drinker has a hand in.
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Submit your companySources: Ball Corporation sustainability. Figures marked as company reported come from the company itself.
