Novelis, Infinitum extend Norway’s can recycling loop as 93% return rate powers circular economy

NORWAY – Novelis has extended its long-term partnership with Infinitum, Norway’s deposit return system for beverage containers, ensuring that all aluminium cans collected through the country’s world-leading scheme are shipped to Novelis’ Latchford, UK plant and rolled into new can sheet for the Norwegian market.

The collaboration illustrates a functioning circular economy at scale. Each year, tonnes of aluminium collected at Infinitum’s facilities in Norway are transported to Novelis’ recycling plant in Latchford, UK, where the material is processed into new beverage can sheet and returned to the Norwegian market.

Recycling aluminium requires up to 95 percent less energy than primary production, generating correspondingly lower CO₂ emissions.

Transparency Across the Loop

Alexandre Gellert, Vice President of Metal Procurement for Novelis in Europe, explained that the partnership demonstrates how circular systems can work at scale.

By securing a stable stream of post-consumer aluminium and integrating it into Novelis’ recycling and rolling system, the company increases recycled content and reduces CO₂e emissions in line with its Vision 3×30.

That vision targets increasing average recycled content to 75 percent, reducing emissions intensity to below 3 tonnes of CO₂e per tonne of flat‑rolled product shipped, and leading aluminium circularity through first‑mover investments by 2030.

Kjell Olav A. Maldum, CEO of Infinitum, noted that Novelis is a critical partner in closing the loop for beverage cans collected through Norway’s deposit system.

He emphasized that full transparency on volumes, quality, and lead times enables the operation of a stable, cost‑efficient system that delivers predictable, low‑carbon outcomes.

Norway’s Deposit System Sets the Global Benchmark

Infinitum’s deposit return system has consistently achieved return rates above 90 percent for aluminium cans and PET bottles. In 2024, 1.6 billion of the 1.7 billion bottles and cans sold in Norway were collected and reused, resulting in an energy saving of 350 million kWh.

A 2023 report from European Aluminium and Metal Packaging Europe shows the overall recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans across the EU, UK, Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland reached 76.3 percent, representing a GHG emission saving equivalent to 5.7 million tonnes of CO₂.

Long-Term Stability for a Circular Supply Chain

The renewed agreement provides long-term stability and creates opportunities to further improve logistics and reduce environmental impact within the Norwegian used beverage can sector.

For the packaging industry, this partnership demonstrates that closed-loop systems are not theoretical constructs but operational realities when deposit return infrastructure is paired with recycling capacity.

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