Following the March, 2022 decision to divest from the Russian market, Ball Corporation announced that it has completed the sale of its beverage packaging business in Russia to Arnest Group for USD 530 million. The purchaser, Arnest Group, has acquired all of Ball Corporation’s Russian-based business.
“This decision is the result of many months of consideration, delivering a solution that best secures the future of Ball’s colleagues and assets in Russia. We believe this is a sound outcome for Ball in these geo-political circumstances,” said Dan Fisher, president and CEO Ball Corporation.
Arnest is the largest manufacturer of perfume, cosmetic and household products in aerosol packaging in Russia and Ball’s Aluminum Aerosol division has had the opportunity to work with the world class team at Arnest in the past. The closing of this transaction is not subject to any conditions, and all required approvals have been obtained. The sale is not expected to impact Ball’s businesses outside of Russia.
Ball Corporation announced today plans to build a new U.S. aluminum beverage packaging plant in North Las Vegas, Nevada. The multi-line plant is scheduled to begin production in late 2022 and is expected to create nearly 180 manufacturing jobs when fully operational.
“Our new North Las Vegas plant is Ball’s latest investment to serve accelerating demand for our portfolio of infinitely recyclable aluminum containers,” said Kathleen Pitre, president, Ball beverage packaging North & Central America. “The new plant is supported by numerous long-duration contracts for committed volume with our strategic global partners and regional customers and will enable us to serve customer and consumer needs for more sustainable aluminum beverage packaging while furthering our Drive for 10 vision.”
Ball plans to invest nearly $290 million in its North Las Vegas facility over multiple years. The plant will supply a range of innovative can sizes to a variety of beverage customers. Infinitely recyclable and economically valuable, aluminum cans, bottles and cups enable a truly circular economy in which materials can be and actually are used again and again. In fact, 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use today.
Ball chose the North Las Vegas location for its new facility due to its proximity to customer can-filling investments, increasing regional demand, the infrastructure in place, the regional labor base and the cooperation of state and local officials.
Ball Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of infinitely recyclable aluminium beverage packaging, is planning to significantly increase its manufacturing capacity, with new cutting-edge facilities in the UK and Russia.
With an increasing consumer call for more sustainable purchasing options and a growing number of new brands and beverage categories choosing cans, demand for aluminium packaging is rapidly expanding around the world. Each facility would produce, from 2023, billions of cans a year across a range of formats and sizes, and provide up to 200 skilled jobs in a fast-growing but stable sector.
In the UK, Ball has identified a site at the SEGRO Park Kettering Gateway, an established industrial development in Northamptonshire. Ball has submitted its formal application to North Northamptonshire Council and anticipates breaking ground during 2021, following a period of public consultation.
The planned Kettering plant will represent Ball’s third beverage can manufacturing facility in the UK, adding capacity to its established plants in Milton Keynes and Wakefield. The plant will supply cans for domestic customers in a growing range of categories, which now includes hard seltzers, wines, ready to drink cocktails, together with pure and enhanced water brands.
To serve the fast growing Russian market, especially in the beer and energy drinks categories, Ball is planning to build a plant in Ulyanovsk in Western Russia. Ball Beverage Packaging Naro-Fominsk has signed a cooperation agreement for its construction with the Ulyanovsk Regional Government, who in June also awarded the development ‘Highly Significant Investment Project’ status.
The Ulynavosk plant will take the total in Russia to four, with established manufacturing facilities in Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Region; Vesvolozhsk, St. Petersburg Region; and Argayash, Chelyabinsk Region.
Ball Corporation announced that it has executed two virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) in Europe – one for the Corral Nuevo project with wpd and one for the Brattmyrliden project with Falck Renewables – for a total of 93.4 megawatts (MW) of additional wind energy. These agreements are a testament to Ball’s long-term commitment to achieve and maintain 100 % renewable energy in Europe and will allow the company to address approximately 63 % of the European electricity load utilized in its aluminum beverage packaging plants (excluding Russia) with new renewable energy.
The wind developments in Spain and Sweden will collectively enable Ball to reduce its Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions generated in Europe by approximately 60 % compared to 2019 – equivalent to the carbon reduction that would be provided by removing more than 47,000 passenger vehicles from the road annually. Ball’s commitment is to address 100 % of its electricity footprint in the region with clean power. The company’s regional strategy is to pursue PPAs when and where they are available and attractive. To the extent Ball has not achieved 100 % clean energy in the region through PPAs, the company is purchasing Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). It recently announced the purchase of EACs to fully cover its operations in the European Union, Serbia and the UK through 2020.
“These milestone renewable energy deals in Europe affirm Ball’s steadfast commitment to reduce absolute carbon emissions within our operations and through our value chain,” said Kathleen Pitre, chief commercial and sustainability officer. “Both projects will allow us to address a substantial portion of our European electricity use with new wind energy and accelerate progress toward our recently approved science-based targets.”
In 2019, Ball was one of the top ten corporate renewable energy buyers in the United States. Last April, the company announced it had executed a wind and a solar VPPA for 388 MW of new renewable energy to address 100 % of its North American electricity load by 2021.
The VPPAs in Spain and Sweden demonstrate Ball’s industry-leading efforts to quickly expand on its renewable energy successes in North America as a major force driving new clean energy growth in global markets. Scheduled to come online in 2021, Ball’s share of the Corral Nuevo and Brattmyrliden wind projects will generate nearly 308,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of renewable electricity in Europe each year—equivalent to the electricity load of approximately 10 Ball beverage packaging plants.
Ball is the first company in the can making industry to adopt approved science-based targets, which seek to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. By 2030, the company aims to reduce absolute carbon emissions within its own global operations by 55 % and within its value chain by 16 % against a 2017 baseline.
The company recently achieved another first for global can manufacturers by earning Aluminum Stewardship Initiative Certification for all 23 of its EMEA beverage plants.
Ball Corporation announced that it has earned the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) certification for all 23 of its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) beverage can plants. This accomplishment is a major sustainability milestone for the company and Ball is the first beverage can manufacturer to meet ASI’s environmental, social and governance principles.
The certification accompanies a commitment to significant carbon reductions by Ball, which is now covering all of its operations in the European Union, Serbia and the UK with renewable energy. Ball previously announced agreements for 100 % renewable energy covering all of its North America operations by 2021.
“We’re extremely proud to be the first aluminium beverage can manufacturer to achieve ASI certification,” said Ron Lewis, President, Ball Beverage Packaging, EMEA. “With their infinite recyclability, aluminium cans are the fastest growing beverage packaging type in Europe. As consumers seek more environmentally friendly products, they can have confidence in aluminium’s strong sustainability credentials such as responsible sourcing. The certification, combined with our renewable energy investments, demonstrates Ball’s commitment to a low-carbon, sustainable economy.”
ASI is a multi-stakeholder initiative that provides assurance of responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium throughout its value chain. As consumers demand greater sustainability across packaged goods, the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative’s scheme aims to do for aluminium what the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) did for paper and wood, making sustainability performance a mainstream, visible issue.
Ball has achieved both ASI’s Performance, and Chain of Custody (CoC) Standard certifications.
The ASI Performance Standard is a measure of how much effort Ball is making across its plants to assess, manage and disclose its environmental, social and governance impacts. These include issues such as life-cycle thinking, recycling, greenhouse gas emissions, water and waste management, biodiversity, business integrity and the human rights of both workers and local communities.
The ASI CoC Standard sets out requirements for the creation of a Chain of Custody for material that is produced and processed through the value chain. In Ball’s case, it links verified practices – certified under the ASI Performance Standard – from mining and remelting to casting, rolling, can manufacturing and filling.
“We’re responding to a greater desire from consumers, across Europe and around the world, for genuinely sustainable and infinitely recyclable packaging solutions,” said Kathleen Pitre, Chief Commercial and Sustainability Officer, Ball Corporation. “We’re working closely with our beverage customers to help them deliver on their sustainability commitments including on responsible sourcing practices. Ball is proud of our achievements in getting certified.”
“We are very pleased to award ASI Certification to, Ball Corporation, the world’s largest aluminium can maker and the first in its sector to have achieved this,” said Dr. Fiona Solomon, Chief Executive Officer, Aluminium Stewardship Initiative. “The ASI’s Performance Standard covers critical issues for the entire aluminium value chain. The programme is focused on responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of this important industrial metal. ASI Certification enables the aluminium industry to demonstrate responsibility and provide independent and credible assurance of performance. Supply-chain certification programs like ASI are becoming increasingly important for customers and stakeholders, who seek assurance that companies’ sustainability practices are genuine.”
With 75 % of aluminium ever produced still in use today around the world, the metal has a vital role to play in creating a truly circular economy. Ball is taking a lead on industry efforts to significantly increase the European recycling rate of aluminium beverage cans, currently at 75 %. Recycling aluminium saves 95 % of the energy required for the production of virgin aluminium, and so helps the global community to meet urgent carbon reduction targets.
Ball Corporation launches infinitely recyclable aluminum bottle line
Ball Corporation is launching a new impact extruded aluminium bottle line that provides a circular solution to plastic pollution. In the hands of our sustainability, innovation and product design experts, aluminum is taking shape as a new bottle – the Infinity™ Aluminum Bottle – that is designed to be made again. Available in various shapes and sizes, this impact extruded aluminum bottle can be customized for numerous food and beverage products. Unlike other substrates in these categories, such as plastic shampoo bottles or jars for cosmetics, Ball’s aluminium bottles are infinitely recyclable, and can be turned into other aluminum products over and over again.
“Plastic waste that ends up in the natural environment has led to more public discussion about packaging, its life cycle and recyclability,” said Jason Galley, director of innovation and sustainability, Ball Corporation. “Consumers are demanding more environmentally friendly solutions for packaging their everyday products. We combined our product design and sustainable aluminium packaging expertise to develop another truly circular packaging solution – the Infinity™ Aluminum Bottle.”
Ball’s new impact extruded product line is suitable for packaging almost any liquid. The innovative aluminum bottles are available in a range of sizes and formats, and are customizable for various products. Ideal categories for the Infinity™ Bottles include shampoos and conditioners, soaps, body creams, spirits, energy shots, yogurt, dressings, syrups, condiments and more. The bottles are available with a re-closable threaded cap that allows consumers to twist the top on and off.
An infinitely recyclable package
The Infinity™ Aluminum Bottle line features all of the sustainability credentials of aluminum. Like Ball’s aluminum beverage cans, cups and Alumi-Tek® bottles, the impact extruded aluminum bottle is monomaterial – it consists of only one material and can be easily sorted and recycled. In fact, aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times without losing quality. Aluminum also retains its value throughout the recycling process, so it can be kept in circulation indefinitely without becoming waste and ending up in the ocean or in landfills. In fact, 75 percent of aluminum ever produced (since 1888) is still in use today.1 After use, an aluminum bottle can be recycled and returned as a new packaging format in just 60 days. It can also be recycled to take on a new life as another aluminum product, such as consumer electronics or a bicycle. Other substrates achieve much lower recycling rates and, if recycled, are in many cases down-cycled and eventually become waste.
Lightweight product with endless branding options
In addition to strong recycling credentials, aluminum bottles have a number of other advantages that help improve resource efficiency and enable circularity. For example, aluminum is lightweight, which saves energy in transportation. Once bottles are ready for design, they can be branded without the use of sleeves or labels. Even the most creative and complex designs can be printed on aluminum using the full circumference of the bottle. Ball’s innovative high-definition printing and graphic design technologies such as Eyeris® HD printing, UV light reactive ink, Matte & Gloss, or Tactile printing help
1Source: The Aluminum Association
Ball Corporation published its sixth biennial sustainability report, covering calendar years 2016 and 2017, which details how it addresses systemic challenges in the areas of circular economy, climate change, water stewardship and responsible sourcing, as well as its bold new science-based greenhouse gas emission reduction target.
Commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
In line with the level of decarbonization required to keep the average global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial temperatures, Ball is committing to reduce its absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 27 percent by 2030 compared to a 2017 baseline. Per million dollars of value added, this equates to a 58 percent reduction of our carbon intensity over the same period. Additionally, Ball strives to reduce GHG emissions across the value chain – from mining, refining, smelting, casting and rolling, to its manufacturing, logistics and end-of-life recycling – by 25 percent by 2030.
To achieve these targets, the company will follow a three-pronged approach: increase efficiency by saving energy and materials; grow renewables through the purchase of renewable energy; and cut embedded carbon by working with partners to reduce upstream impacts.
In addition to establishing its greenhouse gas reduction target, Ball also achieved a number of sustainability accomplishments during the reporting period:
- Reused or recycled 64 percent of the total waste generated, and 39 of its 88 packaging manufacturing plants worldwide achieved zero waste to landfill status by year-end 2017.
- Constructed state-of-the-art, sustainable beverage can manufacturing plants in Goodyear, Arizona, and Madrid, Spain.
- Saved approximately 34 million kilowatt hours of electricity and 4 million watt hours of natural gas, resulting in 9900 metric tons less of GHG emissions.
- Launched STARcan, a next-generation beverage can. If we were to switch our entire production volume of 33-centiliter and 12-ounce standard cans to the STAR format with a weight well below 10 grams, we would save approximately 30,000 metric tons of metal, or the equivalent to nearly 200,000 metric tons of GHG emissions.
- Reduced aluminum usage in our beverage and aluminum aerosol packaging businesses by 7,700 metric tons in 2017, which equates to saving 58,000 metric tons of GHG emissions, or the emissions of 12,400 U.S. passenger vehicles per year.
- Employees contributed more than 38,000 volunteer hours and donated $5 million in charitable donations in partnership with The Ball Foundation, as well as in-kind product donations for disaster relief, employee donations and the corporate match.
To download the 2018 sustainability report, please visit www.ball.com/sustainability-reports.
