South America’s largest country reached a recycling rate of 97.3% for aluminium beverage cans in 2024.

Figures from Brazil’s recycling agency Recicla Latas, as the country prepares to host the United Nations COP30 meeting, show a 15-year record of recycling rates above 95%.

Canmaking industry body Abralatas and Brazilian Aluminium Association (Abal) have validated the results with independent auditing and technical support.

Cátilo Cândido, executive president of Abralatas, commented: “The aluminum can is the most advanced example of large-scale circular economy in Brazil. In a year like 2025, with COP30 taking place in our country, this result shows that Brazil has real solutions to offer – backed by data, social impact, and environmental commitment. This is a collective achievement for the entire sector, built on dialogue, innovation, and responsibility.”

The industry-wide ‘commitment agreement’ in Brazil ensures the purchase of 100% of the scrap generated, providing an income for waste pickers and maintaining the social inclusion, and economic sustainability of the country’s aluminium can recycling model.

With the scrap value of aluminium at a high, the system ensures that the aluminium returns quickly to retailers in the form of new cans. The model includes cooperatives of waste pickers, multiple collection centres, recycling plants in all regions, and 25 canmaking plants.

Abralatas claimed its approach has prevented “the emission of more than 18 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and spared the extraction of 17 million tons of bauxite”.

Keen to push the sustainability message of metal’s recyclability, Abralatas also provided canned water at the G20 meeting of political leaders in 2024.