German tinplate maker thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has started addressing consumers to inform them about the recyclability and sustainability of tinplate.
“Unfortunately, consumer knowledge about the excellent recycling properties of tinplate is still too low,” says Carmen Tschage, market development head at tk Rasselstein.
A representative survey by YouGov commissioned by the company showed that consumers think the recycling rate of tinplate is only 55%, while the actual figure of 91% is significantly higher. “Just a few years ago, public interest in sustainability issues was very restrained. But that has changed since Greta Thunberg and ‘Fridays for Future’ appeared on the scene,” Tschage says.
The survey also showed that when faced with a choice between two identical products with identical prices, 62% of consumers would prefer tinplate packaging, and only 14% would opt for plastic packaging. Motivated by the media coverage of the plastic waste problem in the world’s oceans, 67% of all consumers stated that they want to buy less or no more products in plastic packaging.
The articles on the firm’s purpose-built “www.weissblech-kommt-weiter.de” website highlight the ability of tinplate to be recycled multiple times, the closed material cycle of steel, and explain how tinplate is produced, Kallanish learns from the company.
Christian Koehl Germany
