In 2024, Germany achieved an impressive recycling rate of 94.3 percent for tinplate utilized in private end consumption. Additionally, the total recycling rate for tinplate consumption peaked at 92.5 percent, maintaining a stable level of approximately 90 percent since 2006. These statistics stem from the latest annual recycling report released by the Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (gvm).
“Tinplate is one of the leading materials in terms of recyclability and the epitome of true circularity, as it can be recycled almost 100 percent, over and over again, without any loss of quality. This makes tinplate an important building block for a resource-efficient future,” stated Clarissa Odewald, CEO of thyssenkrupp Rasselstein GmbH, the sole manufacturer of tinplate in Germany. “A tinplate can, a twist-off closure, or a crown cork can be recycled after use into a new, high-quality steel product – for example, a wind turbine, a car component, a bicycle part, or even another can.” The inherent properties of tinplate allow it to be endlessly melted down and processed with pig iron from the blast furnace into crude steel, ultimately producing new steel products, thus closing the material cycle.
Moreover, a positive trend is evident: consumers are increasingly disposing of tinplate packaging properly in recycling bins. The 1.5 percentage point rise in recycling rates among private end consumers compared to the prior year indicates a growing awareness around responsible packaging disposal. “This is a very positive development for the environment and a way to conserve primary resources,” Odewald emphasized. “However, we must not rest on our laurels; we should continue to enhance the recycling rate.”
Since 2021, thyssenkrupp Rasselstein has been augmenting the efforts of dual systems by educating consumers on packaging materials and waste separation. Through its informative website https://www.weissblech-kommt-weiter.de and its Instagram channel, the company raises awareness about the correct disposal of tinplate packaging and the recycling of sustainable food and drink packaging.
thyssenkrupp Rasselstein also plays a crucial role in effectively closing the material cycle by ensuring the responsible recycling of packaging steel in Germany through its private sector return systems—DWR – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Weißblechrecycling mbH—and Kreislaufsystem Blechverpackungen Stahl GmbH for the commercial and industrial sectors.
