Design, production & ethical issues

Design, production & ethical issues

Aluminium cans

Approximately 1 billion are produced in the USA each year. The first can was designed in 1958 by Kaiser Aluminium. This metal proved ideal as it was a lightweight, flexible material that allowed manufacturing of the bottom & sides of the can from a single sheet, leaving the top to be added after the can was filled.

The first cans were opened with a separate opener but this was inconvenient so Ermal Fraze designed a small lever attached to the can which was removed as the can was opened.

The design was workable but after a while it created an ethical dilemma:
The dilema was partly human and partly environmental although both are linked

So in 1976 Daniel F. Cudzik invented a simple, stay-attached opener of the sort familiar today.

As improvements were made in the design & production of aluminium cans, various  ethical problems arose concerning:

a.      Human safety: 

Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a chemical used in some hard plastics and the lining of some aluminum beverage cans, and the government is trying to determine whether BPA poses any health risks. In 2008, the FDA reported that food-related materials on the market that contained BPA were safe, but the Department of Health and Human Services is conducting additional tests to better evaluate any potential health risks from exposure to BPA.

Alzheimer's Disease

There's a myth that exposure to aluminum might increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Some people have worried over the years about using aluminum cans, pots and pans, and antacids and antiperspirants with aluminum. The theory developed in the 1960s and 1970s, but the Alzheimer's Association reports that there have been no studies since then to suggest that aluminum can cause Alzheimer's.

b.     Environmental pollution: From an environmental point of view, using aluminum cans instead of other materials can contribute to a safer environment because they are easily recycled. The Aluminum Association reports that in a world concerned about sustainability, "no other package can match aluminum's 60-day turnaround from used beverage container to new can." The industry group calls the aluminum can the "world's most sustainable package."

c.      Convenience:Drinks cans are a practical form of packaging, offering a durable and infinitely recyclable way for brands to store their products. But as the drinks can has evolved, it has become much more than this. Cans are now 360-degree billboards offering a direct way to promote a brand’s messaging to customers with eye-catching designs.

d.     Money:

• The aluminum can is the most valuable container to recycle and highest consumer recycling rate in the U.S.
• Each year, the aluminum industry pays out more than $800 million dollars for empty aluminum cans — that’s a lot of money that can go to organizations like Habitat for Humanity, the Boy or Girl Scouts of America or even a local school. Money earned from recycling cans helps people help themselves and their communities. Recycling helps build new homes, pays for a group trip, supports a project or buys a lunch!
• Today it is cheaper, faster and more energy-efficient to recycle aluminum than ever before. The aluminum can is 100 percent recyclable and can be recycled indefinitely. The can remains the most recyclable of all materials.
• Other types of aluminum, such as siding, gutters, car components, storm window frames and lawn furniture can also be recycled.
• Aluminum has a high market value and continues to provide an economic incentive to recycle. When aluminum cans are recycled curbside, they help pay for community services.