Why aren't all "aluminium bottles" sustainable? ​ 

 

Every "aluminium bottle" is light & recyclable, but only 100% recycled aluminium is a low environmental impact solution.

 

Virgin aluminium has an incredibly high impact on the planet:

 

• Every tonne of virgin aluminium creates 4 tonnes of 'bauxite tailings', a toxic waste by-product known as Red Mud​​​, a severe threat to wildlife and ecosystems, with a long record of hazardous ecological damage poisoning the land and ecosystem

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• Bauxite ore mining destroys biodiverse habitats like rainforests, creating high demand for water in water stressed areas

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• Virgin aluminium requires huge amounts of energy to manufacture, with between 20-50 times the CO2 emissions of European 100% recycled aluminium (according to ALUPRO)

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• ​100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminium is a sustainable choice of material, virgin aluminium is not.

 

• If companies don't say whether it's 100% recycled or not, then it almost certainly isn't.

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 FAQ's about 100% recycled aluminium

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Where are alumini® bottles made?

Our alumini® bottles are produced by our European manufacturing partner, with each batch fully traceable back to its European 100% post-consumer recycled aluminium origins. They're made in a factory powered entirely by renewable energy, then imported into the UK for filling by our British brand partners.

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What is 100% post-consumer recycled aluminium?

It’s aluminium recycled from used consumer products that have reached the end of their lifecycle.

Reusing existing aluminium reduces the need for virgin raw material extraction, supports a circular economy and significantly lowers carbon emissions. Independent Carbon Cloud data (Feb 2026) states, recycled aluminium generates just 0.32kg CO2e/kg during production of the ingot (the block of material from which the slug and then bottle is made). This compares to 5.63kg CO2e/kg for virgin aluminium and around 1.25 CO2e/kg for glass.

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Why use 100% post-consumer recycled aluminium?

"Researchers at Southampton University ranked the environmental footprint of recycled aluminium against both new and recycled glass, and against plastic bottles, and found it consistently had the best environmental credentials. Virgin glass was consistently the most harmful" (The Guardian, 2026)

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Recycled aluminium requires far less energy to produce than virgin aluminium and generates around 95% lower CO2 emissions. Unlike plastic, aluminium can be recycled repeatedly without losing quality. It’s also lightweight, durable and efficient to transport, reducing emissions across the supply chain.

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Virgin aluminium production is highly energy intensive and creates significant environmental damage and toxic waste, making 100% post-consumer recycled aluminium the lowest-impact material choice available for miniature bottles today.

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Independent Carbon Cloud live data (prepared in accordance with ISO 14067 and GHG protocol Product Life Cycle Accounting and Reporting Standard) shows European 100% recycled aluminium generates 0.32kg CO2e / KG. Chinese virgin aluminium generates 16.4kg CO2e/kg, and glass is around 1.5kg CO2e/kg depending on recycled content. 2023 data from plastics producers like ALPLA states the carbon footprint of rPET in Europe is 0.68kg CO2e/KG, with virgin PET about 2kg CO2e/KG

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Is the alumini® bottle recyclable?

Yes — the bottle is fully recyclable through household recycling.

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Aluminium is one of the world’s most widely recycled materials, with UK aluminium beverage recycling rates reaching 81% in 2023. Please recycle your bottle.

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Is the alumini® bottle reusable?

We don't recommend refilling them with spirits, as the special tamper proof caps required for spirits need machine fitting to remain watertight and may well leak if reapplied manually. 

 

The beautifully designed bottles can be reused or repurposed for storing other things (coffee or sugar when you go camping or to an airbnb) and used creatively for display as most people say they look too good just to chuck in the recycling bin!

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Is the alumini® bottle plastic free?

No. Less than 1% of the bottle consists of a BPA-free, food-safe internal coating that is polyester based - it's not an epoxy resin coating. As 99% plastic-free is not the same as 100% plastic free, we make no such claims.

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What about the alumini® coating?

The internal coating prevents corrosion and protects against any migration into the liquid.  It's a food grade, BPA-free polyster-based coating containing no epoxy resin or novolac resin.

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The coating is microscopically thin 0 thinner than a human hair - and does not affect recyclability, as it burns away during the aluminium recycling process. We have run 'migration tests' in laboratories recording no interaction between the  liquid and coating, nor any physical erosion of a coating that is manufacturer warrantied.

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The coating does not alter the taste  and - unlike glass and PET which both allow light and heat through translucent material to impact the liquid temperature or colour when stored - the opaque aluminium prevents light and heat reacting with the liquid, keeping cool in even very warm room temperatures. Pick one up on a hot summer's day and you'll see what we mean.

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High ABV% has no impact at all on the coating properties, any remote risk potential on the coating would be posed by highly aggressive PH and highly acidic liquids with corrosive properties.

 

It's worth noting that these coatings are nothing new, and have been used in canned fizzy drinks (very highly acidic - just think what they do to your teeth!) , beer (more acidic than spirits) and foods for many decades - coca cola (PH c 2.5) has been consumed in aluminium cans since the 1967. Beer (Ph's generally 4 - 4.5) were first introduced in aluminium cans in the US in 1958..

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Most spirits PH sit between neutral to very mildly acidic, with gin and vodka generally having a PH of between 6 and 7. Even aged spirits - where the breakdown of wood tannins from barrels creates gallic acid that leaches into the liquid during the ageing process to create more acidity and enhanced taste profiles - have a PH of about 4-4.5 so the PH same as beer that's widely drunk from aluminium cans for about 70 years.