07.04.2009

Environmentally sound CDL+ can end conquers the beverage can market

CO₂ saving through light-weighting of can end and can / Ball Receives Sustainability Reporting Award

Ratingen, 7th of April 2009 – New development on the European beverage can market: Earlier this year Coca-Cola for the first time converted a filling line for beverage cans at its Belgian site in Ghent to handle the so-called CDL+ can end from Ball Packaging Europe.

The CDL+ can end scores against the standard can end in respect of low material consumption and low weight. The original Coca-Cola brands in the new packaging will at first be sold through retailers in the Benelux countries. In addition, Ball Packaging Europe is continuing to work to reduce the can wall thickness in order to improve the environmental friendliness of the beverage can even further.

Two prominent business sustainability and accounting organizations – Ceres and The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) – announced on April 6 that Ball Corporation is a co-winner for the Best First Time Reporter category for sustainability reporting.

The conversion of the seamers for the CDL+ end went according to schedule at the Ghent site in Belgium. Coca-Cola is now for the first time able to sell its internationally popular soft drinks in cans with the lighter CDL+ end - at first in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Later in spring, a second Coca-Cola filling line in Marseilles is to be converted for the new environmentally friendly can end to supply the market in southern France.

"One of the biggest issues which industry will have to resolve in future is resource and energy efficiency", says Rob Miles, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Ball Packaging Europe. "The light-weight CDL+ can end therefore contributes significantly to a sustainable beverage can market."

Thanks to its low thickness, the CDL+ can end is able to boast material savings of up to ten percent compared to conventional can ends. This is achieved by using a smaller aluminium disk, the so-called blank. The environmentally friendly production of the CDL+ can end enhances the already excellent environmental properties of beverage cans. 

Resource-saving: Cans are becoming lighter

"Nowadays we require increasingly less steel and aluminium to package the same amount of beverages whilst still retaining our high quality standards.  For example, our 500 ml aluminium can now weighs 33 percent less than in the year 1995", explains Rob Miles. "Assuming that we are able to reduce the weight of our 500 ml aluminium can by a further 5 percent and in addition to that to also use the new CDL+ can end, we would be able to reduce the CO₂ emissions by around 285 tonnes based on an output of some 50 billion cans.“

Since September, the environmentally sound Ball CDL+ can end has been produced on a commercial scale at the Ball plant in Deeside, United Kingdom. The current capacity based on one can end press is 750 million can ends per year. The second can end press is scheduled to be commissioned in May 2009 - raising this year's capacity to around 1.1 billion. As from 2010, the can maker anticipates an annual production capacity of 1.5 billion can ends.

Cans are completely recyclable and may reappear on supermarket shelves again as a new product within 60 days. Beverage can recycling saves up to 95 percent of the energy which is required to produce virgin material. Consequently the CO₂ emissions are also reduced by up to 95 percent.

Ball Corporation Receives Sustainability Reporting Award

Ceres and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) have selected Ball Corporation [NYSE:BLL] as a co-winner for the Best First Time Reporter Award for sustainability reporting in the 2009 Ceres-ACCA North American Sustainability Awards. Ball is the first packaging and aerospace company to receive this distinction.

Ball published its first sustainability report in June 2008. The company received the award for its comprehensive approach to sustainability, demonstrated commitment to stakeholder engagement and the company’s strategy for producing sustainable packaging and supporting recycling. For more about the award, go to www.ceres.org/reportingawards.

 “Our sustainability report was an important step in our efforts to become a more sustainable enterprise,” said R. David Hoover, Ball’s chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Being selected to receive the Ceres-ACCA award confirms we are on the right track and further encourages us in our sustainability efforts.”
Ball will update stakeholders on the company’s progress in its next sustainability report, scheduled for release in May 2010.

Ball Packaging Europe

Ball Packaging Europe is one of the leading beverage can makers in Europe with 2,900 employees and twelve production sites in Germany, France, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Poland and Serbia. The company is a subsidiary of Ball Corporation which produces high-quality metal and plastic packaging for the beverage, food and household goods industries.  In addition Ball Corporation supplies aerospace technology and services, predominantly to the US-American government.  Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ more than 14,500 staff worldwide and in 2008 reported turnover of some 7.6 billion US Dollar.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key risks and uncertainties are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99.2 in our Form 10-K, which are available at our Web site and at www.sec.gov. Factors that might affect our packaging segments include fluctuation in product demand and preferences; availability and cost of raw materials; competitive packaging availability, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; crop yields; competitive activity; failure to achieve anticipated productivity improvements or production cost reductions, including our beverage can end project; mandatory deposit or other restrictive packaging laws; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or loss of a major customer or supplier; and changes in foreign exchange rates, tax rates and activities of foreign subsidiaries. Factors that might affect our aerospace segment include: funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts. Factors that might affect the company as a whole include those listed plus: accounting changes; changes in senior management; the current global credit squeeze and its effects on liquidity, credit risk, asset values and the economy; successful or unsuccessful acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures; integration of recently acquired businesses; regulatory action or laws including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including in respect of chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; governmental investigations; technological developments and innovations; goodwill impairment; antitrust, patent and other litigation; strikes; labor cost changes; rates of return projected and earned on assets of the company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and changes to unaudited results due to statutory audits or other effects.

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