Check out our video on Belvac’s role in the cyclical recycling process of aluminum beverage cans.
Sustainability Efforts
Belvac’s sustainability efforts and technology reach far beyond the physical footprint of the organization.
Internally Belvac has developed an environmentally conscious approach to all its manufacturing efforts including high efficiency lighting and HVAC equipment in its plant, the reduction of lubricants and increased efficiencies in its machinery, and waste stream recycling.
Beyond these efficiencies Belvac machinery and manufacturing technologies lead the world in the reduction of aluminum usage in beverage containers making more cans and bottles with less metal while maintaining strength and durability. In addition to the reduction in overall global aluminum usage, Belvac’s light weighting efforts in aluminum beverage containers make them more affordable and in turn they displace more of the usage of PET and glass containers which have a significantly less successful recycling processes. Aluminum is 100% recyclable and has the highest recycling rates. A twelve ounce aluminum can also has approximately a 45% lower associated emissions then a twelve ounce glass bottle and a 49% lower associated emissions then a twenty ounce plastic bottle.
Belvac’s has been a leader in creating sustainability in the aluminum global beverage marketplace for over fifty years and today hundreds of billions of aluminum beverage containers are manufactured on Belvac machinery annually.
Belvac continues to makes every effort to maintain and improve our sustainability efforts. This includes but is not limited to the following;
Waste Stream Recycling – The majority of each of the below are collected and sent to a third party for reclamation:
• Scrap Steel (Carbon and Stainless)
• Steel Turnings
• Aluminum Cans/Preforms
• Carbide Steel
• Batteries
• Corrugate
• Flammable Solvents used in parts washers
• Wood Scrap (sometimes recycled and sometimes just disposal)
Energy reduction – Belvac continues to make efforts to reduce our energy consumption. This has included the following:
• A five-year effort to upgrade all of our HVAC equipment to higher SEER ratings as well as more environmentally friendly refrigerants. As a result, we currently have a very minimal number of units that remain upgradable at this time.
• There has been an ongoing lighting program that has allowed us to replace approximately 80 percent of our lighting with more energy efficient alternatives. This has included to replacement of incandescent, older florescent, and hi-bay metal halides with LED, and high efficiency florescent alternatives.