How do I calculate the carbon footprint of an aluminium beverage can?
Most of a can's footprint is its aluminium: multiply the can and end weight by the coil supplier's per-kg figure, then add forming, washing, coating and curing energy. Divide the plant's energy by cans made and name the recycled share.
Material
- Aluminium coil for the body and end.
- Inside lacquer and outside inks.
- Scrap returned to the coil supplier.
Process
- Cupping and body making.
- Washing, coating and curing ovens.
- Necking, testing and palletising.
Per can
Report per can by size. Recycled aluminium carries a much lower per-kg figure than primary metal.
Worked example: aluminium can unit per can (one month)
- Electricity: 200,000 kWh x 0.710 = 142,000 kg CO2
- PNG: 80,000 SCM x 2.05 = 164,000 kg CO2
- Cans produced: 20,000,000
- Plant total: 306,000 / 20,000,000 = 0.0153 kg CO2 per can
- Add aluminium for the full figure
Inputs are illustrative; use your own bills and production records.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.
Sources: GHG Protocol Product Standard, ISO 14067:2018, Carbon footprint of products (iso.org), IPCC 2006 Guidelines, Volume 2 Energy (fuel defaults), CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0
Last reviewed 2026-10-20.