PreZero Pyral GmbH, headquartered in Saxony, Germany, is one of the largest aluminium recyclers in Europe and has been working on solutions for closed-loop recycling for more than 15 years.

With a market share of 60%, PreZero Pyral is the market and technology leader for lightweight aluminium packaging in Germany.

Around 3,000 tons of waste containing aluminium from the German yellow bag end up at the recycling plant in Freiberg, Saxony, every month.

This includes empty deodorant and hairspray cans! PreZero Pyral’s mission – to put them back into circulation and provide consumers with sustainable packaging made from at least 25% recycled aluminium. This innovative recovery of valuable materials is made possible by the combination of unique plant technology.

In PreZero Pyral’s pyrolysis plant, the scrap is thermally freed from organic and other impurities and the valuable aluminium is recovered true to alloy.  This process is not only innovative, but also unique, because only aluminium that has been recycled true to alloy can be properly fed back into the cycle.

The process is independently certified and the origin of the aluminium from the German packaging collection system (yellow bag) is confirmed. The end product: 100% Ecoloop certified post-consumer recycled aluminium, which is used to make a wide variety of new product packaging. In short, a new aerosol can is created from an aerosol can.

Aluminium can be recycled almost infinitely and is 95% more efficient than conventional production, making it a climate-friendly alternative with great potential.

PreZero Pyral and a strong industry partner plan to increase the input material of a recycled product from 25% to up to 60% PCR aluminium.

Interest from manufacturers is growing, so it is certain that PCR aluminium will soon be found in numerous other product packaging.