Brussels, 28 May 2024 – Committed to promoting a more sustainable future and encouraging positive change in attitudes and behaviours towards drink can recycling, Every Can Counts, a leading recycling not-for-profit, announces the fourth edition of the International Recycling Tour.
The dynamic awareness campaign, launched to celebrate World Environment Day, aims to highlight the importance of drink can recycling in saving valuable resources and mitigating climate change. Recycling just 1 tonne of aluminium can save 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions and preserve 4 tonnes of bauxite, the essential raw material for aluminium production.
Kicking off on June 5th, with activities spanning the upcoming weekend, this campaign will take place across 16 cities in Europe, Brazil, and the U.A.E. Dedicated recycling ambassadors, embodying the programme’s mission to promote the recycling of drink cans consumed outside the home, will don their backpacks and move through bustling cities, urban parks, popular beaches and festivals, inviting people to recycle their empty cans on the go.
In line with this year’s World Environment Day theme, which calls on everyone to become #GenerationRestoration, the International Recycling Tour 2024 also makes a bold visual statement with its PixelCan installations. Created from over 2,000 aluminium drink cans, these artworks spotlight four iconic animals—polar bear, tiger, sea turtle, and chimpanzee—that are endangered or vulnerable due to ecosystem degradation caused by human activities. Each participating city will display one of these at-risk animals, encouraging people to join the global restoration movement and share their photos on social media.
Nations taking part in the activities include Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
To keep global warming below 2°C and avoid its most harmful effects, we must slash greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half by 2030. According to the United Nations, halting and reversing the degradation of lands and oceans can prevent the loss of 1 million endangered species. Restoring just 15 percent of ecosystems in priority areas can reduce extinctions by 60 percent through improved habitats.
This urgent need for decarbonisation and reducing humanity’s environmental footprint aligns seamlessly with Every Can Counts’ mission. The programme operates in 21 countries, joining forces with drink brands, waste management companies, event organisers, and local authorities to empower individuals to make a difference through simple actions like recycling drink cans. In 2023 alone, Every Can Counts reached 183.5 million people worldwide, helping recycle over 55 million drink cans through event activations and partnerships.
“Our vision is to achieve 100% global drink can recycling! Every can recycled can be back on the shelf in 60 days, and campaigns like the International Recycling Tour bring us one step closer to this vision, demonstrating the power of collective action in creating a truly circular economy for the benefit of both people and nature,” says David Van Heuverswyn, Director of Every Can Counts Global.\
Full List of Locations:
Alcalá de Henares, Antwerp, Belgrade, Brest, Bristol, Bucharest, Budapest, Bydgoszcz, Catania, Dubai, Dublin, Kotor, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, The Hague, Thessaloniki
About Every Can Counts (ECC)
Established in 2009 in the U.K., the Every Can Counts initiative is the leading
programme to promote drink can recycling across the globe. It aims to inspire, encourage and empower consumers to make a difference by recycling their drink cans wherever they are – at home, at the office or anywhere on the go, from parks, festivals, and sporting events to schools and universities. Today, the initiative is present in 18 European countries, Brazil, the U.A.E. and the U.S.A.
For more information, please visit the International Recycling Tour webpage and follow the campaign on social media with the hashtag #IRT2024.
