These immersive events offered MetPac-SA members and stakeholders a rare behind-the-scenes look into how used aluminium packaging is reborn, reaffirming why metal remains one of the most sustainable packaging materials available.
At GeT Metal Group, guests were taken through the full recovery journey of a used beverage can – from post-consumer waste to a pristine aluminium ingot. Compacted and baled aluminium cans arrive at the facility and are densified before undergoing a high-temperature re-melting process exceeding 680°C. The result is high-purity ingots that are fed back into the manufacturing cycle, either as new beverage cans or other high-value aluminium products.
The event offered a comprehensive look at GeT Metal’s quality control systems, including a tour of the on-site metallurgical laboratory. Here, advanced analytical techniques ensure that each ingot meets exacting standards – an important reminder that aluminium can be recycled infinitely without loss in quality.
GeT Metal Group’s co-founder, Ebrahim Khan, delivered an impassioned presentation on the company’s technology investments and its commitment to a business model rooted in circularity. ‘Our mission goes beyond recycling,’ he explained. ‘It’s about redefining how we value resources and showing that sustainability and profitability are not mutually exclusive.’
Dr Kishan Singh, CEO of MetPac-SA, emphasised the importance of collaboration in achieving the nation’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) targets. ‘This event showcases what’s possible when the private sector drives innovation and aligns with national sustainability goals. GeT Metal Group is proof that circularity can be commercially viable and scalable.’
Hulamin’s metal appreciation
Later in the month, the focus shifted to KwaZulu-Natal, where aluminium supplier Hulamin hosted its own Metal Packaging Appreciation Day. This event brought together representatives from leading manufacturers and institutions, including Unilever, RCL Foods, Aerosol Canners, eThekwini Municipality and the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Attendees were given a front-row seat to Hulamin’s pioneering recycling and remelting operations. Over a decade ago, the company invested in a dual chamber recycling furnace of a UBC cleaning line. The UBC cleaning line was further upgraded in 2024 to improve its cleaning efficiency. Today, Hulamin boasts sub-Saharan Africa’s only closed-loop can-to-can recycling process – returning post-consumer cans to local beverage manufacturers for reuse as new cans.
The tour featured Hulamin’s UBC Cleaning Line (UBCCL), designed to remove contaminants like steel, plastic and sand from used cans using cutting-edge equipment such as eddy currents, air knives and magnets. Guests also observed the recycling furnace, which de-coats up to 200 tons of aluminium daily. A highlight was a demonstration of the liquid metal transfer vehicle (LMTV), which moves molten aluminium to the adjacent remelt facility. Here, the metal is formed into massive rolling slabs – over 12 tons each – which are used to produce new aluminium products.
Riccardo Benedetti, a board member of MetPac-SA and metals procurement manager at Hulamin, provided insights into the company’s sustainability journey. He underscored how global best practices have been embedded into every level of Hulamin’s operations, ensuring its leadership in responsible aluminium production.
Kishan closed both events by reinforcing MetPac-SA’s vision for a thriving circular economy. He assured members and stakeholders that the organisation is not only committed to meeting legislated EPR targets but also to fostering long-term impact by supporting infrastructure and partnerships that scale meaningful recycling solutions.
This event showcases what’s possible when the private sector drives innovation and aligns with national sustainability goals.”
Together, these events provided a tangible and inspiring look at aluminium’s life cycle, from discarded can to valuable raw material. As South Africa continues to refine its approach to waste management and producer responsibility, initiatives like these showcase what’s possible when innovation, infrastructure and collaboration converge. With partners like GeT Metal Group and Hulamin, MetPac-SA is turning talk into tangible impact – one aluminium can at a time.
