Nature and Mission
Italy’s National Aluminium Packaging Consortium
What is CIAL?
CIAL is Italy’s national non-profit consortium representing the commitment made by aluminium producers and aluminium packaging producers and users, as well as by enterprises concerned with collection and recycling of post-consumer aluminium, to search for solutions aimed at optimising packaging and collecting, recovering and recycling post-consumer aluminium packaging, reconciling the demands of the market with the need to protect the environment.
What the consortium does
One of the tasks of the Consortium is to ensure the recovery and recycling of post-consumer aluminium packaging from separate waste collection schemes organised by Italian municipalities: beverage cans, food tins and trays, aerosol cans, tubes, thin foil, caps and closures.
In recent years, thanks to increases in the quantities collected, these activities have made it possible to reach and exceed the objectives set by European regulations.
In fact, the results achieved to date in terms of separate waste collection, recycling and collection are especially positive, and have made Italy an example for all of Europe.
Recovery of aluminium packaging: what we do
CIAL operates within the packaging recovery system on the basis of on two important principles:
- “shared responsibility”
- “the polluter pays”
and carries out its activities throughout the country in close cooperation and coordination with other institutions and bodies:
- Conai (Italy’s national packaging consortium) and other national consortia concerned with the recycling of packaging
- the Ministries of the Environment and Economic Development
- trade associations at the national and European levels
The Consortium’s work is financed through:
- contributions paid by member companies for each kg of aluminium packaging released on the market, for use in the management, collection and recovery of this packaging
- income from recycling
Our goals
CIAL’s general goals are:
- promoting separate collection of post-consumer aluminium packaging
- reclamation of aluminium packaging waste, primarily through recycling
- monitoring of prevention initiatives aimed at limiting waste production
- In order to achieve goals for recycling, the CIAL Consortium enters into special agreements with Italian municipalities, or with companies delegated by them, to organise separate collection of aluminium packaging.
Collection costs are covered by payment of a pre-established fee, in line with the commitments undertaken by the CIAL Consortium under the framework agreement in place between the National Packaging Consortium (CONAI) and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).