--- title: "Craft Brewers to Aluminum Association: Yes, We Can" id: "28577" type: "post" slug: "craft-brewers-to-aluminum-association-yes-we-can" published_at: "2015-05-26T18:12:22+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:51:36+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/05/26/craft-brewers-to-aluminum-association-yes-we-can/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/05/26/craft-brewers-to-aluminum-association-yes-we-can.md" excerpt: "The Aluminum Association has been making the case for more canned beverages—which can be recycled more effectively than either plastic or glass bottles—and it has one taker so far: craft brewers." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "brewery" - "Business" - "Environment and Sustainability" - "recycling" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Craft Brewers to Aluminum Association: Yes, We Can Canned beer has long been associated with poor quality. But that reputation is shifting, thanks largely to craft brewers. A can of beer “just looks cool to me,” Jeff Hancock, president of Washington, DC, brewery DC Brau, [told The Washington Times last week (opens in a new tab)](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/19/american-craft-beer-breweries-shift-to-cans-eschew/) . “Nothing against glass, but I think a can looks much cooler.” But the new take on canned beer goes beyond the cool factor: Aluminum cans also keep beer cold, preserve quality longer than glass, and protect taste. And aluminum cans are infinitely recyclable and super green. That’s a message the Aluminum Association has been pushing for a while now. A recent op-ed in *The Hill* by the association’s communications director, Matt Meenan, notes that microbreweries are [increasingly getting in on the canning action (opens in a new tab)](http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/238787-beer-may-be-path-to-bipartisan-consensus) , as more than 500 American breweries are canning almost 2,000 brews. Association President and CEO Heidi Brock says the green factor is huge. “Aluminum cans are recycled more readily and more frequently than any other beverage packaging type—period,” [Brock said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aluminum-can-recycling-holds-at-historically-high-levels-276926651.html) . She isn’t kidding: The group estimated that in 2013, 66.7 percent of all cans were recycled, and much of this material made its way into other cans. Meenan notes that aluminum cans are made of 70 percent recycled material, far higher than the percentage for glass (23 percent) and plastic (3 percent). Making aluminum cans from recycled aluminum is also cost-effective; it uses 8 percent of the energy of making cans from new aluminum. “We like to think of it as recycling is really brought to you by aluminum in a lot of respects,” Meenan told the *Times*. “Research has shown [that a recycled aluminum can] can be basically back on the shelf as a new can in 60 days.” Those benefits are bringing change in the brewing world: 55 percent of all beers are canned, up from 50 percent five years ago, [according to Meenan, writing in The Hill (opens in a new tab)](http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/238787-beer-may-be-path-to-bipartisan-consensus) . That growth came at the expense of glass-bottled beers, which fell from 40 to 35 percent. “We think canners across the country are seeing the benefits of canning for its sustainability, its versatility, and also its taste-protection properties,” Meenan added in his comments to the *Times*. “So they’re moving to cans, and we love to see it.” (iStock/Thinkstock) [Patrick deHahn](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-dehahn/) Patrick deHahn is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/patrick-dehahn/) Tags: [#brewery](https://associationsnow.com/tag/brewery/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Environment and Sustainability](https://associationsnow.com/tag/environment-and-sustainability/) [#recycling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/recycling/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [PodcastSustainable Events: How Associations and DMOs Are Leading the ChargeMarch 31, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/03/31/sustainable-events-how-associations-and-dmos-are-leading-the-charge/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F05%2F26%2Fcraft-brewers-to-aluminum-association-yes-we-can%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !