75% recycling rate + 95% energy saving: Aluminum collapsible tube
When a used plastic skincare tube is thrown into the trash can, it takes at least 450 years for it to degrade in the natural environment. If EBI Aluminum collapsible tube are used instead, not only can they enter the recycling system within a few months, but also 95% of energy consumption can be reduced through recycling.
When the personal care industry’s “plastic reduction” efforts are caught in a dilemma where “environmental protection and practicality are hard to balance”, EBI’s aluminum foldable tube is redefining the sustainable value of packaging with data and design implementation.
First, let’s take a look at a set of “mind-blowing” environmental protection data: Why can aluminum become the “ideal alternative” to plastic?
When it comes to environmentally friendly packaging, most people first think of paper or glass. However, the sustainable advantages of aluminum materials have long been proven to be “overwhelming” through global data – this is also the core reason why EBI chose aluminum as the base material for its foldable tubes.
1. Recycling rate: 75% vs less than 10%. The “recycling talent” of aluminum far exceeds that of plastic
The global average recycling rate of aluminium cans has reached 75%, which is more than seven times that of plastic packaging (less than 10%). More importantly, aluminum foldable tubes in the personal care field do not require complex pretreatment: even if there is a small amount of paste remaining inside the tube, it can be directly integrated into the existing aluminum recycling process without being sorted out and removed like plastic tubes due to being “difficult to clean”. According to the data from EBI Laboratory, the actual recycling rate of its aluminum foldable tubes can reach 72%, approaching the global average level of aluminum recycling and far exceeding the actual recycling rate of 3% to 5% for plastic hoses.
2. Energy consumption: 95% saved, the “low-carbon code” of recycled aluminum
The recycling process of aluminium consumes only 95% of the energy used in the production of primary aluminium. Specifically, Producing one ton of primary aluminum consumes approximately 17,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, while recycling one ton of aluminum only requires 850 kilowatt-hours. This is equivalent to reducing about 9.2 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions for each aluminum foldable tube. This means that if a certain brand uses one million EBI aluminum foldable tubes annually, It can reduce 920 tons of carbon emissions in a year, equivalent to the carbon sequestration effect of planting 41,000 trees.
3. Recyclability: “Infinite regeneration” vs. “getting worse with use”, the material advantage of aluminum is irreversible
Each time plastic is recycled, its material strength drops by 20% to 30%, and it usually can only be downgraded for use (such as changing from packaging to plastic baskets). Aluminum can be recycled an infinite number of times, and the material properties after recycling are exactly the same as those of primary aluminum. After being scrapped, EBI’s aluminum foldable tubes can be remelted into new aluminum tubes, cans or other aluminum products, truly achieving “zero waste of resources” and breaking the closed loop of plastic packaging where “one-time use leads to permanent pollution”.
Second, More than just “environmentally friendly materials” : How does foldable Design “Upgrade” Energy-saving advantages?
The environmental value of EBI aluminum foldable tubes does not solely rely on the aluminum material itself. Instead, through the core design of “foldability”, sustainability is implemented throughout the entire usage cycle from two dimensions: “reducing waste” and “lowering energy consumption”.
1. Reduce product waste: The folding structure makes “every drop utilized”
Due to the insufficient rigidity of the material, traditional plastic hoses are prone to the problem of “deformation of the tube body but residue of paste” in the later stage of use, with an average residue of about 5% to 8%. The EBI aluminum foldable tube is made of thin aluminum material and can be gradually folded as the paste is used. The residual amount inside the tube can be controlled within 1%. For a 50g skincare product, plastic tubes may waste 2.5-4g, while aluminum foldable tubes only waste 0.5g. This not only reduces the economic loss of consumers but also indirectly lowers energy consumption from the perspective of “reducing product production” (about 8,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity are needed to produce one ton of skincare products).
2. Reduce transportation energy consumption: The “invisible Energy Saving” of lightweight design
The density of aluminium is approximately 2.7g/cm³, which is higher than that of plastic (about 0.9g/cm³). However, through a thinning process, the weight of a single EBI aluminium foldable tube is only 1.2 times that of a plastic hose of the same capacity. Moreover, after folding, its volume can be compressed to one-third of the original volume, significantly increasing the transportation loading capacity. Data shows that when transporting the same 100,000 packages, the number of trips for EBI aluminum foldable tubes is 40% less than that for plastic tubes. Just in the transportation process, about 35% of fuel consumption and carbon emissions can be saved.
3. Plastic-free design: Cutting off the “plastic Pollution chain” from the source
The EBI aluminum foldable tube uses zero plastic throughout the process: The tube body is made of pure aluminum, and the bottle cap is made of aluminum or degradable resin, completely avoiding plastic components such as plastic bottle caps and plastic sealing films that are often overlooked. Compared with traditional plastic hoses (tube body + plastic cap + plastic sealing film), each hose can reduce plastic consumption by about 3-5g. If the annual production capacity is 10 million hoses, it can reduce plastic usage by 30-50 tons per year, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 150-250 tons (about 5 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent are needed to produce 1 ton of plastic).
The Art of Control: Semi-Automatic Production Lines
Iii. From “Packaging Environmental Protection” to “Ecological Environmental Protection” : How Can EBI’s “Recycling – Reduction – Reuse” System Be Implemented?
EBI’s environmental protection planning for aluminum foldable tubes does not stop at “the product itself”, but has established a three-dimensional sustainable system of “recycling – reduction – reuse”, transforming the environmental protection and energy-saving advantages of aluminum packaging from “single-point breakthrough” to “system closed loop”.
1. Recycling end: Connect the link of “consumer – brand – recycling enterprise”
EBI provides its partner brands with an “Aluminum Packaging Recycling Guide”, instructing consumers to put used aluminum foldable tubes into regular metal recycling bins. At the same time, we cooperate with over 20 aluminum recycling enterprises across the country to ensure that the recycled aluminum tubes can quickly enter the regeneration process, avoiding waste caused by “unclear recycling channels”. At present, the aluminum tube recycling rate of EBI’s cooperative brands has reached 65%, far exceeding the industry average.
2. Reduction end: Reduce “hidden energy consumption” throughout the entire process
In the production process, EBI uses 100% recycled aluminum to make foldable tubes, reducing the high energy consumption in the mining and smelting of primary aluminum. In the printing process, water-based environmentally friendly inks are used to avoid the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emissions from solvent-based inks. In the packaging process, biodegradable pulp molded pallets are used to replace traditional plastic pallets. Throughout the entire process, for every 10,000 aluminum foldable tubes produced, approximately 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption is reduced compared to the production of plastic flexible tubes of the same capacity.
3. Reuse end: Reserve space for the “refill Mode”
EBI has initiated the research and development of “refill” aluminum foldable tubes and plans to launch an aluminum tube design that can be repeatedly opened and refilled multiple times. In the future, when consumers purchase skin care products, they can only buy bagged replenishment liquid and inject it into the existing aluminum foldable tubes for reuse. It is expected that this will reduce the packaging production demand by 70%, further enhancing the energy-saving and environmental protection value of aluminum packaging.
Iv. The “Industry Significance” of Aluminum Foldable Tubes: Not Just a product, but a new path for “reducing plastic use”
While the personal care industry is still struggling with the “high cost” and “poor experience” of “plastic substitution”, the emergence of EBI aluminum foldable tubes proves that “environmental protection”, “practicality” and “economy” can coexist It responds to environmental protection demands with a 75% recycling rate and a 95% energy-saving advantage, addresses usage pain points with a foldable design, and controls production costs with 15 years of experience in aluminum packaging research and development.
For brands, choosing EBI aluminum foldable tubes is not merely about selecting a packaging, but also about choosing a “sustainable brand proposition” – the fact that two-thirds of consumers will enhance their favorability towards a brand due to eco-friendly packaging has become a consensus in the industry. For the entire industry, the value of EBI aluminum foldable tubes lies in providing a “replicable plastic reduction solution” : it proves that there is no need to rely on “niche and expensive” eco-friendly materials. Through “conventional materials + innovative design”, a sustainable transformation of packaging can be achieved.
Perhaps in the near future, when we open the bathroom cabinet, what we see will no longer be piles of plastic tubes, but rather foldable aluminum packages – they not only carry the nourishment of skin care products, but also a more Earth-friendly lifestyle. And the starting point of all this began with seemingly cold figures like “75% recovery rate” and “95% energy saving”, and then moved on to the warm design of “making full use of every single tube”.
About EBI
We offer end-to-end service from package graphic design, engineering, development, manufacture, fill and logistics of primary packaging containers for personal care, cosmetics, fragrance, health care, beverage & food industries.
With our in-house manufacturing capabilities, EBI delivers quality, agile service, and operational excellence!
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- Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
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