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Modelling Steel Packaging Flow
We were commissioned by Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association to develop a model that could be used to more accurately quantify the amount of steel placed onto the UK market.
Cans/hunger,Hungry,Consumerism
The quantity of steel packaging placed onto the UK market has traditionally come from an estimate provided by Tata Steel (previously Corus). The estimated figure had never been verified and the Advisory Committee on Packaging requested that the estimates be substantiated using a recognised methodology and data sources.
Copies of all our material flow reports can be found in our Knowledge Hub.
Initially a model developed by Tata Steel for the Netherlands was reviewed, which fed into the creation of three theoretical models for the UK market. The models detailed the data sources used and the assumptions made, and were based on the recovery of steel in the following three areas:
- Municipal solid waste (MSW)
- Away from home
- Commercial and industrial
Tata Steel and the Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) reviewed these models and the output calculations. These were then revised and a Microsoft Excel model developed, so that various scenarios can be explored and the model can be easily updated as new information becomes available.
The project delivered:
- A dynamic Excel model mapping the flow of steel packaging onto the UK market
- A detailed report breaking down UK steel packaging flow into three key areas
- Areas for further research where data gaps for UK steel packaging flows were identified
Tata Steel and the ACP are now able to better understand the flow of steel packaging onto the UK market, use the figures with more confidence and have the means to make further estimates in the future.
A very professional piece of work to develop a model providing an improved understanding of the total volume of steel packaging on the UK market. This provides an excellent base to give confidence to our recycling statistics.