Campaign to recycle our pet food containers

The Aluminum Products Recycling Association (ARPAL) invites all agents in the pet food chain, animal advocacy associations, veterinarians and specialty stores to participate in the recycling of aluminum food containers. According to the census study conducted by ANFAAC, there are more than 29 million pets in Spain. On 1 August, the Government gave final approval to the bill for the protection, rights and welfare of animals, in which pets would be legally recognized as “sensitive” beings with sentience and not as objects. Explore with Green Ecology campaign to recycle our pet food containers.

Campaign to recycle our pet food containers

Most of our pet wet food containers are made of aluminum, a material that can be recycled indefinitely and does not lose its quality in the process. In addition, any other product with the same properties as those produced with primary or electrolytic aluminum can be made from recycled aluminum. For this reason, ARPAL has started the “Campaign.Recycle our pets’ aluminum containers”.

To make this campaign visible, some cartoons with pets inviting us to recycle, an informative video and an action on social networks were developed.

The association invites those responsible for the pet food industry, animal protection associations, veterinarians and specialized stores to be the pioneers of the campaign by participating in the recycling of aluminum packaging. “To do this, they just need to place their logo on the cartoon sent to them and spread the communication elements among their colleagues so that they can pass the information on to as many people as possible. This will create an awareness chain for recycling aluminum pet food containers,” said Olga Roger, ARPAL communications director.

This campaign is progressing in line with the demands of consumers who are becoming more conscious about the care of their pets. Today, they demand quality products not only for themselves but also for their pets. Therefore, they will be willing to switch brands or pay more for a product that uses packaging that respects the planet.

Pets, another member of the family

The legislation is in line with the demands of society, which has for years demanded a regulation that treats pets as an asset, not a “thing”. Therefore, on 1 August, the Government gave its final approval. Draft law for the protection, rights and welfare of animals, which will begin to operate at the Congress of Deputies. Thanks to this arrangement, pets will not be legally recognized as objects, but as “sensitive” beings endowed with sensitivity. It is forbidden to slaughter pets unless for sanitary or euthanasia reasons. In addition, the new legislation tries to fight against animal abandonment in our country, where more than 300,000 pets per day, an average of 800 per day.

Data confirm that there are more than 29 million pets in Spain, according to a census study conducted by the National Association of Companion Animal Food Manufacturers, ANFAAC and Veterindustria 2021. The same study found that 40% of families in our country usually have homes with dogs, cats and fish, but the study also includes small birds, reptiles and other mammals.

The largest percentage of our pets are dogs (over 9 million), followed by fish (almost 7 million) and cats (close to 6 million). For example, there are now more dogs than children under 14 (6,627,218, INE).

It is hoped from ARPAL that the sector will participate in the campaign and that an element as valuable as aluminum will not be thrown away and will continue in our lives as different products. Unsurprisingly, 75% of aluminum produced for 100 years is still used thanks to recycling.

About ARPAL

ARPAL is a non-profit association founded in April 1994 to promote the recycling of aluminum containers and achieve the recycling rates required by law. It consists of the following organizations: Aludium, Constelium, Grupo Alibérico, Speira GmbH and Novelis Europe. European Aluminum and European Aluminum Foil Association also cooperate with ARPAL.

Data on pets and food bills in Appendix 1 in Spain

Annex 1: Data on pets and food bill in Spain

There are more than 29 million pets in Spain, according to a census study conducted by ANFAAC, the National Association of Pet Food Manufacturers, and Veterindustria 2021. The same study shows that 40% of families in our country share a house with dogs, cats and fish in general, but small birds, reptiles or other mammals are also counted.

The largest percentage of our pets are dogs (over 9 million), followed by fish (almost 7 million) and cats (close to 6 million).

According to the same study, the millions of animals we need to feed for the amount billed by the Spanish pet food industry is 1,493 million euros in 2021, 10.04% more than in 2020 (1,357 million). By species, turnover increased significantly in both dog food (+8.4%, up to €917.3 million) and cat food (+12.7%, up to €575.7 million).

From dry (dogs: +7.9%, 652.7 million; cats: +9.2%, 315.3 million) and wet (for dogs: +6.9%, 124.4 million; for cats: +% 18.2) in all food categories , 221.3 million) and snacks (for dogs: +12.2%, 140.2 million; for cats: +12.9%, 39.1 million).

By food type, dry sales volume is +1.2% in dogs (324,767 tons) and +6.4% in cats (113,894 tons), and in wet food +13% in dogs (53,466 tons) and +12.8% in cats (55,645 tons) It increased ). For snacks, there were increases of +13.5% (15,941 tons) in dogs and +32.4% (1,682 tons) in cats. Once again, support from the private channel stands out, with growth of 9.3% and significant increases in cat snacks (67%) and wet dog food (+46.4%).

Image: Pet census study 2021 Anfaac and Veterindustria

Image: Billing as value (2020 – 2021). Source: 2021 Census Study ANFAAC and Veterindustria

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