US beverage producers are increasingly opting to replace plastic bottles with aluminum cans – a trend that could affect export markets for aluminum produced in Iceland, according to Pétur Blöndal, CEO of Samál, an association of aluminum producers in Iceland. He was interviewed by Morgunblaðið after the publication of a Washington Post article, detailing how aluminum is emerging as a more sustainable option in the beverage production industry, meant to meet the demands of environmentally friendly consumers. Pétur states that 75 percent of aluminum in Europe is recycled, and that the rate is increasing. In Iceland and other Nordic countries, the rate is well over 90 percent, he adds. “One of the main advantages of aluminum,” Pétur explains, “is that it can be recycled again and again, without the original quality being affected. Besides, the recycling of aluminum requires only 5 percent of the energy used when it was first produced.”