Damm And Ball Launch World's First Aluminium Stewardship Initiative Certified Beverage Cans

• The Estrella Damm brewery in El Prat de Llobregat (Barcelona) has achieved ASI certification. From the month of March, the company will use only ASI-certified cans, supplied by Ball Corporation
• The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) scheme guarantees high environmental, ethical and social standards for the whole life cycle of the beer company's drinks cans

Barcelona /PRNewswire/ - Damm, a leading beverage company in Spain, and a major player in the food, hospitality, logistics and distribution industries, has achieved ASI (Aluminium Stewardship Initiative) Performance Standard and Chain of Custody Standard certification. Damm becomes the first drinks beverage company in the world to achieve double certification, which guarantees high environmental, ethical and social standards for the whole aluminium chain, from the production of the aluminium to making the cans, brewing and recycling.

From this March onwards, all Damm's cans, which are supplied by Ball Corporation, will be certified according to ASI's standards for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship. The certification covers packaging and storage of beer in cans, as well as related activities including design, packaging and storage of finished products, waste management and storage, and the recovery of waste, including end consumer's packaging waste. As consumers demand greater sustainability from their packaged goods, the ASI scheme aims to do for aluminium what the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) did for paper and wood, making sustainability performance a mainstream issue.

As part of the Performance Standard certification, Damm's life cycle thinking, product design, emissions reduction plans and management of natural resources and waste in its breweries were audited. The Chain of Custody certification covers verified practices – certified under the ASI Performance Standard – from mining and remelting to aluminium casting, rolling, can manufacturing and filling.

The ASI certification also acknowledges Damm's work in raising awareness of aluminium recycling, through the 349 can compactors it places every year along the Mediterranean coast. As well as this pioneering initiative in the drinks sector, the company partners organisations that promote responsibility among producers and recycling.

The ASI was founded over 10 years ago by representatives from the aluminium industry and industrial users of aluminium, and from research and policy organisations and society in general, with the aim of promoting greater sustainability and transparency throughout the aluminium industry. Since 2017, organizations have been able to seek ASI certification and more than 160 organisations have joined the ASI as members, demonstrating their commitment to responsible aluminium sourcing.

Carey Causey, President, Ball Beverage Packaging, EMEA, said: "Today's announcement represents a landmark moment as we bring together our customers' ambitions to contribute to a genuinely sustainable economy, with the circular potential of the aluminium beverage can, the world's most recycled beverage package. Damm's more than 25 iconic beer brands are enjoyed by consumers in more than 133 countries. We have relished working with such a forward-thinking company that is meeting the increasing demand for sustainable products from consumers and society."

Ball was the first can maker to receive ASI certification, across all of its 23 can making plants in Europe, Middle East and Africa, during 2020.

Damm's continued commitment to sustainability
Commitment to caring for the environment forms part of Damm's corporate culture and is one of the main strategic pillars of the company, whose executive chairman is Demetrio Carceller Arce. This was confirmed by the chief executive at the last General Shareholders' Meeting, where accelerating the company's environmental agenda to continue being the most sustainable beer company was identified as a priority.

To minimise its impact on the planet, Damm has programmes aimed at the continuous improvement of industrial processes that use less raw and other materials, as well as initiatives to promote energy efficiency in all production centres and circular economy actions.

The company encourages ecological packaging design, reducing the total amount of materials used while constantly increasing the percentage of recycled raw materials, and improving recyclability. As of the 1st of December 2020, all Estrella Damm can multipack holders are made with 100% biodegradable cardboard; plastic rings have been eliminated. This was a pioneering project in the brewing industry that will mean a reduction in the use of over 260 tonnes of plastic per year, the equivalent of almost 89 million plastic rings. The suppliers that manufacture the cardboard for the packs are PEFC and FSC certified, guaranteeing that all the cardboard and paper used comes from responsibly and sustainably managed forests, thereby helping to combat climate change and protect biodiversity.

Damm has also eliminated printed plastic shrink wrap from six, twelve and twenty-four packs of Estrella Damm cans, which will mean a reduction of 99 tonnes of plastic per year. The plastic has been replaced by new cardboard packaging made with natural fibres from trees from sustainably managed forests with PEFC certification.

About Damm
https://www.dammcorporate.com/en/involved-society

https://www.estrelladamm.com/en/sustainability

About Ball Corporation
Ball Corporation supplies innovative, sustainable aluminum packaging solutions for beverage, personal care and household products customers, as well as aerospace and other technologies and services primarily for the U.S. government. Ball Corporation and its subsidiaries employ 21,500 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.ball.com, or connect via Facebook or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains "forward-looking" statements concerning future events and financial performance. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "targets," "likely," "positions" and similar expressions typically identify forward-looking statements, which are generally any statements other than statements of historical fact. Such statements are based on current expectations or views of the future and are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied. You should therefore not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements and any such statements should be read in conjunction with, and, qualified in their entirety by, the cautionary statements referenced below. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Key factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to be different are summarized in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Exhibit 99 in our Form 10-K, which are available on our website and at www.sec.gov. Additional factors that might affect: a) our packaging segments include product capacity, supply, and demand constraints and fluctuations, including due to virus and disease outbreaks and responses thereto; availability/cost of raw materials, equipment, and logistics; competitive packaging, pricing and substitution; changes in climate and weather; footprint adjustments and other manufacturing changes, including the startup of new facilities and lines; failure to achieve synergies, productivity improvements or cost reductions; unfavorable mandatory deposit or packaging laws; customer and supplier consolidation; power and supply chain interruptions; potential delays and tariffs related to the U.K's departure from the EU; changes in major customer or supplier contracts or a loss of a major customer or supplier; political instability and sanctions; currency controls; changes in foreign exchange or tax rates; and tariffs, trade actions, or other governmental actions, including business restrictions and shelter-in-place orders in any country or jurisdiction affecting goods produced by us or in our supply chain, including imported raw materials; b) our aerospace segment include funding, authorization, availability and returns of government and commercial contracts; and delays, extensions and technical uncertainties affecting segment contracts; c) the Company as a whole include those listed above plus: the extent to which sustainability-related opportunities arise and can be capitalized upon; changes in senior management, succession, and the ability to attract and retain skilled labor; regulatory action or issues including tax, environmental, health and workplace safety, including U.S. FDA and other actions or public concerns affecting products filled in our containers, or chemicals or substances used in raw materials or in the manufacturing process; technological developments and innovations; the ability to manage cyber threats; litigation; strikes; disease; pandemic; labor cost changes; rates of return on assets of the Company's defined benefit retirement plans; pension changes; uncertainties surrounding geopolitical events and governmental policies both in the U.S. and in other countries, including policies, orders and actions related to COVID-19, the U.S. government elections, stimulus package(s), budget, sequestration and debt limit; reduced cash flow; interest rates affecting our debt; and successful or unsuccessful joint ventures, acquisitions and divestitures, and their effects on our operating results and business generally.