USA Today reported increasing concerns about the US aluminum can supply, noting in their July 15, 2020 article that beverage producers from Coca-Cola to AB InBev are reducing product portfolios, causing shortages of specialty items in American grocery stores. In an effort to help our members better understand current and potential shortages, we did some research on the global aluminum industry. We've been told for years that aluminum is "infinitely recyclable," so what is happening to all those empty beer cans?

Our initial research suggests a can of beer takes about 60 days to be recycled. However, once cans are melted down and rolled into sheets, several industries compete for this supply. Notably, in an effort to build more fuel efficient cars, the automotive industry is increasingly switching to aluminum.

Novelis, a subsidiary of Hindalco Industries Limited, appears to be the world's largest recycler of aluminum cans, but not all those cans are turned into new cans. Novelis lists Ball Corporation, Crown, Ardagh, and AB InBev as among its largest customers for recycled aluminum sheets, but as discussed last week, these manufacturers are struggling to keep up with current demand. Bottom line, do everything you can to increase your inventory, even if it means different sized cans as 12 ounce cans seem in shortest supply.

We will continue our research to provide ideas and advice each week in this newsletter.

BREWERS ASSOCIATION ADDRESSES CRITICISMS OF HANDLING RACIST ACTIONS BY BREWERY MEMBERS

As reported on Brewbound, Brewers Association CEO Bob Pease sent an open letter to its membership addressing steps to change their bylaws and introduce a code of conduct for its members. Pease opened the letter stating: "Our limited public response to date has not been sufficient for many but it does not equate to apathy."

It is nice to see the BA coming forward and telling the truth. We have a lot of respect for the leaders of the Brewers Association, but recent moves have come under a cloud of secrecy and we appreciate their latest statements about changing for the better.

We have a couple of resources for our members seeking to improve their own responses to workplace culture and to more often tell the complete and transparent truth. First, we created a white paper to address the outrage of Elysian's sale to AB InBev, a move vehemently opposed by Elysian's Co-Founder Dick Cantwell. Our focus was on telling the truth. Telling the truth to yourself, your employees, and your potential acquisition partners. This paper also addresses systemic bias against Black people throughout history and offers our members ways to improve. Second, we have a video called "Wisdom," which aims to help leaders go from making short-term and reactive decisions to "wise" decisions that get past personal biases and go beyond telling yourself half truths that could potentially hurt people.

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