Tom Giddings appointed Alupro’s Executive Director

Alupro, the aluminium packaging recycling organisation, has announced the appointment of Tom Giddings as Executive Director. Previously Interim General Manager, Giddings takes up the role with immediate effect.

As Executive Director, Giddings will be responsible for leading Alupro as it works to fulfil the industry’s obligation to meet, and exceed, recycling targets for aluminium packaging. He will act as the independent voice of the industry on issues of government policy and legislative development and will also spearhead Alupro’s Every Can Counts and MetalMatters consumer education programmes.

Having joined Alupro in June 2020 as Sustainability and Public Affairs Manager, Giddings has firmly positioned himself as a driving force within the sector. Prior to joining Alupro, he held the role of Sustainability Data and Reporting Manager at international packaging provider DS Smith, where he was responsible for the continuous improvement of sustainability initiatives.

Commenting on his new role, Giddings said: “Taking up the position of Executive Director, at such a pivotal time for the industry, is incredibly exciting. The opportunities ahead are significant and I’m looking forward to building on excellent progress to drive even higher aluminium packaging recycling rates in the future.

“Alongside acting as the independent voice of the industry, a key focus of my role will include sharing Alupro’s expertise and working to further stimulate the UK’s collection infrastructure. Inspiring collaboration across value chains and sectors is key to achieving this goal and will prove pivotal in both seizing opportunities and tackling recycling challenges head-on.

“I’m committed to promoting the benefits of aluminium packaging and celebrating its role within a sustainable, circular, low-carbon future. With enviable properties and infinite recyclability, aluminium will remain at the forefront of the packaging industry for years to come.

“But while the future looks bright, the present is just as exciting. Earlier this week, Alupro announced a collaboration with Fun Kids that aims to improve national recycling knowledge. In addition, over the next few weeks, we’re set to launch our educational programmes for 2022. These initiatives are key to ensuring best practice recycling remains front of mind for generations to come – through our creative campaigns, we’re working hard to inspire the recycling influencers of tomorrow.”

Fun Kids launch aluminium recycling podcast series

Fun Kids, the UK’s leading radio station for children, families and parents, is broadcasting a series of ten engaging podcast episodes about the benefits of aluminium recycling. Broadcasting on Fun Kids at 5.30pm from Monday 14 February, and available to download from the Fun Kids website, the series is aimed at KS2 and KS3 pupils.

In each episode, characters Max, Alisha and Mum learn more about aluminium packaging, how it’s made and how best to recycle it. Alongside discussing the challenges of contamination, the trio explore the reprocessing of recycled aluminium, visiting a wide range of locations to explain its infinite circularity.

Coming as part of a wider national initiative to get primary and secondary school pupils excited about recycling, the series has been co-created by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro). Through its Learning Aluminium website, parents, pupils, carers and teachers can download further free resources to help build knowledge about packaging materials and recycling best practice.

Tom Giddings, general manager of Alupro, commented: “Over the past few years, aluminium packaging recycling rates have continued to increase across the UK. With sustainability, emissions and the environment continuing to rise up the national agenda, recycling is becoming a key part of everyday life.

“But while increasing volumes is excellent news indeed, recycling isn’t just a short-term concern. As resources become scarcer and material demand continues to increase, recycling will quickly become pivotal to maintaining the global supply chain. Our latest educational campaign therefore focuses on the next generation – educating them about the importance of recycling and encouraging them to separate their used packaging materials from a young age.”

Gregory Watson, managing director of Fun Kids, added: “Sustainability and recycling is an important topic for children to learn about. We’re delighted to be hosting this podcast series in partnership with Alupro – making the process fun and engaging for all the family.

“We’re confident that it will prove a valuable resource for thousands of pupils, helping them to gain a greater understanding of the aluminium industry and the vital importance of recycling used packaging materials.”

The brand new podcast series will be launched on Monday 14 February (5.30pm) and broadcast daily for an initial 4 weeks. To celebrate the launch, Fun Kids is also running a competition, both on-air and online, to win an exciting prize.

For more information about the podcast series, or to subscribe to each of the ten episodes, visit www.funkidslive.com. To download further KS2 and KS3 aluminium recycling resources, visit www.learningaluminium.co.uk. Fun Kids is available across the UK on DAB digital radio, and online at visit www.funkidslive.com.

ENDS