Two-year-old New Zealand start-up Recorp has been named a leader in the Australian Financial Review’s 2026 Sustainability Leaders Program for its recycled-content aluminium beverage can and closed-loop supply model.
Recorp was recognised in the Manufacturing & Consumer Goods category for ReCan85, its aluminium can containing 85 per cent recycled content, and the closed-loop supply system it established during its first year of trading.
The AFR Sustainability Leaders Program recognises Australasian organisations translating sustainability ambitions into measurable impact.
CEO Bruce Parton said the recognition was significant for a young company that had built its manufacturing operation from the ground up in New Zealand.
“We’re a young Kiwi business going up against some very established players, so to be recognised by the AFR is a pretty big deal. We are the only New Zealand-founded company to be honoured in the list this year,” Parton said.
.“But the real win for us is demonstrating that you can build a manufacturing business around sustainability from day one and make it commercially viable. We didn’t bolt sustainability onto an existing model. It’s fundamental to how Recorp operates.”
The recognition comes as Recorp expands into the Australian beverage can market, supplying customers from its 16,000-square-metre manufacturing facility in Manukau, South Auckland.
The plant has the capacity to manufacture about 550 million cans annually, with a range of formats available to Australian beverage companies.
ReCan85 contains around 20 percentage points more recycled aluminium than industry-standard material, according to Recorp. Its closed-loop model is designed to keep aluminium circulating within the Australasian market.
“We’ve come into Australia to challenge the way things have always been done,” Parton said.
“Being recognised as an AFR sustainability leader gives us a great platform, but we’re not here just to win awards. We’re here to change the conversation around what’s possible in beverage packaging.”
