Ball Corporation is celebrating a successful presence in Serbia that spans 20 years—distinguished by innovation, export excellence and a strong dedication to environmental sustainability
When Ball Corporation opened its factory in Belgrade back in 2005, it was the largest U.S. greenfield investment in Southeast Europe. Two decades on, it stands as a case study in sustainable growth, local integration and regional influence, exporting to over 20 countries while fostering a domestic supplier network. At the helm of these efforts is Nenad Đurđević, Commercial Director for SEE, Turkey and CIS, who also serves as President of the Alliance for Circular Packaging in Serbia.
In anniversary years, we often pause to take stock. Ball Corporation is marking two decades of business and has every reason to be proud. These have been 20 dynamic, exciting and milestone-worthy years.
— Ball Corporation, the world’s leading manufacturer of aluminium packaging for beverages, personal care and household products, is this year celebrating 20 years of successful operations.
When Ball built its factory in Belgrade back in 2005, it was the largest U.S. greenfield investment in Southeast Europe (OECD) at the time—an accolade it continues to hold in Serbia today. The excellent performance of the Belgrade facility, driven by the commitment of its employees, has been the reason for continued investment throughout the past two decades. Today, those same employees proudly contribute to the establishment of new Ball investments across the globe, where they share their extensive knowledge and experience with colleagues worldwide.
Over the course of these 20 years, outstanding business results have not only confirmed the investment’s value, but also ensured ongoing investment in capacity expansion and innovation. Through our operations, we have once again demonstrated what Ball Corporation is known for: the production of high-quality and safe products, a strong culture of innovation, trusted relationships with customers and a deeply responsible approach to the environment.
We’ve started with numbers, so let’s stay with them—they speak volumes. What do they tell us about investment levels, production capacity, market reach, export value, and tonnes of recycled material?
— Over the past two decades, our operations have been defined not only by investment, but also by innovation, sustainability and circularity—principles Ball applies across all the markets in which it operates. From our Serbian facility, we supply the entire Southeast and Central European region, as well as Turkey, with the goal of expanding into new markets and leveraging Serbia’s favourable trade agreements. More than half of Ball’s total Serbian production is intended for export. We currently export to around 20 countries worldwide. This speaks to the high quality and safety of our product, and to our continued ability to stay ahead of customer expectations.
It is worth noting that our export activities contribute to Serbia’s international trade balance, but we also place strong focus on developing our local supplier network. We have established partnerships with a significant number of Serbian companies, and the domestic supplier base continues to grow year after year—something we are proud of and fully committed to supporting.
Ball places particular emphasis on sustainable business practices and responsible engagement with the environment and the communities in which it operates. Recycling is one of the core pillars of your sustainability efforts.
— Currently, approximately 76% of beverage cans produced in Europe are recycled, but there is potential for this number to reach 100%. For this reason, Ball has partnered with the “Every Can Counts” initiative to promote recycling through public campaigns and community engagement. We have taken part in around 20 different events across Serbia and the region—spanning music, culture, science, gastronomy and education—and organised a large recycling campaign to mark World Environment Day, all with one goal: to promote and implement recycling in practice.
These activities resulted in an impressive figure for 2024: 350,000 used beverage cans were collected and sent for recycling.
Ball has once again demonstrated what it is known for – safe, high-quality products, innovation, strong client partnerships and environmental integrity
Through our longstanding collaboration with the Limenka Theatre Festival, now in its 15th year, we also focus on early education—helping children and young people understand the importance of recycling and the proper handling of packaging waste. The initiative uses theatre and creative performance to engage young audiences in a unique way, inspiring tens of thousands of participants to rethink waste and sustainability. More than 600,000 cans have been recycled through this project to date.
As a leader in aluminium packaging, one of Serbia’s top exporters, and the country’s strongest proponent of circularity and recycling, your climate transition plan is aligned with the EU’s environmental guidelines?
— The European Union’s recommendation for the packaging industry is to significantly raise recycling rates by 2030—to 85% for paper and cardboard, 75% for glass, 60% for aluminium, and 55% for plastic packaging waste—in order to reduce overall waste and environmental pollution.
Ball’s climate transition plan aims to exceed these targets. The goal is to raise recycling rates across all markets in which Ball operates to 90%, and to ensure that by 2030, 85% of the material used in our cans is recycled. This would significantly contribute to CO₂ emissions reduction. As of 2024, the average recycling rate across our operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa stands at 69%.
Taken together, these figures clearly demonstrate that Ball Corporation is taking a responsible, forward-looking and strategic approach to this crucial issue.
You also serve as President of the Alliance for Circular Packaging, which brings together companies with extensive experience in recycling, sustainability and circular business models. How will the new EU regulations on packaging waste management impact Serbia’s packaging industry and Ball’s operations?
— Given that Serbia’s packaging industry is export-oriented, all changes in EU legislation are likely to influence the business of companies operating here. The introduction of new standards—such as higher percentages of recycled content in products—will become a mandatory requirement for any company wishing to maintain access to the EU market.
This is why it is particularly important that the new Law on Packaging Waste Management, currently under development in Serbia, takes into account the updated EU objectives and introduces an efficient and appropriate waste collection system. This is not only a question of environmental protection—it is equally a matter of economic competitiveness.
To remain competitive, Serbia must adopt systemic and robust solutions. The Alliance for Circular Packaging, which includes industry leaders from the packaging sector, is ready to share its experience and expertise with relevant institutions to help create the most effective and efficient legal framework possible.