New cups produced with Rio Tinto aluminium to debut at the Bell Centre

Infinitely recyclable aluminium cups projected to help replace over 1.5M single-use plastic cups annually

MONTREAL, Canada – The Montreal Canadiens unveiled on Tuesday the newly-designed, infinitely recyclable, low-carbon aluminium cups made from aluminium produced locally at Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec.

Set to debut at the Bell Centre for the Canadiens’ January 23 game against the Ottawa Senators, the cups are expected to help replace 1.5 million single-use plastic cups annually, removing 24 tons of plastic waste from the environment.

The design on the cups was commissioned with Montreal artist Felipe Arriagada-Nunez and underscores the collaboration between the Canadiens organization and Rio Tinto while celebrating their respective work – on one side, a community of fans is shown cheering at a live event, while on the other, Rio Tinto workers are shown before a hydroelectric dam and the natural beauty of the Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean region.

“Throughout our organization we’ve been committed to reducing our environmental footprint at all of our venues and in all of our operations, and we’ve been privileged to have a partner like Rio Tinto who not only supports this vision with real action, but also applies a focus on clean energy and decarbonization right here in Quebec,” said Daniel Trottier, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations & Venues Officer, Groupe CH.  “We’re proud that with these new cups, we will quite literally be placing the joint efforts we’re making toward a greener future in the hands of our clients at the Bell Centre.”

“Rio Tinto is extremely proud of its Quebec roots and the contributions of our 7,700 Quebec employees to the communities in which we operate,” said Sébastien Ross, Managing Director, Aluminium Atlantic Operations, Rio Tinto. These newly designed cups made from locally produced, low-carbon aluminium are a tribute to our people and the important work they do every day. Our partnership with the Montreal Canadiens is a great way to showcase how responsible aluminium can support the transition to a greener economy here at home.”

The Canadiens eliminated the use of single-use plastics as outlined in new municipal regulations in all their concession stands, suites and fine-dining areas at the Bell Centre in March 2023, converting exclusively to compostable or recyclable materials.  Fans will be served drinks in the new Rio Tinto-produced aluminium cups principally for wine and mixed drinks. Fans can do their part by recycling their cups thanks to designated bins that are available throughout the Bell Centre.

The partnership with Rio Tinto and production of the new reusable, traceable and infinitely recyclable cups comes as part of the organization’s The Goal is Green program presented by National Bank, a wide-ranging environmental initiative that has been in place since 2007.  More details are available on canadiens.com/goalisgreen.

Category: Saguenay