SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In a sign of just how seriously companies are starting to consider the valuable resources that are sent to landfill in the form of e-waste, Alcoa announced today that it will invest $10 million for a minority stake in a fast-growing electronic recycling company.

The aluminum giant is taking a 10 percent minority interest in Electronic Recyclers International (ERI). Kevin Anton, Alcoa's chief sustainability officer, will also join ERI's board of directors in a move intended to improve aluminum recycling in the booming consumer electrics market.

"We see ERI as a quality company and we're very happy being an owner of that company," Anton said Tuesday. "We also think it really positions ourselves well with the electronics companies as being a responsible steward and responsible marketer of aluminum into that market. The tangential benefit in the end is access to the scrap."

Alcoa predicts the aluminum content in laptops to grow 30 percent over the next two years, while aluminum use in the back-panels of LCD televisions could increase by as much as 450 percent.

Recyclability is one of aluminum's most prized traits, Anton said, noting that 75 percent of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today. It performs as well as virgin aluminum, while requiring just 5 percent of the energy needed for processing. Alcoa, which makes products such as heat sinks, cases, back panels on LED TVs, and cell phone covers, also hopes the partnership will help the company design components that are easier to recycle.

"Aluminum growth in the electronics space is going to be fantastic in the coming years," Anton said. "We just see ourselves needing to help establish the infrastructure for its end of life."

He likened the move to Alcoa's efforts with the aluminum can.