Metal beverage cans deliver on circular economy and “wow factor” brand differentiation

24 Mar 2021 --- Aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled beverage package in the world, according to Resource Recycling Systems (RRS). In its most recent analysis, RRS established the global weighted average recycling rate for aluminum at 69 percent, compared to glass at 46 percent and PET at 43 percent.

More than a circular economy champion, beverage cans offer a 360-degree canvas for differentiated branding, taste preservation, portability and, more recently, connective packaging technologies.

PackagingInsights explores the latest in beverage can innovation with international suppliers Crown and Canpack and the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) (US) and Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) trade associations.

“Wow factor” decorative techniques
Continued advancements in can decoration – from matte, gloss, embossed and debossed techniques to fluorescent, photochromic, soft touch and thermochromic inks – help attract consumer attention at the point-of-sale and drive brand engagement.

Crown’s 360 End is the “world’s first” fully removable beverage can end (Image credit: Crown).“Boasting a 360-degree billboard that supports vibrant graphics and messaging, cans effectively tell brand stories and enhance consumer experiences,” outlines Veronique Curulla, marketing & business development director at Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East.

“Decoration is a key element of our portfolio, which includes many innovative options that enable brands to increase visual appeal. For example, our Reveal inks can add the ‘wow factor.’

Reveal inks enable graphics to change as the cold beverage inside the can is consumed, “revealing” new imagery and hidden messaging.

Crown also offers several innovative can end technologies, notably the SuperEnd for increased panel strength and “billboard” area and the Global Vent for smoother pouring, while the 360 End is the “world’s first” beverage can end that can be removed to form a drinking cup.

Meanwhile, Canpack is engaging the “surroundings and localism” design trend with its Matte varnish. “Matte varnish underlines the natural origin and craftsmanship of the beverage and gives a classy, vintage look,” describes Stephen McAneny, chief commercial officer at Canpack.

The polish-headquartered company also offers Satin varnish for a fabric texture and an “ultra-premium look,” Tactile varnish for rough-to-the-touch surface feel, special glow-in-the-dark UV inks, and thermo inks for “frosty” beer can effects.

“With Canpack’s Quadromix technology, it is possible to produce four different designs (with two color sets) within one production run,” adds McAneny. “The technology can help create limited edition can series with engaging designs that tell a compelling brand story.”

For special occasions, Canpack’s Multi Print allows up to 24 designs within one production run and the creation of unique promotions catering to the growing personalization trend.Canpack’s Quadromix technology demonstrates how packaging can enhance corporate social responsibility campaigns, shown here on Zubr Polish lager cans (Image credit: Canpack).

“Textbook” circular economy
The aluminum beverage can is the most recycled beverage container globally, including the US and Europe. In the US, the aluminum can recycling rate stands at 46.1 percent (CMI). In 2019, 40 billion aluminum beverage cans were recycled, equivalent to approximately 12 packs per person (CMI).

Moreover, European aluminum beverage can recycling rates hit a record high 76.1 percent in 2018 (MPE). European Aluminum and MPE have teamed up on a roadmap for achieving 100 percent can recycling by 2030. UNESDA has also pledged to make EU beverage packaging fully circular by 2030.

“One of the reasons beverage cans are so highly recycled is that it is easy and efficient to recycle old beverage cans into new beverage cans. The vast majority of the beverage cans that are recycled are turned into new cans making it the textbook example of the circular economy,” explains Scott Breen, vice president sustainability at CMI.Aluminum beverage cans are the most recycled beverage package in the US (Infographic credit: Aluminum Association).

“This is how the recycled content of aluminum cans in the US averages a whopping 73 percent. Beverage companies are realizing this high amount of recycled content can help them meet their sustainability goals.”

“It is easy to sort aluminum beverage cans, as there is no need to physically separate any other materials, such as labels and lids, from the cans,” adds Robert-Jan ter Morsche, beverage executive committee chair for MPE.

“Aluminum is a permanent material and therefore possesses true closed-loop recyclability. This means it can be recycled over and over again without losing quality and ensures high yields with minimal losses.”

Self-financed recycling
According to CMI, beverage cans have experienced growing popularity over the past several years in the US, in part due to their sustainability attributes, taking market share in craft beer, wine, kombucha, hard seltzer, ready-to-go cocktails and other emerging beverage categories. The increase is reflected in CMI’s latest Can Shipment Report, detailing a 6.2 percent increase in company beverage can purchasing in 2020.

“The intrinsic value of aluminum allows cans to self-finance their own recycling, which makes it one of the most valuable materials in the recycling stream, continues Breen. “Single-stream Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) desperately want more cans flowing through the recycling system since often the cost to process a ton of recyclables outweighs the blended value of a ton of recyclables.”

“Without the revenue from used beverage cans, most MRFs would not be able to operate. In short, aluminum cans are unique in that recyclers and can makers want the cans back: recyclers for more revenue and can makers to make new cans.”

“This can be seen in the value per ton for scrap material. In a two-year rolling average from February 2018 to February 2020, the value of aluminum can scrap was US$1,210 per ton, far exceeding the value for glass and plastic PET bottle scrap.”Formulated in partnership with Chromatic Technologies, Crown’s Reveal temperature sensitive inks change to “reveal” imagery and messaging as the cold product inside the beverage can is consumed (Image credit: Crown).

Metal Recycles Forever
The Metal Recycles Forever logo was launched in 2014 by MPE members to help consumers understand their critical role in keeping metal in the material loop by recycling empty packaging.

According to a recent Innova Market Insights survey, 19 percent of global consumers still believe aluminum has “below average” or “poor recyclability.” Only 23 percent recognize aluminum’s “excellent” recyclability.

“Available in multiple languages for use on rigid metal packaging, the logo transmits a clear and consistent message to consumers [and] helps brands and retailers engage and inform consumers accurately about the sustainability credentials of metal packaging,” summarizes ter Morsche.

Canpack’s matte varnish enhancing Spitfire beer’s new can design (Image credit: Canpack).“The Metal Recycles Forever logo on cans inspires and informs consumers because it emphasizes the transformational nature of the material, which leads to higher recycling rates,” supports Breen.

In a recent CMI survey, 70 percent of US consumers said seeing the Metal Recycles Forever logo on a can would motivate them to recycle it.

Curulla confirms many Crown customers are keen to incorporate the Metal Recycles Forever logo into their designs. Canpack also supports the campaign.

Carbon reduction credentials
Beverage cans also boast carbon reduction benefits at a time of rising climate change fears. Innova Market Insights recently revealed “The Carbon Catalyst” as its second top packaging trend for 2021.

“Less energy is required to produce and transport canned beverages, reducing the carbon footprint. Light weight and stackability allow the cans to require less fuel and therefore cost less to transport,” explains Breen.

“The recycling of aluminum beverage cans also contributes significantly to reducing CO2 emissions,” adds ter Morsche. “The energy required to recycle aluminum is about 5 percent of what is needed to produce primary aluminum. This not only amounts to energy savings of 95 percent but also corresponds to an equivalent saving in GHG emissions.”

Moreover, industry R&D continues to reduce beverage can weight, with walls now thinner than human hair. Lightweighting means less material is used, further reducing carbon footprint.

While Crown is working toward several lightweighting targets to produce the same robust containers using as little material as possible, it also produces metal cans in various shapes and sizes, enabling consumers to eliminate waste through accurate portioning.Crown launched its CrownConnect technology with Fact sparkling water drink (Image credit: Crown).

“Ranging from a 150 ml package to a 500 ml package, our 16 can sizes, available in our European portfolio, provide benefits that boost the product experience for consumers,” outlines Curulla.

“Smaller, sleek style cans evoke a more premium feel and support priorities of portion control and portability. Larger sizes address other needs, including delivering more volume to consumers – a helpful feature for events and other consumption settings where larger serving sizes are preferred.”

Digital connectivity
Connective packaging technologies like scannable QR codes and Augmented Reality (AR) are increasingly popular brand-consumer engagement tools in the beverage space, opening up opportunities for more targeted marketing and consumer purchasing behavior analysis.

“Our CrownConnect technology is a great example of how packaging can be used to engage directly with consumers,” says Curulla. “A unique 2D scannable code is marked on the opening tab, which can be the vehicle for special promotions or information regarding provenance, for example.”

“The codes also allow brand owners to capture valuable data about when and where customers consume their products. Using a simple code scanner on a smartphone, it is easy for consumers to engage with and adds an extra dimension to products.”

Crown launched its CrownConnect technology with Fact sparkling water drink in 2018. The European division partnered with entrepreneur Olly Bolton on Almond – a blockchain platform allowing consumers to scan a unique hidden product code on Fact’s cans to unlock details of the brand’s story and loyalty tokens.

By Joshua Poole