Putting the fizz back into beverages

13 October 2006



Innovation in packaging shape, style and size is extending the drinks sector, writes Pauline Covell


As the UK's celebrity chef Jamie Oliver-inspired healthy eating initiative and government anti-obesity campaigns start hitting home soft drinks manufacturers are seeking pastures new to replace projected declines in sugary carbonated drinks.

Canmakers particularly are helping make fruit drinks, energy drinks and trendy alcoholic beverages stand out with innovative decoration, shapes and finishes. This November at Brau Beviale in Nuremberg, for example, Ball Packaging Europe will present three very different cans to contain and market the latest beverages for “today's urban lifestyle”. What is claimed to be the world's first twin can has been initially launched in Austria and Germany this year for the new Conelly Cocktails. Said to be ideal for on-the-go consumption, the product comprises two 150ml cans, one for the mixture of spirits and one for fruit juices. The cans are linked by a plastic ring.

“As they are kept in a separate can from the alcohol the fresh flavour of the fruit juices is retained longer,” says Ball. Tequila Sunrise, Sex on the Beach, Ladykiller, Mai Tai and Planters Punch can apparently be prepared in 30 seconds without needing to buy and store the individual ingredients.

Wine in a can is also looking upmarket. Rich Prosecco in Ball's 200ml golden colour aluminium can was celebrated as the in-drink last summer in trendy magazines. Advertised by Paris Hilton, the sparkling wine has become popular at celebrity parties and is being marketed in Austria and Germany through various retail chains. The third example provided by the canmaker is "Café Kiss“ - a cappuccino drink with a lacing of vodka launched in the UK this year in a 200ml slimline can. A widget provides the typical cappuccino froth head.

The packaging split in the 2005 beverage market varied from country to country. According to the BCME (Beverage Can Makers Europe) across Europe glass accounted for 68% of beer, cans 30% and plastics 2%. Research company A C Nielsen reports that in the UK 69% of packaged beer and cider went into cans in 2005 (+1%), glass 24% (-1%) and plastics at 7% (mainly cider).

Soft drink packaging has seen a rapid growth in plastics in Europe. Here PET accounts for 72%, cans 19% and glass 9%. There has been a large-scale change from glass to plastics over the past 10 years, with cans also showing a slight increase. In the UK, Nielsen records 19% cans, glass 1% and PET at 80%.

In market size terms the European beverage can has seen growth of 5% a year, with sales volumes rising from 33 billion in 1998 to some 42bn last year. Significant are the annual double digit growth rates in Russia and Poland, rating them in the top five markets in Europe.

Rexam, for example, has announced it is to build its second beverage can plant in Russia at Chelyabinsk in the Urals. The £39m greenfield aluminium can plant will have an 800m can annual capacity, producing 33 and 50cl sizes, and should come on-stream in early 2008.

What has made market headway possible across Europe for both beers and carbonated drinks? Marketing director for Europe and Asia at Rexam Beverage Can John Revess told Packaging Today: “It is thanks to new technologies. We take innovation extremely seriously and have worked hard to develop new techniques and finishes that enhance the look and feel of the package. Work has covered all aspects of can making, from shapes and sizes to printing techniques and aperture styles. “ He explained: “An exciting recent innovation has been Illustration Impact, a new printing technique we've developed that allows high definition image printing. Other innovations include 360 degree debossing, where parts of the can design are raised. This has been widely used by companies such as Carlsberg and Diageo. And a variety of new finishes, include thermochromic inks and matt and soft touch inks which give the cans a smooth yet non-glossy finish.” Such techniques are often especially well-suited to premium brands.

“Consumers also appreciate having a wide pack size range to suit different beverage types and 'thirst levels'. We have the industry's widest choice of can sizes to meet different consumer needs and drinking occasions,” said Revess. “Brand owners can thus more easily ensure new product launches reach the most appropriate consumer group, simply through the choice of packaging. With up to 80% of consumers now making purchasing decisions at point-of-sale, building strong, meaningful brands is important to all brand custodians. On-shelf impact is an increasingly important element in a brand manager's armoury. Via the right size, shape and design combination we can help brands create unique positioning.”

One Rexam example is a new aluminium beverage can format, Sleek, targeted at new sectors such as mineral water, fruit juice and health drinks. Now being rolled out across Europe it has the same capacity as a standard 330ml soft drinks can, but is taller and more slender ¬- lending it a modern look and feel. “It is well adapted for brands looking for a differentiated package easy to implement into the European market, “says John Revess.

Crown is also clearly keen to supply cans for the newly developing beverage markets. One such is supplied for Sprite 3G from Coca-Cola Enterprises. The lemon and lime flavoured energy drink, containing green coffee beans, glucose and guarana, is now being sold at outlets throughout the UK in the company's 250ml cans.

“Sprite 3G is the latest in a long line of premium, highly aspirational products to be launched in slim cans,” said Caroline Archer-Reed, marketing director, Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East.

She told Packaging Today: “Fizzy pop is having a fairly difficult time and many of our customers are seeking to broaden their portfolios of drinks. However, across Europe the picture is more stable. Multipacks are doing well in the UK - they are growing in double digits - and in continental Europe we are also starting to see more. Perhaps it is also a question of portion control.

“But yes, many different drinks are going into cans. We are working hard to promote that. And we're seeing a larger proportion of light drinks, energy products and teas - some being introduced in new sizes as a brand promotion vehicle.” A good example is the incredible success seen in the 15cl can in France for Coca-Cola. “It's approaching 15% of the can market there. It's cute and new,” she said.

“We have invested heavily in shaping technology rather than embossing. We feel shaping offers better shelf impact and we also have a lot of intellectual property in the area. We have seen how it positions the brand and helps keep price points in the market.”

Crown has some exciting developments up its sleeve. “We have made good progress on digital printing of flat sheet for aerosols with Jetrion and would like to transfer that technology to Bevcan, but it is not just round the corner,” said Archer-Reed.

She revealed: “We are in the middle of filing the IP on a reclosable can and hope we'll be able to announce something next year. The challenge has always been to do this cost-effectively while maintaining an attractive pack. There will be an on-cost for the container, but not too much. Potentially we really seem to have the answer.”

Rexam's John Revess said: “The question on everyone's lips is 'what will be the next big thing in beverage cans?' The metal bottle combines the shape and resealability of bottles, with the practicality, chillability, recyclability, and sleek design features of metal.

“The big challenge is to find a way of producing these economically at high volume. Once overcome we believe the metal bottle, with its superior graphics, high impact design potential and total recyclability, make it the clear choice for the package of the future.”

In the US, for example, Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra and Ultra Amber have joined the company's brands available in aluminium bottles. The sleek, modern 16oz container, featuring high-gloss graphics and striking designs, was rolled out in mid-June in bars, clubs, restaurants and supermarkets nationwide. Both bottle designs feature a contemporary silver base colour with a blended oval design in the centre.

Eduardo Pereda, director, Michelob family, Anheuser-Busch, said: “Aluminium bottles are a great way to further enhance the beer-drinking experience. Consumers preferring to drink from bottles are looking for non-breakable options for their outdoor activities and sporting events”.

Examples of design variations produced by the company include Bud Light aluminium bottles printed with UV ink, which makes them glow in bars and clubs with ultraviolet lighting.

It is not just print or shape or smart additions that can give cans the edge. Keeping beer cold on hot days is an age-old challlenge. DuPont announced it had found an answer in the shape of Cool2Go. The specially-engineered wrap, a thin insulating layer, which protects beer from heat transferred from warm hands, condensation and outside temperature, featured on 16oz aluminium cans of The Labatt Blue Cold One in a test in Ontario and Quebec, Canada and also the USA. Labatt Breweries of Toronto picked up a DuPont Diamond Award for the pack.

"Applying the Cool2Go wrap on beer cans is a first," said Susan Procaccini,” DuPont Packaging Solutions. In a patented process it is made by placing a hi-tech polymer insulation (a 30-40mil layer of polyester fibrefill) between two layers of DuPont Teijin Films Melinex polyester film. The material is applied in roll form to filled and seamed cans.

With the lion's share of carbonates in PET, it is hardly surprising polyester suppliers and bottle producers are taking an interest in the developing areas too. The popular Britvic J20 premium juice is now also available in PET alongside glass, extending the brand's reach into on-premise venues where glass is prohibited. Bottle and closure are from Constar International. The bottle features Oxbar oxygen scavenging technology claimed to give a six-month shelf life.

The packaging development and product launch is the result of “a fast-track joint development”. Chris Phelan, technical director of Constar's European Group, commented: "J2O is the first product that benefits from our proprietary new bottle and closure finish combination. We were particularly pleased to be able to take the PLP closure and finish technology to market with a high-profile Britvic product."

Major producer of barrier PET resins and preforms Mossi &Ghisolfi (M&G) claims to have been first to bring an enhanced barrier resin to market with its ActiTUF resins. These incorporate proprietary technology for either an active oxygen scavenger, or a passive gas barrier, or a combination of both. This gives the company flexibility to produce ready-to-use PET barrier resins, which can be used on standard plastics processing equipment. “Unlike other oxygen scavenging systems, M&G's offering is triggered to react with oxygen only when the container is filled,” says David Swift, marketing manager, Mossi & Ghisolfi Global. “We think there is brand owner interest in moving to smaller sizes for beverages to provide more consumer convenience. For carbonated beverages, the gas barrier properties of standard PET in smaller sizes provide only a limited shelf-life, which has typically not met brand owner requirements. But PET barrier technology changes this, providing enhanced performance at a viable cost. This will in turn stimulate greater PET penetration into this growing market sector.”

First commercial use of the resin was in 2003 for Interbrew's Pivopack. “After the initial launch in 2003 we were focused, commercially and developmentally, on expanding the use of ActiTUF with the Inbev Group”, says Swift. “More recently we have focused on enhancing the technology behind our offering for small carbonated beverage containers, especially non-coloured ones. Another key focus has been the development of our BicoPET technology, enabling us to incorporate all the components of enhanced PET barrier performance into one single pellet. Essentially it is a consolidated, ready-to-use version of ActiTUF. We like to say 'It's all in the resin' - customers can use these resins in the same way as standard PET; no mixing, no additional investments, and no loss of operational efficiencies in the injection or blowing cycles.”

An important argument in favour of the can is its recyclability, say canmakers and raw material producers. The argument for steel cans is pretty powerful according to Dave Williams, manager at Corus Steel Packaging Recycling: “One tonne of recycled steel saves 1.5t of iron ore, 0,5t of coal, 40% of water use and 75% of energy when compared with the same amount of steel sheet produced from iron ore.” He adds: “It is actually easier to recycle because it can be magnetically removed from all collection options. Aluminium and plastics cannot be recycled from unclean systems.”

Says Rexam's John Revess: “Both steel and aluminium beverage cans are 100% recyclable. In reality, metal is the only truly renewable packaging material available. Every part of the can be recycled over and over again, either into new cans or other metal products. Furthermore, they are lightweight and compact, making them convenient for consumers to recycle. Rexam believes strong environmental credentials will play a more critical role in consumer decision-making in the future.”


In the US Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra and Ultra Amber have ... In the US Anheuser-Busch's Michelob Ultra and Ultra Amber have ...
Taller and slenderer than the standard 330ml aluminium can, Rexam's ... Taller and slenderer than the standard 330ml aluminium can, Rexam's ...
Rexam offers printing techniques for high definition images and impact Rexam offers printing techniques for high definition images and impact
The world's first twin can has been supplied by Ball ... The world's first twin can has been supplied by Ball ...
This widget can from Ball Packaging Europe puts vodka cappuccino ... This widget can from Ball Packaging Europe puts vodka cappuccino ...
This J20 bottle is the first to benefit from Constar's ... This J20 bottle is the first to benefit from Constar's ...
Left to right, bottles made from standard CSD PET resin, ... Left to right, bottles made from standard CSD PET resin, ...
Steel cans are easily recycled (Photo courtesy of Corus Steel ... Steel cans are easily recycled (Photo courtesy of Corus Steel ...


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