Can-do cans

4 August 2011



Joanne Hunter hears why the can industry is sure that it has a big future as a solution for growing populations and brands with rising aspirations.


The gleam of a shiny metal can or aluminium bottle holds allure for producers of soft beverages, innovative functional drinks and wine brands, thanks to a fan base of younger consumers. The industry is also hitting its stride as a solution for capturing the world’s harvests and saving waste.

At Interpack this year, Empac (European Metal Packaging) set the industry apart with an alternative concept for its stand. It was devoid of packaging products. Instead, it centred around an interactive touch-table and touch-screen, and speakers were invited from outside the sector to give views on, for example, their user accessibility and ability to protect the nutritional value of food.

The metal industry believes it is time to set the record straight on the inherent importance of cans and the potential for them to play a bigger role in future food distribution systems.

As Gordon Shade, CEO of Empac, based in Brussels, explains: “The sector’s most under-rated feature is its role in helping to tackle global food waste. Food waste in India and Brazil is 50%, when people are dying of starvation. The can, in this context, can be a big player here. If in those countries people captured the harvests, it would be a big step towards stopping waste of harvests.”

He continues: “It is a supply chain issue. Developed countries offset the good and bad years. The can sector is well placed to be part of a supply chain initiative.

“Take tomatoes in Italy. The need is to capture them to reduce the current waste of 50% that occurs between the field and the consumer. A large part of this results from the supermarket’s criteria for shape and size. Mature fruit and vegetables must be captured, but there are obstacles and difficulties in the way. And as each step goes forward you get more waste and a loss of vitamin content.”

There are social as well as scientific issues to capturing produce in season. In the UK for example, waste food levels have reached 35%, according to figures from Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP). “Food sold today will be simply thrown away, often due to economically poor choices,” Gordon Shade observes.

Alex Jennings, vice president of sales and marketing at Rexam Beverage Can, makes the point that the industry target for steel recycling is 80% by 2020; it currently stands at 72%. “This shows we are managing resources carefully and well,” he says, which chimes with brand owners’ views of a sustainable future because it goes back into a melting pot – a material-to-material loop without loss of quality.

Rexam is also ensuring that it reduces and improves the environmental footprint of the company. Although capacity has expanded, it has reduced road miles, for example, with ‘through the wall’ operations for Coca-Cola and Red Bull.

Alex Jennings also makes an attractive commercial case for metal. “Implementation of new sizes takes a product into new era.” He notes how Red Bull has become the “fantastic brand it is today” in its slim-line Rexam packaging. “As Red Bull has grown, we have grown.” Indeed, energy drinks are now synonymous with the slim can.

Functional drinks can take many different forms. Rexam recently produced a can for Brazilian company Sunlover whose ‘beauty drink’ is claimed to improve the skin and tan. Rexam understands that supplying innovative brands and start-ups is good for business and makes it possible for David to work with Goliath by offering runs starting at 50,000 units.

Reclosable metal packaging, such as Rexam’s aluminium Fusion bottle, remains in niche markets, despite being a critical success and winning awards globally, But Rexam aimsö to make it more mainstream in the next five years, Jennings tells Packaging Today. “It’s a great product. There is the capability to shape bottles so that brands can have their identity.”

Recycled aluminium takes 95% less energy to convert than virgin material. This, in Jennings’ view, is an important but lesser known fact about the format that could become significant in the next few years.

Propellant makes a difference

UK based engineering company R&R Midlands took up the challenge to build a rotary gassing machine using compressed air as the propellant with potential to save money for the client, improve safety in production and make it cheaper for used aerosol cans to be recycled.

The client, a major blue chip company, seized on the more environmentally responsible system of replacing the usual butane or propane propellants to gain a competitive edge over its rivals, explains Surjit Bajwa, managing director at R&R. The user avoids the cost of expensive gassing propellants, in this case butane, and also does away with having to use explosive-proof equipment at its production facility, an additional saving.

To complicate matters, R&R had to use a second-hand machine base to build the prototype gassing machine. This caused major technical issues as the base was restricted in pitch circle diameter (PCD), and, with the required running speed of 300 cans/min stipulated by the client, posed further challenges.

The risk of failure in the task was extremely high, says Bajwa, but the machine was completed successfully 16 weeks from the initial client enquiry. Production is now at its peak and new air propellant aerosol cans for an air freshener brand are selling in major supermarket stores.

R&R is now working on designs that will provide faster gassing machines running at speeds of up to 500 cans/min. In addition, says Bajwa, “We are able to offer desiccant dryer systems integrated into the machine design for aerosol can pressurisation at high speeds for the food industry.”

A can-do attitude seems to be growing in the metal industry, and while it cannot expect to save the world alone, its supply chain approach shows it wants to help lead the way to answers.

Run by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) on behalf of the metal packaging industry, the Aerofoil programme is rapidly increasing recycling rates for both aerosols and foil trays, says Alupro executive director Rick Hindley.

Already 98% of local authorities collect food and drink cans at the kerbside, but aerosols and foil trays have been somewhat overlooked by collection systems, as there has been a perception that they are ‘difficult to recycle’.

Launched in 2009, the Aerofoil programme is changing that by helping local authorities and their waste collection partners to expand recycling programmes to include aerosols and foil food trays.

As a result, 79% of local authorities now provide aerosol recycling at the kerbside (compared to 67% in 2009) and 66% offer recycling of foil trays (up from 60% in 2009). That equates to an additional 3.5 million households across the UK now being able to recycle aerosols and 1.7 million more households being able to recycle foil trays.

With landfill tax due to rise to £80/tonne by 2014, and aluminium identified by government as a possible material to include in a future landfill ban, removing metal packaging from landfill streams is becoming increasingly important.

The Aerofoil initiative is funded by Unilever and the major aluminium foil container manufacturers: Coppice Alupack, i2r Packaging Solutions, Jena and Nicholl Food Packaging. Other partners include the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA) and steel packaging recycler Tata Steel Packaging Recycling UK.

Viewpoint: Recycling aerosols is a breeze

Germany’s König Brewery has celebrated the 100th anniversary of its König Pilsener premium brand with the first 568ml can with a printed tactile surface, produced for the German market by Ball Packaging Europe (BPE).

The central feature is the brand logo, a gold crown on a circular red background with a gold surround, decorating a large area on the front and back of the can. The crown and the surround are printed in tactile ink, setting them apart to the touch from the smooth remaining surface of the can.

“The logo already has a premium sheen to it. Now it also has an unmistakable texture that gives it a high quality feel as well,” explains Holger Grabow, sales manager at BPE.

Decoration gives a touch of royalty

Rexam Beverage Can Europe worked with filling partner DIS, of The Netherlands, to install new equipment for filling wine in cans, to allow a ‘smoother and more precise filling technique’. Among the beneficiaries is the Wild Pelican brand. The machinery filters the wine during unloading, measures and maintains the mineral and oxygen levels within the wine and preserves the product before final filling.

Marco Geurten, chief executive at DIS, says: “We see big opportunities in the market for wine in cans, particularly amongst the younger consumers, and we believe that our investments will allow the best level of filling quality and will ensure that the finest quality wines reach the end consumer.”

Wild Pelican wines from France, Spain, Italy, Hungary and South Africa are being packaged in Slim 200ml and 250ml cans which feature Rexam’s matt varnish, and will be available across Europe, China and onboard some airlines.


Rexam has produced a can for Brazilian company Sunlover, whose ‘beauty drink’ is claimed to improve the consumer's skin and tan. Sunlover Rexam employs machinery to ensure Wild Pelican wine is canned at its best. Wild Pelican Konig Pilsener is the first 568ml can with a printed tactile surface by Ball Packaging Europe. Konig

Wild Pelican Wild Pelican
Sunlover Sunlover
Konig Konig


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