Metal packaging continues to be an important, and growing, pack type in Asia Pacific, led by metal beverage cans for soft drinks and beer, which account for the bulk of metal packaging in the region. While metal packaging was negatively impacted by the pandemic in 2020, it had been recording positive growth in the earlier years of the historic period, driven by alcoholic drinks packaging, with further positive growth expected over the forecast period.
This report comes in PPT.
Metal beverage cans, widely used for alcoholic drinks and soft drinks, make up the bulk of metal packaging in Asia Pacific. Other types of metal beverage packaging remain relatively small, with metal food cans, still widely used in packaged food and dog and cat food, having much lower sales than metal beverage cans.
China saw the greatest absolute volume growth in metal packaging over the historic period, driven by alcoholic drinks, but also other categories such as hot drinks. Increasing dog and cat populations, as well as an ever rising share for prepared food, means that metal packaging in dog and cat food is seeing particularly strong growth in China.
Competition from other pack types, such as rigid plastic or flexible packaging, continues to impact metal packaging in Asia Pacific. Rigid plastic packaging can offer affordability and convenience, while flexible packaging can be used to offer consumers lightweight and versatile packaging solutions.
Smaller pack sizes, in particular 101-300ml and 300-500ml, continue to dominate, and have been on the rise. Dominated by metal beverage cans, single-serve pack sizes continue to be popular, reflecting on-the-go consumption trends.
However, metal can fight back as a practical but premium solution. For example, in coffee, Illy is sticking to metal tins with a premium positioning in China. Its fresh coffee is stored with nitrogen to maintain the aroma and quality as if it were just roasted. Meanwhile, UCC has launched Largo speciality coffee in metal tins that it claims can retain the product’s freshness for four years.
While in other regions concern about plastic waste will be one of the growth drivers of metal packaging in the future, in Asia Pacific, other issues, such as low cost and convenience, are currently deemed more important by manufacturers and consumers. However, increasing government efforts to reduce and manage packaging waste could help to drive growth in metal packaging in the future.
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