As if 2020 hasn’t thrown us enough weird curveballs, manufacturers are reporting a shortage of aluminum cans. Early this year, as customers hoarded Lysol and toilet paper, the hygiene industry found that they were not prepared for the demand and shortages abounded. Now, it seems, aluminum can production facilities are feeling the same sting. Keeping up with the surge of at-home beverage consumption has been a challenge, leaving companies to turn to Century Label to help them find creative ways to package their products.
The Cost of Aluminum
Aluminum itself is a fairly expensive substance for how commonplace it seems. This is largely because, though it’s one of the earth’s most common metals, it’s difficult to extract from the rock around it and uses great resources to mine anew. For this reason, and due to the ease with which aluminum can be melted down, recycling is the way to go. However, recycling plants are having a difficult time keeping up with the demands of the soda and beer industries. Because the pandemic has left millions to search for in-home fixes to their daily vices, these markets are seeing surges in take-home sales.
An Eco-Friendly Problem
The good news about this shortage is that it’s an indication that consumers understand the “green factor” behind buying cans over bottles. This green-awareness may be just the double-edged sword that’s causing manufacturers to scramble for new solutions. Though pre-pandemic beverage trends showed a shift from the antiquated “bottle service” standard to that of craft-brew cans, once March hit, we saw this phenomenon accelerate ten-fold. For beverage manufacturers, small breweries especially, cans are appealing because they are cheaper to obtain and therefore increase profits. Retail stores have an easier time storing cans due to their relatively compact nature and uniform shape, whereas bottles can vary from brand to brand and often can’t be stacked. Consumers have an easier time carrying a case of Coke cans to their car over a six-pack of bottles. Cans just make sense all around.
Moving Forward in a Shortage
So, what is to be done with the market’s catchall product is experiencing a shortage?
The craft beer market is getting extra creative with their solutions. Many breweries are opting for can designs that cover the entire surface of the can rather than simply a logo or sticker. This opens the door of reusability, as they don’t have to worry about an old logo showing through if the entire can is covered with the new design. These new methods that utilize pressure sensitive labels are often easy to apply and don’t require any special equipment, making them a popular solution to this very niche problem.
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If you need this kind of creative solution for your beverage canning business, contact us today to learn about all of the custom label options that Century Label has available.
