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Almost all 'tin cans' today aren’t made from Tin at all, but from Aluminium or Steel. Most are used in the food and drinks industry as well as for other liquids for home or industrial use. The last hundred years have seen plastic packaging take over, but in recent years designers are returning to cans as we try to kick our petrochemicals habit, and it’s easy to see why.
Cardboard easily bends and breaks and it’s no good at holding liquids or being left out in the rain unless it’s plastic-coated. Glass has its place, but it can be heavy, expensive, tricky to recycle and oh-so breakable. By contrast, the humble 'tin can' is lightweight, malleable, robust, waterproof and endlessly recyclable. Check out five innovations that are pushing what you can do with a can to the very limit.
of consumers would choose the beverage can over other packaging formats due to its sustainability benefits
cans of drink were shipped across the US and Canada in 2020
The recycling rate of aluminium cans in Brazil in 2020
Cocktails in a can are commonplace today, M&S sells them by the truckload, but brands are starting to experiment with this format to make the at-home cocktail experience as good as the in-bar one. For the US Open 2022, vodka brand Grey Goose created a specialty cocktail named The Honey Deuce. While those watching from the Grand Stand had theirs served in a commemorative cup, viewers at home could order a four-pack.
Inspired by tennis ball packaging, the at-home drinks came in cans with a twist-off lid, delivered by courier in a cardboard four-pack with reusable metal straws. To help viewers experience the cocktail at its best, the product was insulated in a tote bag so they were chilled on opening.
Sometimes the most effective solutions are the most straightforward. Daily supplements are more often than not packaged in large plastic tubs. With all the will in the world, recycling of plastics is patchy at best, with 27 million tonnes of the stuff ending up in landfill in 2018 in the US. Many authorities globally won't even pick it up kerbside.
Gnarly Nutrition has turned the clock back to tackle this issue, switching from plastic tubs for its powdered nutrition to steel cans in December 2021. Unlike plastic, steel is one of the most recycled materials around (up to 70% in the US). There’s been a price increase, but the company says that its customers have actually been demanding this shift to a more sustainable packaging solution and are happy to pay the small rise.
Everyday personal care products such as hand soap will always be in our lives, but the way we consume them must change for the better. Usually packaged in multi-component plastic bottles, with impossible-to-recycle pumps, the liquid hand soap market is expected to grow by a CAGR of 7.5% between 2022 and 2028, meaning we'll be adding more toxic bottles to landfill to keep ourselves clean than ever before.
KanKan London offers a solution to this growing mountain of waste with its refillable glass bottle and can-packaged refills. Hand wash, body wash and baby wash all come pre-filled in a standard sized can. They can be easily poured into the brand's Forever Bottle and disposed of in kerbside waste streams. What's more, the aluminium can refill is far lighter than a supersized refill offered by other brands, making the process more convenient for consumers.
ColdSnap is revolutionising the world of ice cream. Its canned offering can be stored at room temperature and then instantly frozen in just 90 seconds using the ColdSnap machine. Packaged in an infinitely recyclable can rather than a hard-to-recycle plastic tub, the innovation also saves on all the energy of keeping ice cream frozen throughout the supply chain.
We’re not going to pretend that everyone should go out and buy a pricey ColdSnap machine just to enjoy the pleasures of instant frozen dessert, but it’s absolutely worth recognising an invention that’s opened a door of possibility in the world of food and beverage.
You may drink your coffee from a mug or a flask on the go, but what about the package it comes in when you take it from the store to home? The bags of beans you see in shops may feel papery on the outside, but the truth is they’re almost always lined, zipped and valved with plastic to keep the coffee dry and fresh for grinding. It’s impossible to separate out these elements so the whole bag goes to landfill once it’s empty.
We’re used to getting instant coffee in metal tins, so why not the proper stuff? Manifesto switched to aluminium cans for its coffee packaging in August 2021, sealed with a foil lid for freshness, with a reusable plastic lid to extend its potency once opened. Stylish, lightweight, airtight, easy to transport, and easy to recycle at kerbside when it’s empty, this is coffee to talk about.
