Ball Alumi-Tek

Aluminium Ball packaging / Source: Ball

Food & BeverageFood GradeLeak ProofPackaging

WHAT WE SAY:

Great design challenges convention. Aluminium bottles have historically been a niche market, but now advances in technology are converging with new customer expectations to mean that they are an increasingly relevant option for designers.

Lighter and more portable than glass, their sustainability credentials are anchored in their durability and recyclability. And we haven’t even mentioned how Alumi-Tek's print techniques offer you a brilliant canvas to make a bold statement, far beyond that of a traditional label.

Ball Alumi-Tek

WHAT IS BALL ALUMI-TEK?

Alumi-Tek bottles are lightweight, infinitely recyclable bottles made of Aluminium.
The bottles are entirely mono-material, making them recyclable from cap to bottle.
Bottles can be customised via direct-to-bottle printing, meaning there is no need to separate paper labels.
The bottles can also be fitted with speciality inks and over-varnishes for special effects such as temperature-sensitive, colour-changing graphics or Day-Glo graphics.
Alumi-Tek bottles come in two sizes: 12 ounces and 16 ounces.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Food Grade
Leak Proof

INDUSTRY:

Food & Beverage
Packaging

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

Ball has been making Alumi-Tek bottles as far back as 2011, when it first produced the items due to strong consumer demand for aluminium packaging.
Alumi-Tek bottles are well suited for the craft beer brand segment (as their opacity helps prolong the product’s shelf life), and for premium carbonated beverages designed to be consumed on-the-go, such as energy drinks. They are similar in weight to a typical carbonated PET bottle, and more durable and lighter than Glass.
When compared to glass, the company’s independently commissioned LCA shows that aluminium products are more energy efficient because of their lighter weight and the lower temperatures required in their production.
Alumi-Tek bottles are not entirely aluminium, however, and do go through a process of coating, processing through tooling dies and oven curing for creative designs. All coatings are incinerated in the smelting process when recycled.
The majority of Ball’s aluminium is sourced in Europe, where the carbon impact of its aluminium is lower than territories such as China.

Ball Alumi-Tek bottle / Source: Ball

Aluminium Ball packaging / Source: Ball

KEY FACTS:

37%

In North America, the carbon footprint of primary aluminium production was reduced by 37% per tonne of aluminium between 1995 and 2010

13,100tns

The weight of used aluminium beverage cans collected for recycling was 13,100 tonnes in Myanmar, representing a recycling rate of 96% in 2019

Key questions to ask:

Can you source recycled aluminium?

Virgin aluminium is energy and carbon intensive, with the industry contributing an average of 2% of global greenhouse emissions – equivalent to about 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide. Considering that around 75% of aluminium ever made is still in use today, there is no need to create new metals for disposable products. Work with Ball to switch to recycled feedstocks.

Where will your product be consumed?

While the global recycling rate of aluminium is far higher than that of plastic, it still varies regionally. According to Ball, the recycling rate for aluminium cans was 97.4% in Brazil in 2020, 75.8% in Europe and only 45.2% in the US. Consider the location of your end consumer and adjust communication strategies accordingly, perhaps even offering in-store recycling facilities for regions with lower rates.

What type of decoration do you need?

Printing inks are notoriously plastic in colourful disguise, and printing a recyclable bottle with unrecyclable decoration will send mixed messages to your consumer and undermine your packaging choice. Determine what inks and coatings Ball uses, knowing that just because they are incinerated in the smelting process doesn't negate the fact they may have derived from fossil fuels.