For years, canned wine has been associated with cheap booze. A recent flurry of well-branded ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages, however, has helped dispel that misconception. With rising global temperatures and the cost of living crisis, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss the financial and environmental benefits of the lowly can, especially for companies that rely on glass packaging.
Despite being relatively simple to recycle, glass bottles and containers require a tremendous amount of energy to produce. As energy prices rise globally, the cost of living crisis is already forcing manufacturers to close. In France, the AGC glass production plant, which had been in operation for 21 years, was forced to shut at the beginning of October (source: Glass International). With an impending glass shortage on the horizon, canned wine might go from being a novelty to being a necessity.
For eco-conscious consumers, this will be welcome news. Producing three 25cl aluminium cans instead of the typical 75cl wine bottle can help cut carbon emissions by 79% (source: The Financial Times). In the US, the canned wine market is predicted to reach £637m ($725.48m, €729.2m) by 2030, thanks in part to its sustainability (source: Globe Newswire).
With growing consumer acceptance, competitive prices and environmental benefits, the main thing that could hinder aluminium’s ascent is material shortages. Some 6% of the world’s aluminium is produced by Russian-owned company Rusal (source: Reuters). Although sanctions have not yet been imposed on this export, that could change.
