The companies belonging to the International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) produced nearly 3.3 billion cans in the first half of 2018, substantially more than in the same period the year before. Adjusted for the production output of new member companies, this figure represents, at any rate, a remarkable market growth of about 5 per cent.
Demand for deodorants and antiperspirants remains brisk worldwide. This is one of the main reasons for the good production output. But other cosmetic products such as dry shampoos, foaming shower gels, and sun creams also contribute to the satisfactory growth rates for the industry. Moreover, demand from the promising pharmaceutical sector is still on the rise.
An analysis of the globally significant economic areas shows that the European and North American markets, which dominate the scene in terms of quantity, remain stable at a high level. However, it is largely the markets in Asia and South America that are giving fresh impetus for growth.
The global discussions about microplastics in the environment and the growing quantities of plastic waste in the oceans also speak in favour of metal packaging. As a so-called permanent material, aluminium can be infinitely recycled without any loss of quality.
Aluminium container manufacturers are backing cooperation and research to further strengthen the excellent position this material enjoys in the field of sustainable packaging. AEROBAL President Leopold Werdich describes these activities as follows: “Our member companies are conducting intensive joint research with upstream material suppliers on new alloys for containers. These alloys will help to reduce the already low weight of aluminium containers to an even greater extent, thereby achieving the highest possible level of resource efficiency. This will, in turn, further improve the CO2 footprint of aluminium containers.”
All in all, the industry therefore has good reasons to look to the future with optimism. AEROBAL Secretary General Gregor Spengler says the current new orders and the prospects for the upcoming months are positive on the whole. So the industry is confident that in 2018 it will once again be able to exceed the already strong results from the year before.
