Coca-Cola pioneered aluminum bottle packaging

Although aluminum costs several times more than glass, it is favored by major American companies because of its advantages in preserving liquid.

Now that we are used to seeing 355-milliliter aluminium cans of drinks and beer, they are also introducing aluminium bottle-shaped cans, including the familiar ones Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Anheuser-Busch.

Coca-Cola pioneered aluminum bottle packaging

Coca-Cola's iconic bottled drink is about to get a new metal makeover.

The beverage giant has announced that it will be the first to test aluminum bottles in Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero series in 2008.

Coca-Cola is the latest big name to announce a change in beverage packaging, after joining a small group of beverage makers such as Pepsi and Budweiser.

In fact, as early as late December 2007, Greenlabelart.com, the official website, launched a countdown to the launch of the new design.

Pepsi will also be heavily promoted through the Internet, posters and print media.

A limited edition of another set of six will be launched in August 2008.

Budweiser was credited with being the first company to make extensive use of aluminum bottles in the United States.

It is owned by Anheuser-Busch (A-B), America's biggest brewer, with nearly half of the country's beer market. Its brands also include Busch and Michelin.

Many A-B products use aluminum bottles, also known as bott bottles.

"Our customers are looking for new A-B products," Keith Levy, the group's vice President of brand management, said in A recent interview. "Our innovation is in aluminum bottles.

Sales of aluminium bottles have increased by 33 per cent in 2007."

With beer having to compete with cocktails and other alcoholic beverages, Levy thinks aluminum bottles are more accessible to the high-end club market dominated by highly alcoholic beverages.

"Blended drinks such as cocktails are often considered very trendy and our aluminum bottles fill the fashion gap in beer."

Levy explained.

Aluminum bottles bring cool fashion

In the United States beverage market, initially mainly sports athletes drinks and high energy drinks in aluminum bottle packaging.

And now young people in convenience stores to buy this "cool" feeling of drink products, has become a market development trend.

While giving you a homesick feel, aluminum can cool quickly, break less easily than glass bottles, and be easy to transport over long distances. It can also be positioned on cup-shaped clamps for safe transportation.

The 16-ounce aluminum bottle was first available in convenience stores and pharmacies in the United States in March 2003.

Snappo, which pioneered the use of aluminum bottles, says they are lighter and stronger than glass bottles, and can be 100 percent recycled.

In addition, compared to other containers, it is more resistant to low temperature storage, can be used to hold drinks for a longer period of time, and is suitable for multiple drinking.

Although aluminium is harder to process than plastic or glass, it is more expensive to process.

But the investment is worth it for the can and beverage companies.

"To create the latest design and the new shape of the container, we added a special closing machine (a necking machine) for the end of the empty pot and a special folding machine that wraps two folds together.

Other special equipment must also be provided on the original production line of stamping cans.

In addition, there is a need to develop several unique techniques for coating the inner and outer surfaces of aluminum bottling tanks."

Mr. Martin, of CCL Containers' aerosol division, said.