A Time and Place for Business and Pleasure

Soft Drinks International is one of the oldest soft drinks publications in the UK and May 2012 will see the very first Soft Drinks International Conference take place in London. Our guest blogger is Phillip Tappenden, Editor, Soft Drinks International

The non-alcoholic beverage industry is such an exciting and dynamic beast, with constant innovation and continual technological advances. Add
into the mix, trends towards all-natural ingredients, along with desires for functionality, concerns for health and wellness, and considerations such as sustainability and the environment, and you begin to understand the complex range of challenges facing those with the ‘simple’ task of putting a desirable and safe beverage on the retailers’ shelves.

But it is the very nature of this fast-moving and highly innovative industry that makes it so interesting, and such a pleasure to be a part of. Whether learning of novel ingredients, understanding the complexities of product formulation, sensory profiling, process hygiene, or package light-weighting and recyclability – the science and technology employed is truly fascinating. And, it’s only when you have an overview of what goes into bringing a beverage to market, that you begin to understand how the individual elements and disciplines work together, and thus where additional opportunities may exist.

I’ve only been involved with Soft Drinks International for the past 15 years or so, but since first being published as The British & Colonial Water Trade Journal, way back in 1888, the publication has witnessed much change. Throughout the 1,500 monthly issues – not even interrupted by either of the world wars – SDI has faithfully reported to the international non-alcoholic beverage industry for more than a century.

It’s partly in celebration of this 125 year publishing milestone, that SDI will hold its inaugural conference in May 2012. Supported by many trade organisations, including the British Soft Drinks Association and the International Society of Beverage Technologists, this, the first SDI – International Soft Drinks Conference, will be held in London, two months ahead of the Olympics.

Aimed at middle and senior management, the event will have a truly international and multi-disciplinary perspective, and will provide an ideal opportunity for all those involved, directly or indirectly, in the non-alcoholic beverage arena, to meet together under one roof and to debate the issues affecting the future of our industry.

Held over two days, with speakers delivering stimulating and topical content, combined with ample networking opportunities, the conference will include an evening cruise on the river Thames, followed by a gala dinner.

A time and a place for the industry to come together – for business and for pleasure.

For further information email conference@softdrinksinternational.com or call +44 (0)1202 842222.

Bid for your very own piece of can art

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Launched in June by TV presenter and avid recycler, Miquita Oliver, BCME’s i luv my can competition challenged lovers of iced-cold drinks to turn ordinary beverage cans into beautiful creations for a chance to win an amazing prize fund and help a worthy charity. Ten entries have been shortlisted for the top prize and you can bid to own one of them in the upcoming online auction.

The ten finalists include a gorgeous couture-inspired bustier made from empty beer cans, a lanyard made from ring pulls intricately woven together, a working desk  lamp created  out of a single soft drinks can, and an eight foot Union Jack flag designed using over 250 individual cans. There were also some incredibly creative canny videos showing everything from a can’s white water adventure to a stop motion video of a beautiful can balloon’s flight.

 

The canny creations will be auctioned online alongside a bespoke piece Can Forks, by artist Sam Sheristan, featuring 98 individual forks made entirely from drinks cans. Proceeds from the online auction will be donated to the Art Fund, UK’s leading charity that helps secure great art for museums and galleries for everyone to enjoy. The overall winner of the competition will  receive £1000 plus a year’s supply of their favourite canned drink.

For your chance to secure one of the unique creations for your office or personal enjoyment, you can bid in the eBay auction which has just kicked off. The auction will close at 8pm on the 23rd of October so get bidding!

The ten finalists are:

• Most Artistic Can – Spider Can, by Ade Dalby
• Most Fashionable Can –  Can Bustier, by Hannah Sykes
• Most Unusual re-use of a Can – Can Lanyard, by Philippine Community Fund
• Anything Goes – Can Flag, by Robert Kitchen (bid)
• Best Can Furniture – Cangle Poise Lamp, by Ade Dalby (bid)

 

• Most Extreme Can – Ken’s Big Day Out, by Alan Ward
• Best Can Landmark – Tower Bridge, by David Surrey and Lewis Dee-Thomas
• Most Intrepid Can – Cantern, by James Edenborough
• Best Can Trick – Ace Shot, by Lee Pretious
• Ultimate Can Moment – Original Song and Dancing Can, by Anthony Johnson

To view the ten finalists visit www.iluvmycan.co.uk and to make a bid on the charity eBay auction to raise money for the Art Fund visit or search for i luv my can at www.ebay.co.uk.

 

 

 

European first six month can sales lifted by a warm spring and the expectation of summer

The European economic climate may remain uncertain with the recovery showing signs that it is losing momentum, but it was the warm weather in many markets in quarter 2 that raised thirst levels and drinks demand in the first half of 2011. The hot spring weather across much of the region was good news for beverage packaging manufacturers and this was reflected in the jump of 6% in unit sales reported by the beverage can industry association Beverage Can Makers Europe.

Soft drinks were the main benefactors of the good conditions and BCME figures show a  healthy can sales increase of 8% on the comparable period in the first half of 2010. This compares to an overall increase of 2% across the soft drinks category according to research company Canadean. Of course carbonated soft drinks enjoy hot conditions but the irrepressible energy drink category has made another valuable contribution to the performance. The category remains in the growth stage of its lifecycle and this bodes well for future prospects for both cans and energy drinks.

Though economic anxieties of recent times have affected beer sales in Europe’s bars and restaurants, with an overall increase of just 0.4%, there was an encouraging rise in beer can unit sales of between 2 and 3% in the first half of the year as the bulk of can sales take place in supermarkets.

Eastern Europe, which was hit harder by the financial crisis of 2008 than Western Europe, has seen quicker recovery in terms of overall beverage can volumes with an increase of 10% when compared to the West’s 5% rise. However, the rise in the Western European beverage market is encouraging as the market is more mature and subsequently more challenging than its neighbour. Beer consumption in West Europe had been wavering even before the economic upheaval of 2008, so the small rise in beer can use in 2011 is worthy of merit.

Stakeholders in the beverage can industry will be buoyed by the fact that the results show that the can market in West Europe is outperforming the overall beverage market in the region; as a packaging format, cans are taking share from other beverage packaging alternatives.

Cans: The myths exploded (part 2)

Following on from our recent blog post, we wanted to look at another common misconception that people have about cans and dispel the rumours.

Some say: Cans are an environmentally unfriendly beverage package

The truth: The production of beverage cans has been made more environmentally compatible over the past 20 years. Since 1992, 50cl aluminium and steel cans are 18 percent and 26 percent lighter respectively, which means that the positive impacts are less raw material, less energy to produce and less transportation. In fact, the wall of a can is thinner than a human hair.

Not only have cans been made substantially lighter, but aluminium and steel are very easy to re-smelt, reducing the energy needed to make new cans. For the environmental footprint of beverage cans, apart from their weight, recycling is imperative. Every beverage can, whether it is made of steel or aluminium, can be recycled an infinite number of times. Since metals never lose any quality during recycling, they can be used repeatedly for new high-quality products. In addition, recycling beverage cans saves up to 95 percent of the energy required to make new metal, thereby reducing carbon emissions. Everyone can do their bit because each can that is recycled reduces the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the next can.

 For information about recycling your beverage cans click here