Calling all Student Scorsese Wannabes

The Can Makers have launched a nationwide search for the best video dispelling the myths around recycling drinks cans.  “Myth Busting – what happens to your drinks can when it’s recycled”,  jointly sponsored by the British Film Institute asks students to enter short videos exploring the myths of drinks can recycling, particularly what happens to our recycling, which is often misunderstood.  Entrants will have a chance to win £1,500 and be recognised nationally as a leading student filmmaker.

The celebrated British actor Danny Dyer leads a host of celebrities and experts from the environment, sustainability and film making industries who will be judging the entries.  The full list includes Danny Dyer, Actor; Craig Stevens, Sky Movies Presenter; Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent Film Critic; Jamie Crawford, Presenter and Environmental Filmmaker; Jennifer Granville, Director of Northern Film School, Leeds Metropolitan University; Dr Colin Church, DEFRA; and Noel Goodwin, BFI Education Programmer for Young People.

Entrants will need to submit a video, no more than two minutes in length, which busts some of the popular drinks can recycling myths.  Whether it’s an animation, a funny stunt or a short documentary, the winning student will be rewarded the top prize of £1,500.  The winner of each of the five sub-categories will win £500.

The closing date for entries is Thursday 28^th February 2013.
Full terms and conditions and information on how to enter are available on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CanMakersVideo.

The evolution of the drinks can: changing the consumer’s can

Since the drinks can’s introduction in the 1930s, society has continually changed and evolved but through it all, the drinks can has remained a popular drinks pack. This is the first of two blogs that explore how drinks cans have changed with society.

 

It was the 1930s that the drinks can came about. The world was much smaller thanks to intercontinental flights and the start of air mail. Good ideas and inventions could then spread across the globe at a faster pace. Canned beer was first developed in 1930 in the US. Easier communication of ideas meant that technology evolved in the UK and it was introduced in 1935.  The first cans were constructed from three pieces of metal with a cone-shaped top, looked like bottles and had a screw cap.

The period between the thirties and sixties was one of war, upheaval, rebuild, austerity and rigidity. In the sixties, views began to relax as did licensing laws. Alcohol became more widely available in supermarkets, for which cans were perfectly suited. Light and durable, cans also required minimal shelf space.

More changes in social attitudes and desires in the seventies saw supermarkets increase product variety and choice, so less shelf space was available. This was ideal for cans which, thanks to the new two-piece construction, could be stacked and easily displayed. Multipacks were also increasingly popular and the introduction of ring-pulls did away with keys, adding another level of convenience and saw a marked increase in canned drink sales.

The eighties – an extremely difficult economic period at the start finished with boom and economic growth. Manufacturing improvements and efficiency were vital and the can underwent lightweighting and continual innovation.  By 1981, two-piece cans led the UK market. In the second half of the decade, times had changed as had consumers’ lifestyles and the can remained popular – still drinks in cans were introduced, the retained ring-pull was developed and a lighter can with a more cost-effective way of production was in place.

Our next blog will explore the nineties, the “naughties” and present day.

The European Can Market Report 2011 has arrived

2011 was another positive one for the beverage can market, which enjoyed yet another year of growth in Europe. Drinks cans continue to be a popular choice for fillers and consumers alike. The annual BCME European Can Market Report details European trends, market performance, consumer behaviour, recycling activity and much more.

For fillers, the can offers a 360 degree billboard for brand promotion in addition to recyclability and on-the-go convenience. For consumers, the can offers a drinks pack which keeps its contents fresh whilst remaining cool and trendy. The drinks can continues to go from strength to strength, not only with its innovative shapes, the variety of sizes and finishes available, but also with expanding offerings available including ready mixed drinks and wine.

In Europe, BCME has been working with Metal Packaging Europe to highlight metal as a permanent material that is infinitely recyclable and reusable – a fact now recognised by the European Parliament, which has endorsed the European Commission’s Resource Efficiency Roadmap, specifically calling for ‘permanent materials’ such as metal to be made a new resource category. Within the report you will also find details of BCME’s commitment to sustainability through our continued support of recycling campaigns. We have been working hard to communicate best practice on every aspect of can handling.

With a whole host of sporting events across Europe, we hope that the beverage can continues to perform well in 2012. For more information about BCME and to read the report in full, visit http://www.bcme.org/home

How V Festival is making Every Can Count

Music festivals see lots of cans consumed, brought in by campers and sold onsite, making them the perfect fit for Every Can Counts, the programme that’s getting people recycling at work and on the go. As Festival organisers are keen to reduce their environmental footprint and raise the profile of the event’s green credentials, Every Can Counts provides a platform for this.

This video shows Every Can Counts at work at V Festival in Telford. The programme joined forces with contractors Ryans Event Cleaning and Panda Waste to collect, sort and process the cans onsite. Ryans and Panda set up can recycling points across the site. Every Can Counts were responsible for communicating the recycling message, providing highly visible and interactive promotions during the event to encourage festival-goers to do the right thing with their empty cans. Cans recovered in the waste stream were sorted onsite, with equipment provided by Novelis Recycling.

Around 130,000 cans, which equates to over two tonnes of aluminium and steel, were collected at V. A great achievement considering every can is infinitely recyclable without loss of quality and each can recycled substantially reduces the environmental footprint of the next one made.

Click here to watch the video: www.youtube.com/everycancounts

A look back at the Soft Drinks International Conference

The Soft Drinks International Conference, held at the Tower Hotel, London, saw delegates from all over the world come together to discuss the soft drinks industry. Topics ranged from packaging and innovation, to consumer behaviour and sustainability. Representatives included Geoff Courtney, Chairman of the UK Can Makers, and Every Can Counts and MetalMatters Director, Rick Hindley as well as UK and international representatives from Coca Cola Enterprises, Euromonitor, Canadean and UNESDA (Union of European Soft Drinks Associations) to name but a few.

Representing the UK Can Makers, Geoff Courtney’s presentation was a dynamic look at the beverage can covering three main themes: Evolution, Innovation and Sustainability. Used for soft drinks since the 1950s, the can has undergone continual evolution, keeping up with changing needs and holding its own as a consumer pack of choice for soft drinks. Of particular note are continual lightweighting, the expansive range of appearances, shapes, sizes and formats available and the fresh tasting, cold beverage that the humble can provides. Geoff also discussed sustainability initiatives supported by the Can Makers such as Every Can Counts and MetalMatters programmes.

Overall, the conference was very informative, well attended and a great success and we would like to thank the organisers from Soft Drinks International magazine for a most enjoyable and enlightening conference.

Why consumers prefer drinks cans

Why are drinks cans so popular with consumers in the UK? BCME and the UK Can Makers commissioned a recent study with GfK examining attitudes and perception to drinks packaging, which was a follow up study to one conducted in 2007. The survey highlighted the growing popularity of the can and the reasons why it is a preferred pack format amongst consumers.

The research revealed that 60% of respondents consume at least one canned drink per week –a considerable increase on 48% in 2007. The top three things consumers wanted from drinks packaging were taste, freshness and value for money. When it comes to perception, consumers agree that drinks from cans taste good. The research also shows cans are perceived as delivering “good value for money” and “freshness”, as well as a “recyclable pack” that is “easy to drink from”.

All demographics are drinking from cans more often, particularly men and those aged between 14 and 17 years old. More people than ever before are also drinking cans on the move and are conscious of convenience when making a purchase. There has been a marked increase of those drinking cans of energy drinks and single serve CSDs – also reflected in a previous blog about the UK and European can market results from 2011.

It’s clear from the research that beverage cans remain a pack of choice for consumers. They provide consumers with a convenient container which is cost effective and recyclable – key drivers when consumers come to make their purchasing decision

 *Research was conducted by GfK, a leading global market research and consumer insight agency, and is a follow up study to one conducted in 2007. The sample was demographically representative of 14-54 year olds who drank carbonated soft drinks (CSDs), energy, sports drinks and beer (aged 18 and over)