The demand for products in metal packaging has risen in India amid growing customer awareness and commitment to buying sustainable products.

That is according to Amit Lahoti, VP and GM, India and Southeast Asia, Ball Beverage Packaging, as reported by The Hindu Times.

The per capita consumption of canned products in India is at one per annum, while it is 70 in Vietnam and 40 in China.

Lahoti said that the demand for more aluminium cans was being driven by safety concerns in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is increased awareness around how plastic packaging is adversely affecting marine life, polluting the rivers and oceans and ending up as non-degradable heaps of waste at landfills,” he said.

“More Indians are now purchasing items based on social responsibility, inclusiveness and environmental impact.

“COVID-19 has increased consumer awareness and commitment to buying sustainable products.”

To cater to the growing demand the company is expanding its packaging offering to various other segments such as sparkling water, wine and alcoholic drinks such as whiskey, rum and vodka.

“Alcohol in 180 ml cans was recently introduced in Rajasthan [by a prominent spirits company]. We are looking to expand that into various other States,” Lahoti added.

“We have also worked on our technology around coatings inside the cans to enable us to package wine in cans. A small serving in a can is always convenient.

“The other category that we have looked at is chilled water. This [is targeted at] premium locations where drinking water is being sold at ₹50-60 a bottle,” he added.

The current market size for aluminium beverage cans is ₹1,500 crore per year and the annual market size for new categories such as spirits is estimated at ₹360 crore.