Demand for aluminium aerosol cans down slightly in 2021

Despite an overall decline, deliveries for the hair mousses and shaving foams markets increased.

The International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) reports that global shipments by its members declined by 1.2 percent in 2021 to around 5.6 billion units.

While the main end-use market of deodorants remained roughly at the previous year's level, deliveries to the hair mousses, shaving foams and food markets increased, in some cases by double digits. By contrast, the segments for hair sprays, sun care and pharmaceutical products, as well as for disinfectants, household and technical articles, were weaker than in the previous year.

The slight decline in shipments was mainly due to lower demand from the EU member states plus the United Kingdom. Overall, the North and South American markets were roughly level with the previous year, while deliveries to Asia and the Middle East even increased, in some cases significantly.

Demand for sustainable packaging solutions remains high on customers' agendas. The ecological footprint of the cans is being sustainably improved through targeted weight reductions and the use of optimized coating systems. The excellent sustainability performance of aluminium aerosol cans is rounded off by the optimum recyclability of aluminium, which can be recycled almost indefinitely without any loss of quality.

The forecasts for 2022 are cautiously optimistic. Order intake in the first quarter of 2022 so far bodes well for aluminium aerosol can manufacturers' business in the first half of the year, but the exorbitantly high energy prices driving inflation, and tensions in the supply chain for electronic control parts for machinery are dampening the industry’s mood.

By far the greatest concern for manufacturers, however, is the war in Ukraine with the accompanying uncertainty and upheavals in the markets.