No can do: Virus boosts demand for aluminum
Aluminum cans are becoming harder to come by, sparking concerns for beer and soda drinkers.
Demand for cans has gone up as people stay home during the coronavirus pandemic. As consumers kick back on their couches or patios, some manufacturers have been working to crank out enough of the beverage containers, multiple news outlets reported.
“Everyone who makes anything that goes into a 12ounce can is being challenged to some respect,” Adam Collins, spokesperson for beer-maker Molson Coors, told CNN Business.
What could be behind the trend?
To help slow the spread of COVID-19, health experts have encouraged people to avoid crowded places. Concerns about the virus have also prompted officials across the country to put restrictions on bars and restaurants.
“The aluminum beverage can manufacturing industry has seen unprecedented demand for this environmentally friendly container prior to and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” industry group the Aluminum Association told USA Today. “Many new beverages are coming to market in cans, and other long-standing can customers are moving away from plastic bottles due to ongoing environmental concerns around plastic pollution.”
It’s also possible that people have created at-home stockpiles of their favorite beverages, CNN Business reported. When the coronavirus started to spread across the U.S., shoppers bought up toilet paper, hand sanitizer and other essentials, leaving some store shelves bare.
What can beer and soda fans expect?
Earlier in the pandemic, Molson Coors wrote that it had been getting enough packaged orders to rival Independence Day — usually the biggest time for sales, according to a May blog post.
Though they didn’t specifically mention that they were looking for soda cans, shoppers on Twitter recently said they had trouble finding Coca-Cola Cherry Zero, Fresca and other drinks.
“Like many companies, we are seeing greater demand for products consumed at home, and we are taking measures to adapt to the demand,” Coca-Cola wrote in one response.
The demand for at-home options has also reached breweries, an industry already hit hard by stay-athome orders. Some distributors have said cans may not be available until next year, Lee Ellis, board president of the Brewers Guild of Alaska, told KTUU.
“We’re losing our access to customers,” Ellis said.