Looking ahead to 2025
By Chris Bradford, Industrial Coatings Marketing Director at AkzoNobel
The year ahead is full of change for beverage and food can manufacturers. This will be the last full year before coatings that contain Bisphenol A (BPA) and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which protect metal packaging and its contents, are phased out in Europe. Businesses will also be grappling with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which will require many firms to report ESG (environmental, social, governance) data next year. The resulting transparency concerning the sustainability of companies and brands will continue to drive consumers further from plastics towards metal packaging, for its convenience and its sustainable proposition. Brands will appreciate its innovative use as a marketing and branding tool. In this environment AkzoNobel Packaging Coatings recognizes the need for, and will have a strong focus on, continued collaboration to support our customers, and the can making industry, to adapt and embrace the necessary changes facing them.
On 19 December 2023, the European Commission confirmed an effective ban on the use of Bisphenol A in any packaging products that come into contact with food or drink, including metal cans. The EU Member States Committee voted in June 2024, and the Council and European Parliament subsequently agreed to adopt the ban.[i]1
The scrutiny period passed with no objections from the EU Parliament or Council. Therefore, under Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190, which was published on 31 December 2024, the ban on the use of BPA in the manufacture of food-contact coatings, varnishes, printing inks, adhesives, plastics, resins, rubber and silicones takes effect from July 2026. We have a fixed transitional period of 18 months for metal can internals, which means single-use food contact articles will need to transition by 20 July 2026. And a further transitional period, by 20 January 2028, is provided for can externals, and for packaging used for certain specific exempted foods, such as seasonally harvested fruits and vegetables, and fish products.
The European Commission recognizes the enormity of the task, and it is encouraging that different transitional periods have been agreed reflecting the complexity of the substitution process and the industry. Clarity on the timelines and scope are of the utmost importance, because given the scale of the task, clear deadlines allow the industry to mitigate the risks of disruption that may come from the substitution
The effective ban on BPA in food contact materials comes at the same time as regulatory change on PFAS. The final text of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) was approved by the European Parliament and the Council at the end of 2024, and while it is about the overall food-contact packaging (not only the dry film) the limits are also so low that it effectively means a ban on PFAS in packaging. This is expected to apply 18 months after the Regulation’s entry comes into force – so packaging manufacturers and brands will likely need to be prepared for this change before June 2026.
While these bans mean significant change for canmakers and food and beverage manufacturers, the underlying sustainability trend also presents enormous opportunities. For instance, the global beverage can market is forecast to grow 5% from $33 billion in 2024 to $35 billion in 2025[ii]2 because manufacturers are increasingly shifting from plastic and glass to cans in response to consumer demand for more convenient and sustainable packaging solutions. Penrhos Spirits, for instance, recently launched gin in 100% recycled aluminum bottles - reducing energy consumption with a lower carbon footprint. Plastic, on the other hand, is not seen as sustainable, and glass is heavier and more prone to breakage. Further, neither has the recyclable advantages of metal packaging.
Metal cans and bottles are convenient for consumers to carry and use on the go. Drinks can be sold in single portions instead of family-sized, offering added convenience and sustainability. Metal cans also appeal to manufacturing brands because they are stackable, making transporting and storing the final product easier, and provide a relatively large surface for marketing and branding. The protection from light also makes it a preferred packaging type for drink categories like beer.
Aside from the shift away from plastic and glass, the market is being driven by the rise in health and welfare trends, with more sports drinks, fresh fruit juice, water, and non-alcoholic beverages being sold in cans. The single serve nature of metal packaging is a clear portion control and health benefit. In the coming years, these trends are expected to increase the CAGR (compound average growth rate) to over 6% and drive the market to reach $45 billion by 2029[iii]3.
With more beverages canned and stacked on crowded shelves in supermarkets and convenience stores, making a brand stand out becomes ever harder. But both the shape and the surface can be used to create more distinctive packaging designs, textured and embossed finishes, or even personalising cans with the consumer’s name, or using oval or square shapes to create opportunities to stand out in-store and at home.
A concerted effort
In a time of innovation such as this, any new metal coating must be adaptable to the critical process requirements by canmakers and brands alike. The metal packaging industry continues to prioritise switching to new-generation coating technologies in order to be compliant with evolving Bisphenol A regulations across the globe.
Even at this early stage of the transition period in much of Europe, Bisphenol A non-intent (BPAni) coatings are already successfully used by the industry in various regions. European can manufacturers are testing new Bisphenol-free coatings in time to incorporate them into their production lines before the EU regulatory deadline in 18 months. It is a vast, coordinated effort right across the industry. Every part of the supply chain is coming together to test, plan, and begin swapping in the new coatings - brands, can makers and coating suppliers.
Since we expect to see growing BPA restrictions at the state level in the US, and in Brazil and China, we will likely see a similar pattern to testing and adoption beyond Europe.
Minimizing disruption
Before taking the old coatings off-line, canmakers must be satisfied that the new coatings will fit easily into their existing production process with little or no retooling or modifications to the production lines and minimal disruption. Any disruption to production lines can result in lost working time which is a significant loss in the amount of goods produced, delayed product deliveries, disappointed customers, and missed revenues and profits.
A final consideration in the regulatory restrictions on BPA is regrettable substitution. Manufacturers will rightly want to avoid swapping to alternatives that contain substances which are later classified as material of concern. Given the potentially high cost of switching to new coatings, AkzoNobel’s latest generation coatings are designed to go beyond the imminent regulatory changes and eliminate future materials of concern, such as styrene which will likely come under scrutiny in the longer term.
Swap in products
Food and beverage brands are testing the performance of alternative coatings. Together with the canmakers, they rigorously test the compatibility with different foodstuffs and beverages, checking shelf-life, taste, and corrosion performance under various storage conditions over six to twelve months. These new Bisphenol-free (BPXni) internal coatings are more chemically resistant and have superior corrosion prevention than previous coatings.
In addition to corrosion protection, the latest generation of Bisphenols (non-intent), PFAS (non-intent), and styrene-free internal coatings for beverage cans must also provide superior levels of flexibility and sensory experience to meet the diverse needs of metal packaging manufacturers and their brand customers. Accelshield™ 300 beverage inside spray coating, which we launched a year ago, is proving to be a viable and safe alternative for manufacturers, even for the most challenging liquids. Laboratory and brand testing so far has pointed to an improved flavor performance compared to earlier solutions on the market. It forms part of a range of coatings for the entire beverage can, including the AccelshieldTM 700 internal can end coating, and the AccelstyleTM 100 and AccelstyleTM 200 waterborne gloss and matt overprint varnishes (OPV). Compared to previous epoxy-based coatings, this new generation also cures rapidly, helping manufacturers reduce their energy consumption, costs and environmental impact.
Similarly, manufacturers of easy-open food cans, for example, need PVC-free and Bisphenol-free (BPXni) aluminum or gold size coats with a gold topcoat that can be easily swapped into their existing lines and applied with rollers. The SecurshieldTM 500 Series internal coating, launched last year, is free of PVC and BPXni, and is suitable for a wide range of metal food packs and salty or acidic preserved foods such as vegetables, fish, or fruit. The flexibility helps coil coaters optimize production efficiencies even on tandem lines and chrome-free substrates.
A more sustainable solution
ESG regulations now start to require many companies including most can makers, coating suppliers and brand owners to measure and report their Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. Scope 3 requires gathering and reporting data on suppliers, so for both the canmakers and brands, it includes the emissions generated by coatings manufacturers such as AkzoNobel.
In response to these requirements, food and beverage brands and can makers are developing strategies to reduce their use of harmful materials and carbon emissions from manufacturing processes. So, we are seeing interest in coatings that support these efforts such as Accelshield™ 300 BPAni spray which has a carbon footprint 27% lower than early epoxy-based coatings.
Ramping up supply
We know how important it is for our customers to have confidence in supply volumes for these new coatings to support their transition, which is why we have been investing in production. A new plant at Villafranca, which produces our Bisphenol-free coatings for the metal packaging industry in EMEA, will be fully operational by mid-2025. This will follow a €32 million investment programme to build the plant to high eco-efficiency standards, using advanced automation which will facilitate a step-change in energy and material efficiency.
Changes are not only happening in Europe. With Asia being one of the world’s largest food packaging markets, and one that is also experiencing rising demand for healthier and more environmentally conscious food and beverage can coatings, we have been investing here too in order to meet these local needs. Last year, we started our first line for BPAni internal and external metal can coatings at our performance coatings site in Shanghai.
Creating sustainable solutions together
Together, the industry is seeking and making great strides towards reducing its impact on environmental health and securing the future of metal food and beverage packaging as a sustainable part of the circular economy.
While manufacturers are all heading in the same direction, they won’t be ready simultaneously. For some the process of swapping in new technologies for old could take a year, for others it may take longer. But it is clear to see that can makers and brands are already well progressed in preparing for the switch by qualifying compliant technologies and securing supply volumes to ensure a smooth transition within the initial 18-month period.
[ii] https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/beverage-can-global-market-report
[iii] https://www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com/report/beverage-can-global-market-report