Checkout
Aluminum is Replacing Plastic as the Greenest Bottle
- Beverage companies are under pressure to curb use of plastics
- U.S. aluminum can sheet deficit seen as consumers shun plastic
An employee inspects aluminum cans as they pass along the production line at a Ball packaging plant, in Belgrade, Serbia.
Photographer: Oliver Bunic/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The drive to turn products more eco-friendly is sweeping through the U.S. beverage market, with plastic being replaced in everything from red Solo cups to Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. water bottles.
In place of the petrochemical material, aluminum is emerging as a more sustainable option to cater to environmentally conscious consumers. That shift is threatening to dislodge the entrenched position of plastics in the American drinks industry, while helping boost shares of companies such as Ball Corp., the biggest aluminum can producer in the world.