BofA says aluminium cans are winning over beverage brands and consumers

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Whether it's a soft drink, an energy drink or an imported beer, aluminium cans are increasingly becoming the packaging of choice. New market data analysed by Bank of America (BofA) shows the material continues to gain market share, while glass packaging loses ground across several beverage categories, reflecting changing consumer preferences and packaging trends.

According to BofA's analysis of Nielsen scanner data for the week ended July 25, 2026, non-alcoholic beverage volumes rose 0.7 per cent during the latest four-week period, with aluminium cans outperforming other packaging formats.

Aluminium can volumes increased 2.6 per cent year-on-year over the latest four weeks, while maintaining positive growth of 1.3 per cent over 13 weeks and 2.2 per cent over the past year. In comparison, glass packaging continued to lose market share, declining 4.5 per cent in the latest four weeks, while plastic packaging remained largely stable with modest 0.2 per cent growth.

Soft drinks and energy drinks continue driving aluminium can demand 

The strongest momentum came from popular beverage categories that consumers buy every day.

Canned carbonated soft drinks recorded 3.6 per cent growth in the latest four-week period, while soft drinks sold in plastic bottles declined 4.1 per cent, highlighting the growing preference for aluminium cans.

Energy drinks also continued to strengthen aluminium's position, with canned energy drink volumes rising 4.4 per cent over the same period and posting 7.9 per cent growth over the past 52 weeks. 

Meanwhile, bottled water remained one of the few bright spots for plastic packaging, recording 1.5 per cent growth in the latest four weeks.

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Alcoholic beverages paint a mixed picture

While overall alcoholic beverage volumes declined by mid-single digits across the four-week, 13-week and 52-week periods, aluminium cans continued to perform better than glass packaging.

Canned alcoholic beverages recorded a relatively modest 1.6 per cent decline during the latest four weeks, whereas alcoholic beverages packaged in glass fell 6.2 per cent over the same period.

Within the category, imported canned beer continued to grow, with volumes increasing 6.1 per cent year-on-year over the latest four weeks. Non-alcoholic beer also remained a bright spot, with canned volumes rising 11.6 per cent, although glass bottles posted even stronger growth of 15.3 per cent.

Convenience and sustainability continue supporting aluminium

The latest figures suggest aluminium cans continue to strengthen their position as beverage brands respond to changing consumer preferences for convenient, lightweight and recyclable packaging.

While plastic remains an important packaging material in several beverage categories, and glass continues to hold a presence in premium products, BofA's analysis indicates aluminium cans are steadily expanding their share of the market across a wide range of everyday drinks.

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