The key of choosing printing on aluminum cans for 250ml beverages lies in the triple advantage of “precise marketing × cost-effectiveness × sustainability”. Take the example of Red Bull Summer 2023 limited Edition. It utilizes digital UV printing technology, increasing the resolution of the can pattern to 1,200 dpi (compared to traditional offset printing of 600 dpi), reducing the color deviation rate (ΔE) from the industry norm of 3.5 to 0.8, increasing shelf time for consumers by 2.3 seconds, and driving a 19% sales increase of single products. The cost increased by 22% (the unit cost increased from $1.99 to $2.43). Custom printing earned Red Bull over 520 million user-generated content (UGC) impressions during the TikTok Challenge, and its brand interaction rate increased by 37%.
The cost-benefit model also aids in decision-making. The mold start-up cost of traditional offset printing is as much as $12,000 (with a minimum order quantity of 500,000 cans), while digital printing systems (e.g., Ball Corporation’s DigiCan system) have reduced the minimum order quantity to 50,000 cans, and the cost of can printing per unit has decreased from $0.045 to $0.028 (saving 38%). In 2024, a specific new sparkling water brand increased the convenience store channel repurchase rate by 41% through small-batch customization of printings on aluminum cans (100,000 cans per batch), besides regional designs (e.g., the California version of the surf theme), and the inventory turnover ratio increased from 5 times annually to 8 times, while the capital occupation decreased by 23%.
Environmentally sustainable technological innovation reduces harm to the environment. The laser etching technology used to print on aluminum cans instead of ink printing (for example, the Ardagh Group’s EcoLase technology) has no VOC emissions (traditional inks are 15% volatile organic compounds), and the cans are infinitely recyclable and regenerable. Having adopted this technology, Heineken reduced its carbon footprint per can by 61%, increased recycled aluminum content to 73% (EU minimum 50%), recorded a 14% sales increase in the European market, and saved 8.6 million euros in annual carbon tax expense. According to McKinsey’s estimate, the ESG scores of brands embracing eco-friendly printing technology have increased by 1.5 levels on average, and the cost of financing interest has declined by 0.6 percentage points.
Production flexibility catches up with the market’s quick response. Crown Holdings’ “Instant printing system” allows design to mass production in 48 hours, and tank parameters (height 122mm, diameter 52mm) tolerance is controlled to ±0.05mm. In 2023, 32 national flag limited edition cans of Magic Paw Energy Drink were released for sale to celebrate the World Cup. From the completion of the design to the delivery of the initial lot of 500,000 cans, it was only 72 hours (it would take 21 days the traditional way). Combined with marketing through social media, sales on the first week were 23 million US dollars, representing 18% of the quarter’s total revenue. Its flexible production line will also switch among four patterns each hour, with the defect rate being the same at 0.003% (the average in the industry is 0.12%).
Validation of the reasoning behind the choice: can printing with aluminum can speed up the cycle of introducing new products by 65% (from 45 days to 16 days), reduce the cost of marketing through packing by 42% (the ROI of standard advertisement placement is only 1.2 times, whereas the ROI of customized can bodies is 3.7 times), and reduce carbon tax costs by 35%. When Coca-Cola’s sugar-free brand drove the level of consumer engagement with embo-relief tactile printing higher, and when Vita Coco acquired a 29% increase in environmentally friendly consumers using plant-based ink cans, the 250ml aluminum can has been elevated from that of a package to that of a strategic vessel of brand equity.