Quick summary: Lighter packaging, specialized coatings, new opening systems, digital printing, and designs focused on circularity are enabling steel and aluminum to meet the needs of different products and consumption habits. These changes also call for new materials, equipment, and production processes. At OneCan Summit & Expo, companies and industry professionals can explore the technologies behind these developments.
Contents
- New applications bring new requirements for metal packaging
- Lighter packaging calls for innovation in steel and aluminum
- New coatings expand the applications of metal packaging
- Formats, opening systems, and printing respond to new consumption habits
- What is changing in steel and aluminum packaging?
- Circularity starts at the packaging development stage
- Packaging advances create new demands across the supply base
- Frequently asked questions
New applications bring new requirements for metal packaging
New products are making their way into cans, brands are exploring different formats, and the industry must balance performance, efficiency, safety, and environmental targets. In response, innovation in metal packaging is taking place across the entire package, from steel and aluminum themselves to coatings, opening systems, printing, and production processes.
The beverage sector offers a clear example. In the first half of 2026, 16.4 billion aluminum cans were sold in Brazil. Energy drinks, non-alcoholic beers, juices, and water grew by around 30% and, for the first time, reached a combined 1 billion units sold in six months, according to the Brazilian Association of Aluminum Can Manufacturers (Abralatas).
The arrival of new categories shows why a packaging format that has been part of everyday life for decades continues to evolve. Each application comes with its own requirements for preservation, strength, format, finish, and convenience. This raises a direct question for industry professionals: what advances are enabling steel and aluminum to meet these new requirements?
Lighter packaging calls for innovation in steel and aluminum
Reducing the amount of raw material used in a package may sound like a straightforward way to improve efficiency, but it requires precision. A can must withstand transportation, storage, stacking, filling, and handling while protecting its contents throughout the product’s shelf life.
This is where lightweighting comes into play. The process involves reducing package weight through thinner gauges, the mechanical properties of metals, structural design, and precise manufacturing controls.
Steel packaging has been moving in this direction for years. The Brazilian Steel Packaging Association (Abeaço) notes that material thickness has been steadily reduced, lowering package weight while preserving characteristics such as strength and tamper resistance. Production lines have advanced as well, with modern closing and welding processes capable of handling up to 1,200 units per minute.
Aluminum packaging is also being developed with lower metal use per unit. Combining material thickness, metal properties, and structural design makes it possible to produce lighter containers while maintaining the performance required for each application.
The scale of the packaging segment within Brazil’s aluminum industry makes these developments particularly relevant. Data from the Brazilian Aluminum Association (ABAL) show that packaging accounted for 32.5% of aluminum consumption in the country in 2024, the largest share among all end-use segments.
Manufacturing with thinner gauges requires precise equipment, suitable tooling, quality control, and technologies capable of operating within tight tolerances.
New coatings expand the applications of metal packaging
Packaging a beverage, food, cosmetic, or chemical product in metal requires a thorough understanding of how the contents interact with the container. Acidity, fat content, moisture, temperature, and the filling process all influence the choice of coating.
This layer performs an important technical function by providing the necessary protection for both the contents and the metal surface. New applications are driving the development of formulations tailored to the characteristics of different products.
For steel food packaging, Abeaço reports that more than 50 types of coatings have already been developed and tested for food-contact applications. The association also cites varnishes and finishes designed to meet specific manufacturing requirements.
The subject has received greater attention as regulations governing substances used in food-contact materials have changed. New requirements are encouraging research into formulations and adaptations involving suppliers of varnishes, resins, and application technologies.
There is a commercial dimension as well. A broader range of products that can be packaged safely expands the potential applications of steel and aluminum containers. Coatings developed for different product characteristics extend the use of these metals across beverages, foods, and other categories.
Formats, opening systems, and printing respond to new consumption habits
Some advances in metal packaging are directly noticeable to consumers. Lids, formats, sizes, finishes, and opening features are evolving in response to different products and consumption occasions.
Easy-open systems, different lid diameters, and options tailored to specific products are examples of this adaptation. Some applications prioritize ease of opening, while others require better preservation after opening or a container designed for a particular consumption occasion.
The diversification of the beverage segment illustrates this shift. In 2025, 34.1 billion aluminum cans were sold in Brazil. Canned water grew by 24% compared with the previous year, while categories such as ready-to-drink beverages, juices, energy drinks, and cachaça also recorded growth, according to Abralatas.
Digital printing is bringing greater flexibility to packaging presentation. In steel packaging, it has made shorter production runs viable by reducing some of the setup limitations associated with conventional processes. Abeaço points to applications for smaller brands, seasonal products, and promotional campaigns, with greater flexibility for customized packaging.
This gives brands more options when production volumes and visual identities vary. Launches, special editions, and campaigns aimed at specific audiences can be developed with packaging tailored to each project.
| What is changing in steel and aluminum packaging? | ||
| Advance | What changes in practice | Need addressed |
| Reduced thickness and weight | Less metal used while maintaining performance | More efficient use of raw materials |
| New coatings | Protection tailored to the characteristics of the contents | Safety, preservation, and new applications |
| Opening systems | Lids and opening features adapted to the product | Convenience and ease of use |
| Digital printing | Shorter runs and a wider variety of artwork | Customization and differentiation |
| Design for circularity | Efficient use of materials from the development stage | Recycling and environmental targets |
Circularity starts at the packaging development stage
Recycling often takes center stage in discussions about the sustainability of metal packaging.
In 2024, Brazil recycled 97.3% of its aluminum beverage cans, equivalent to 33.9 billion units and 417,700 metric tons of recovered material. The rate remained above 96% for the 16th consecutive year. According to ABAL, around 1 million metric tons of the aluminum products consumed in Brazil that year came from recycled metal.
Steel also has established reverse logistics initiatives. Data released by Abeaço show that approximately 82,000 metric tons of post-consumer steel cans were properly recovered in 2024 through Prolata Reciclagem.
Circularity begins at the design stage. Weight reduction, material selection, ease of separation, scrap recovery, and production efficiency are among the decisions made during package development.
Recycling aluminum uses up to 95% less energy than producing primary metal, according to ABAL. This difference in energy consumption underscores the importance of recycled content and material recovery in the sector’s environmental strategies.
Engineering, manufacturing, and recycling therefore intersect from the earliest packaging decisions, including how much raw material is used, the required performance, and how metals return to the production cycle.
Packaging advances create new demands across the supply base
Steel and aluminum remain widely used in traditional applications, but they must also keep pace with changes in products, manufacturing processes, and consumption habits. Lighter packaging, specialized coatings, new opening systems, digital printing, and designs developed with circularity in mind are already reaching production lines.
These advances create requirements across many areas of the industry. Equipment designed for new specifications, application-specific inks and varnishes, components, closure systems, printing technologies, tooling, automation, and quality control all play a part in the development of metal packaging.
OneCan Summit & Expo was created for this environment as Latin America’s first event dedicated exclusively to the metal packaging industry. The event brings together companies and professionals involved in development, manufacturing, and technology supply, providing a business setting for discussing new advances, presenting products, and building commercial relationships.
The next edition will take place April 6–8, 2027, at Distrito Anhembi in São Paulo, Brazil.
Does your company provide products, equipment, or technologies for the metal packaging industry? Interested in exhibiting at the next edition? Find out how to take part in OneCan Summit & Expo 2027 and present your solutions to professionals following the sector’s next advances.
