Cans shining bright

As it celebrates its 90th anniversary, the can is performing well. Beverages in cans remain on a growth path, with a 9% increase in volume compared to 2019. Bag-in-box (BIBs) and kegs have increased by 0.6%, while drinks in glass have decreased by 7.3% and PET bottles by 13.5%, according to Gira figures.

Unsurprisingly, the positive atmosphere was high at this year’s Canettes d’Or 2025 event in Paris. For its fifth edition, La Boîte Boisson, the Economic Interest Group and Chaque Canette Compte (Every Can Counts), gathered can makers, producers and brand owners from across the globe to celebrate the vibrancy of the sector. Approximately 250 cans were competing for the best design, most original creation, boldest digital printing or the best awareness campaign.

Obvious market pull

Sandrine Duquerroy-Delesalle, president of GIE La Boîte Boisson and responsible for sustainability at Crown Bevcan EMEA, stated at the event that the “figures speak for themselves. Today, nearly one out of three drinks sold in French supermarkets are in cans: 27% of soft drinks and 27.3% of beers. PET bottles keep the lion’s share of beverage packaging with 45.7%, cans have reached 27.3% and glass is at 25%.

“Around 75% of cans in France are sold in stores and supermarkets, while 25% are purchased in the foodservice sector. Beverage cans today represent 27% of the household shopping basket in the Hexagon.” During the Canettes d’Or ceremony, 15 cans that featured initiatives promoting their recycling were awarded.

Blockbusters lead the market

Among the three winners of best design in the soft drinks, water, fruit juice and energy drink for a major brand category, was Coca-Cola Europacific Partners. Its global campaign, ‘Coca-Cola x Star Wars: Refresh Your Galaxy,’ marked the 70th anniversary of its partnership with Disney. Featuring 30 unique designs, characters from the Star Wars universe appear on Coca-Cola Original Taste and Zero Sugar cans, from Luke Skywalker to Darth Vader, Grogu and the Mandalorian.

The cans are designed to appeal to multiple generations of fans and showcase the unifying power of fandoms by turning an everyday object into a collector’s item. These limited editions were made available in supermarkets and Disney retail outlets from July 2025, with exclusive versions created for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort. This international distribution covered North America, Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

Scottish brewer Brewdog featured in the beer segment. The Wingman, its new mascot – the superhero with sleek plumage and a vibrant colour palette (yellow, blue and black) – is inspired by a fighter pilot with the head of an eagle. He represents a bold turning point in the disruptive aesthetic of the dynamic brewer.

Craft beer’s love of cans

By the sheer number of applicants in the Canettes d’Or category, the ongoing trend of packaging craft beer in cans speaks for itself. Cosmic Day by Brasserie des Intenables in Alsace invites guests on a hop-filled journey. The concept is based on a festive evening built around four different hops, each showcased in its own unique brew. A fun twist for the design saw the names of the hops hidden under scratch-off panels. All consumers have to do is taste, guess the hop and then scratch the can to reveal the answer.

Demory, the Ile-de-France brewery based near Paris, launched 12 limited edition canned beers featuring bold designs that spotlight Paris and its rich history. The focus then continued on spotlighting colourful cans, limited edition brews and original flavours. With its entry to the awards, Stuut, Belgian brewery, Caulier, sought to “redefine the rules of beer,” notably with its two permanent offerings of Stuut Aloha IPA and Stuut Juicy Dolly.

Vault City, an independent craft brewery from Scotland, is one of the largest sour beer producers based in Portobello, Edinburgh. Since 2018, the brewers have focused on relentless exploration: house culture and mixed fermentation base beer pairs with real fruit ingredients in its offerings. The idea is to push the boundaries of what people would typically expect from a beer.

New market segments

New initiatives are demonstrating how aluminium packaging can be used in entirely new markets. Potts’ is a British manufacturer of premium broths and sauces that entered supermarket shelves in 2019 with its ‘Chaos Packaging.’

“We were inspired by the explosion of the craft beer market, so our team decided to adopt the can for the global launch of its new product. Today, our broths and sauces in cans account for half of the company’s revenue, with over four million cans sold per year in the UK alone. We are in all major retailers across the country. Our brand now plans to expand into export markets, including Europe, the United States, South Africa and Australia,” explained Michelle Potts, owner at Potts’ Partnership. Potts’ can was voted as winner of the Canettes d’Or international category.

French snack company, Mixpow, seeks to reinvents healthy and eco-friendly snacking. The concept is to offer mixes of dried fruits and nuts in a new 160g can format that is resealable, lightweight and easy to take anywhere. New uses include on-the-go consumption for athletes, travellers, drivers and busy people looking for a healthy, tasty break. In just one year, Mixpow has already become available in more than 60 points of sale in France.

Digital printing offers extra visibility

Whether for soft drinks, energy drinks or craft beers, smaller runs or special editions, digital printing is widespread.

One of the outstanding beverages in this category at the event was the series of artisanal lemonade from Brasserie du Comté, created with Nomoq technology. In the 33cl sleek format, cans are decorated with different designs in partnership with the Auron ski resort.

The brasserie also created a special can design from the #ILoveNice collection, in collaboration with Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur. The can is the result of a collaboration with UNOC, the United Nations Ocean Conference, which in 2025 took place in June. Another appealing range printed by Nomoq is by the functional drinks brand, Jane, based in Grasse, on the French Côte d’Azur, France. Originally, Jane was launched with CBD-infused iced teas, but the brand has now expanded to a broader line of functional drinks.

Breaking boundaries

Somersby flavoured beer, distributed by the Carlsberg Group, debuted a 50cl can. With this launch, Brasseries Kronenbourg confirms its ability to respond to new trends and bring innovation to the category.

The product aims to position Somersby as a key player in the fruit-flavoured and flavoured beer segment, similar to Tourtel Twist, a 0% beer-based drink with fruit juice launched ten years ago that became a leader in the non-alcoholic segment. With this alcoholic fruit-flavoured beer, Brasseries Kronenbourg refreshes traditional codes and introduces a new type of fruit beverage to supermarket shelves.

Badoit, a Danone brand, was also recognised for its flavoured sparkling water in a 33cl can. Launched in 2018, the sparkling drink made from Badoit water and fruit juice concentrates is now adopting a can format. Three variants from the Bulles de Fruits range are available in packs of six 33cl cans. The flavours are red fruits, grapefruit with a hint of lemon, and lemon with a hint of lime. These innovations, accompanied by a strong activation plan and in-store promotions, follow last year’s releases of red fruits and exotic fruits in one-litre PET bottles.

Soft drinks brand Yass is a prebiotic soda, also produced in France. Yass’ Kimberley Boulon commented: “We position Yass as a better-for-you alternative to traditional sodas: lower sugar, no artificial sweeteners/additives, and enriched with prebiotic fibre (inulin from chicory), purportedly to support gut health. The can format was the obvious solution for us from day one.”

The next edition of the Canettes d’Or competition is planned for November 2027.