Coca-Cola's Georgia, the canned coffee brand, has adopted Toyo Seikan's lightest aluminium can, specifically the 185 g products, with mass production starting in August at Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan's Ibaraki and Saitama plants. The Japanese packaging manufacturer (Toyo Seikan) launched its state-of-the-art lightweight can in April 2024, a 190 ml model that used just 6.1 grams of aluminium, making it approximately 13 per cent lighter than conventional cans.
As recognition of their innovation, Toyo Seikan and Coca-Cola Japan jointly received the 'Appropriate Packaging Award' in the packaging technology category at the Japan Packaging Contest 2024 for developing the world's lightest aluminium can.
Compression Bottom Reform (CBR) technology
The achievement was made possible through Compression Bottom Reform (CBR) technology, which redesigned and reinforced the bottom of the can while reducing its weight. Although CBR technology has previously been used for select 350 ml cans by Hokkaido Coca-Cola Bottling, this marks the first time it has been implemented for the mass production of 190 ml, 202-diameter stay-on-tab (SOT) cans.
The 190 ml, 202-diameter stay-on-tab (SOT) cans are commonly used for products like canned coffee. With the introduction of Compression Bottom Reform (CBR) technology, Toyo Seikan has successfully reduced the aluminium content of these cans from 7.0 g in conventional cans to 6.1 g, a 0.9 g decrease.
GHG emissions reduction
This reduction lowers greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per can by approximately 8 per cent compared to traditional cans. If CBR technology were applied to all suitable aluminium beverage cans, annual GHG emissions could be reduced by an estimated 40,000 tonnes.
Toyo Seikan is now working to expand the use of CBR technology across all its manufacturing sites in Japan. In addition to the 190 ml cans, the company has begun implementing CBR technology in 350 ml and 500 ml cans and aims to further promote the world's lightest aluminium cans.
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