In 1959, the American brewery, Coors offered customers one cent back for each of its new all-aluminum cans they returned. Unlike the tin and steel cans they replaced, these were two-piece seamless designs with the added benefit of being recyclable.
These cans were lighter too; the Can Manufacturers Institute estimates that ‘first generation’ aluminum cans weighed three ounces per unit (today’s cans weigh less than half an ounce).
In 1964, aluminum cans entered the soft drinks market, with RC Cola and Diet Rite being launched by Royal Crown Cola in a two-piece 12oz. aluminum container. These cans were not only a lighter weight, they also had a better surface on which text and graphics could be printed to help reinforce awareness of the brand. In just one year, one million cases of soda were packaged in these new aluminum cans.
In 1967, Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola adopted aluminum cans too. But it wasn’t until the early 1970s that the aluminum industry launched its ‘buy-back’ centers, where consumers returned their cans, which were then recycled and returned to the shelves of our stores. This reduced the cost of the original raw materials to the industry and gave us our money back on the cost of our drinks.
The early aluminum cans were opened with a ‘church key’, a type of can opener. This was followed by the pull-tab, attached at the rivet end, which could be pulled completely off. Its inventor, Ermal Cleon Frazeis, is said to have found himself without his church key during a family picnic, so he used the fender of a car to open his can. In the process he spilled most of the contents. This prompted his creation of the key-free approach. The next adaptation came in 1975 in the form of the ‘stay tab’ that we recognize today; Daniel Cudzik of Reynolds Metals developed this.
The aluminum can story continues to unfold and its uses to extend. In Nepal in the Himalayas, aluminum cans are the only container allowed because they crush easily and are light. Conversely, in Africa aluminum cans have been used to build what has been described as a ‘sturdy hut’.
Contribution to Retail History
The chilled canned drinks category (comprising both beer and carbonated soft drinks) has become, along with confectionery, coffee and tobacco, one of the underpinnings of the global convenience store industry. Retailers like 7-Eleven and Familymart, not to mention the legions of retail outlets operated by major oil companies, shift billions of beverages in aluminum cans every year. The cans ensure that drinks are kept fresh, hygienic and portable, and are better in terms of logistics, display and multi-pack merchandising than bottles. Recent improvements in design, manufacture and recycling have made canned packaging more efficient than ever.