US demand for beverage containers to reach 283 billion units in 2019
US demand for beverage containers is expected to increase 1.9% per year to 283 billion units in 2019, valued at $31.5 billion. Proliferation of different package sizes, new product introductions, and increased consumption of healthier beverages such as bottled water, ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, and nondairy milk alternatives will drive increases despite weakness in critical markets such as carbonated soft drinks and beer. Plastic bottles and metal cans will continue to dominate demand, with over 80% of the total. However, faster growth is expected in newer formats such as aluminum bottles, bag-in-box products, aseptic cartons, and pouches. These and other trends are presented in Beverage Containers, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.
Plastic containers will remain both the largest and fastest growing product segment, with gains supported by increased consumption of bottled water, the primary outlet for plastic bottles and the leading market for beverage containers by 2019. According to analyst Katie Wieser, “Going forward, though, growth will slow somewhat as environmental concerns lead some consumers to favor filtered tap water or to use reusable bottles for on-the-go consumption.” Plastic is expected to gain ground in newer uses including RTD tea, RTD coffee, and larger size alcoholic beverages. Plastic pouches will also continue to see increased use outside of juice drinks with new introductions in sports drinks, wine, and flavored alcoholic beverages taking advantage of the convenience and low cost of this package format.