Can shortage pushes Indian beer and cola makers toward glass and PET ahead of Diwali
Disrupted aluminium-can imports and higher shell costs are prompting brewers and soft-drink companies to rebalance packaging toward glass and PET for the October-November festive demand window.
What happened
Hindusthan National Glass and Industries (HNGIL) · West Asia conflict has disrupted aluminium-can imports to India, lifting costs and causing shortages. Cola
Key facts
- Aluminium can prices have risen by at least 20%
- Empty can-shell costs increased by up to 20%
- Aluminium prices climbed roughly 14-50% to $3,500-$3,600 per tonne
- India's beverage-can market is forecast to double to $800,000 million by 2032 from $400,000 last year
- India's beverage-can segment grew 8.5% between 2019 and 2023
Why this matters
The can shortage increases the strategic appeal of partnerships or acquisitions in domestic glass, PET preform, bottling and packaging-recycling capacity.
What to watch
- Timing and volume of aluminium-can imports clearing Indian ports.
- Further movement in empty can-shell prices versus glass-bottle and PET-preform costs.
- Domestic glass-furnace utilization, bottle lead times, and availability of returnable bottles.
- PET resin and preform pricing, especially ahead of festive beverage production ramps.
- Evidence of changes in retail shelf mix from cans toward glass and PET.
- Beverage-company commentary on festive inventory, packaging constraints, price actions, and promotional intensity.
- State-level excise or distribution restrictions that could amplify beer-format shortages.
- Reallocate aluminium cans toward premium, high-margin, and on-premise-oriented SKUs while shifting mass packs to returnable glass and PET.
- Lock in festive-period allocations with domestic glass, PET preform, closure, label, and secondary-packaging vendors.
- Increase production of refillable-glass formats where reverse-logistics networks are strongest, especially in high-volume state markets.
- Adjust promotional calendars, pack architecture, and distributor incentives to steer demand toward available formats.
- Evaluate selective price increases, reduced discounts, or smaller pack sizes to offset packaging-cost inflation without broadly damaging festive demand.
- Build contingency inventory of bottles, preforms, crowns, closures, and cartons ahead of October-November dispatches.