Aluminium Shortage Shifts Beverage Makers Toward PET Packs

Can Shell Costs Rise Up to 20 Per Cent

Primary packaging costs jumped on competing lines. Order flows rebalanced. Conflict in the Middle East delayed new can shell capacity inside India. Beverage producers relied on imported inputs. Energy prices rose. The rupee weakened. Global freight stalled. Empty can shell costs surged by as much as 20 per cent.

This squeeze alters factory line budgeting. It directly impacts how cola and beer producers allocate their packaging mix ahead of major consumption periods. Beverage companies are shifting select stock keeping units out of aluminium formats and into PET and glass bottles to avoid margin erosion and supply delays.

Middle East Shipping Disruptions Push Early Ordering

The bottleneck began in April. Intensified conflict in West Asia disrupted shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz. Domestic can shell capacity additions remain stalled. Major beverage brands covered supply shortfalls through continuous imports. Elevated freight fees and delayed shipments forced a pivot to alternative packaging formats to keep retail channels supplied.

Global shipping disruptions forced the industry to manage severe supply constraints, according to the Brewers Association of India, which represents United Breweries, ABInBev and Carlsberg. Manufacturers locked in alternative packaging materials earlier to protect retail delivery schedules rather than waiting for imported can inventory to arrive.

September Procurement Locks In Festive PET Demand

Adjusting packaging requires advance scheduling across bottling lines, concentrate procurement and distributor forecasts. Industry leadership at SLMG Beverages notes that September became the decisive month for locking in concentrate, glass and PET orders. Waiting until October leaves bottling plants with insufficient time to resolve packaging shortages before festive demand peaks.

This early procurement cycle is critical. The peak festive sales period starts in mid-October. It runs through Diwali on November 8. Decisions made by major bottlers in September determine production allocations and packaging availability well before retail sales peak for plant managers tracking PET bottle supply chains.

Broadening Packaging Mix Across Selected SKUs

Supplier order logs show the shift across packaging lines. Hindusthan National Glass and Industries reports that purchase orders and enquiries came in earlier than usual this year. Beer makers drew heavier on glass bottles when cans were unavailable. Soft drink producers moved targeted stock keeping units directly into PET formats.

Upstream shifts provide visibility. PET reprocessors see how primary packaging lines adapt to raw material shocks. Beverage brands turn to PET to secure volume targets and maintain market coverage when metal supply chains tighten.

A note on the date of this story

This article is based on reporting from 9 September 2026. It describes the aluminium can shortage and the shift toward PET packs as they stood then, about two months before this draft was reviewed on 12 November 2026. No update in the console's sources checked for this edit shows whether the shortage has eased since September, so read the prices, the procurement timing and the festive season demand as a September picture, not as a November update. If the shortage has eased, the shift toward PET may already be slowing.