Breaking the Myths: Are Cans Really Better for Beer and Soda?

When walking down the beverage aisle, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the endless options—craft beers in glass bottles, sparkling waters in plastic, juices in cartons, and now, increasingly, drinks in sleek aluminum cans. For many small and medium beverage producers, choosing the right packaging is more than a logistical decision—it’s about protecting flavor, connecting with customers, and building a brand that stands out.

Traditionally, glass bottles and plastic containers have been the go-to. They’re familiar and widely used, but they come with hidden challenges that can quietly affect a product’s quality, shelf life, and sustainability. Cartons offer convenience, but they often fall short in protecting delicate flavors or supporting creative branding.

That’s where cans and canning shine. They combine practicality with quality, protecting beverages from light, air, and damage, while also being lightweight, recyclable, and visually striking. For today’s beverage brands, cans aren’t just an alternative—they’re a smarter choice for both producers and consumers.

The Limitations of Glass Bottles

Glass has long been associated with premium beverages. Its transparent look and rigid form give an impression of quality, yet it comes with significant drawbacks.

1. Fragility and Breakage

Glass bottles are heavy and break easily during shipping, storage, and handling. Broken bottles lead to lost product, added replacement costs, and safety hazards, especially for small-scale producers and distributors.

2. Weight and Logistics

The heaviness of glass increases transportation costs and carbon footprint. For craft breweries or soda brands shipping across regions, the added weight reduces efficiency and raises expenses.

3. Limited Protection Against Light

Even tinted glass cannot fully prevent UV light from penetrating, which can negatively affect flavor, particularly in beer. “Light-struck” beer, for instance, develops off-flavors that are easily avoided with opaque aluminum cans.

4. Energy-Intensive Production

Manufacturing glass requires high temperatures and significant energy input. While recyclable, the energy required to melt and reshape glass is higher compared to aluminum, making it less sustainable over the product’s life cycle.

The Drawbacks of Plastic Packaging

Plastic containers may appear convenient and inexpensive, but they carry multiple disadvantages for beverage producers and consumers alike.

1. Environmental Impact

Plastic is a leading contributor to global pollution. Unlike aluminum, plastic cannot be endlessly recycled without losing quality, and much of it ends up in landfills or oceans. Consumer perception of plastic packaging is increasingly negative, especially among eco-conscious audiences.

2. Flavor and Freshness Issues

Plastic is more permeable to oxygen than cans, which can result in faster deterioration of carbonation and flavor. For sensitive beverages like craft soda or beer, plastic containers often fail to maintain the intended taste.

3. Brand Perception

Plastic is frequently perceived as lower quality, which can undermine a brand’s premium positioning. This makes it challenging for small craft producers to justify the cost of a high-quality beverage in a material perceived as cheap.

The Limitations of Carton Packaging

Cartons, such as those used for juices or ready-to-drink beverages, are lightweight and convenient, but they also present significant challenges.

1. Complex Recycling

Most cartons are composed of multiple layers (paper, plastic, aluminum) that are difficult to separate. Recycling infrastructure for cartons is limited, reducing their sustainability benefits.

2. Insufficient Barrier Protection

Cartons provide less effective protection against oxygen and light than cans. Carbonated beverages are particularly vulnerable, resulting in shorter shelf life and altered flavor.

3. Limited Branding Opportunities

While cartons can carry printed designs, they offer less surface area for creative branding compared to 360-degree aluminum cans. This limits the ability to differentiate products on crowded shelves.

Why Cans Are the Superior Choice

When compared with glass, plastic, and cartons, cans consistently outperform across all critical metrics:

1. Exceptional Product Protection

Aluminum cans completely block light and, when properly sealed, prevent oxygen ingress. This ensures beverages retain their intended flavor, carbonation, and freshness for longer periods.

2. Sustainability Advantages

Aluminum is one of the most recyclable materials globally. Cans can be recycled indefinitely without loss of quality, and recycled cans often return to shelves in as little as 60 days. The lighter weight of cans also reduces transportation emissions.

3. Cost and Operational Efficiency

Cans are lightweight, durable, and easy to stack, reducing shipping costs and minimizing storage space. Compared to fragile glass, they significantly reduce breakage and waste. Small and medium-sized producers can also use compact, efficient canning equipment like Eazy Canning’s FENIX manual filler and iKAN seamer to maintain professional-grade quality without large industrial lines.

4. Consumer Convenience

Cans are portable, chill quickly, and are easy to recycle. They appeal to consumers who want practical, ready-to-drink beverages for outdoor events, travel, or everyday use.

5. Branding and Shelf Appeal

Cans offer a full 360-degree design surface, allowing bold, eye-catching graphics. Their sleek, modern look enhances product visibility on shelves and strengthens brand identity, helping small producers compete with larger companies.

The Role of Canning Equipment

The benefits of cans can only be fully realized with proper canning equipment. Machines like Eazy Canning’s FENIX filler and iKAN seamer make professional canning accessible to small and medium producers:

• FENIX ensures precise filling, reduces waste, and is compatible with cleaning-in-place (CIP) protocols for hygienic operations.
  
• iKAN provides consistent, durable seams in a compact, easy-to-use design, supporting multiple can sizes and small production batches.
  

Together, these machines help producers maintain quality, consistency, and efficiency without requiring large-scale industrial infrastructure.

Conclusion

Glass bottles are fragile and heavy, plastic containers harm the environment and degrade flavor, and cartons struggle with recycling and branding. In contrast, cans provide superior protection, sustainability, operational efficiency, and consumer appeal.

For modern beverage producers, cans are not merely an alternative—they are the most effective, practical, and future-ready solution. With the right equipment, small and medium-sized brands can harness the full advantages of canning, delivering fresh, high-quality beverages while minimizing waste and maximizing brand impact.

Eazy Canning equips producers with the tools to make this vision a reality, supporting businesses that want to can smarter, scale efficiently, and meet the evolving demands of today’s consumers.