Good things come in small packages: The growth of smaller packaging formats

The interest in smaller packages varies from market to market. In some cases it helps brands find a point of differentiation on a crowded beverage shelf. In others they help consumers reduce calorie intake by offering a smaller serving size, or have been launched in response to sugar taxes to absorb an increase in price per litre. In some markets, smaller packs mean the product can also be offered at a different price point. 

We looked into this trend at Brau Beviale in Germany, where both cans and plastic bottles have been seeing an uptake in interest in smaller pack sizes.

Matt Twiss, marketing and business development director, Crown Bevcan Europe and Middle East, looks at:

• Double digit growth for some of the smaller can sizes
• The rise of the ‘mini-can’: originating in aeroplane catering trollies, these sizes now cater for premium mixers for alcohol drinks
• In the UK, full calorie drinks are transitioning into smaller cans while their reduced sugar counterparts stay in the original, larger cans.

Bjorn von Lengerke, head of product support GPAM, from KHS, looks at:

• The technological challenges in creating smaller PET bottles for carbonated drinks
• Avoiding CO2 loss
• And creating a composite plastic bottle that is still fully recyclable​ ​(the company has created a glass-coated PET bottle which provides barrier properties while still being easily recyclable).