Offering Household & Personal Care Customers Innovative & Sustainable Solutions

Ball’s Aerosol business offers customers in the household and personal care space infinitely recyclable aluminum cans and bottles for products like shampoo, deodorant,  body wash and more. Award-winning innovation and state-of-the-art quality control have always been at the heart of the products our team delivers, which is why we recently released our first white paper: The Aluminum Bottles Report. The report synthesizes results from an international multi-market survey in an effort to help our customers better understand how sustainable packaging impacts consumer purchase decisions for household and personal care products. 

At Ball, we keep a pulse on the evolving preferences of today’s global consumers because we know how essential this knowledge is to our ability to deliver solutions for customers. Over the past few years, we’ve seen demand for environmentally friendly and truly recyclable packaging options grow – not only in the beverage space, but across the board. In an effort to better understand evolving consumer trends around sustainability in household and personal care categories, we conducted a survey of more than 1,500 end consumers in markets where some of our key customers operate -  US, the UK, Mexico, Brazil, France and Germany. 

The results are encouraging and ultimately point to an exciting opportunity for brands to expand the use of aluminum packaging in the household and personal care space. We learned that there is growing consumer attention on the sustainability attributes and recyclability of products, pointing to demand for environmentally friendly packaging options for household and personal care items. Here are some of the key highlights:

• 45% of consumers surveyed cited ‘environmentally friendly’ as extremely important when it comes to household and personal care products. 
• 78% of consumers surveyed said they would switch to a more environmentally friendly packaging format, even if it were more difficult to use. 
• 40% of consumers surveyed noted that they are most likely inspired to make a purchase by on-package claims that suggest of ‘better for the environment’ and ‘uses less plastic.’

The report also found that, for products specifically used in the bathroom, consumers value functionality. They need packaging solutions that are sustainable as well as durable, unbreakable, free of harmful ingredients and that are able to maintain product freshness. While consumers view glass or cardboard as environmentally friendly, they do not see them as practical or safe for use in the bathroom. Aluminum, however, meets these criteria.

To help our customers meet this demand, in 2020, Ball leveraged its packaging expertise to create the aluminum Infinity™ bottles. These bottles are made from recycled content, are easy to use and recycle, are shatterproof, and protect the integrity of the product. Designed with the end-user and environment in mind, Ball’s Infinity™ bottles present a unique solution to meet the growing, evolving needs of consumers, and we hope to continue to partner with corporations and brands to offer sustainable options.

Additionally, it’s important to note that transitioning to aluminum is a key step in enabling a circular economy. Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, meaning it can be recycled and repurposed into a new product an unlimited number of times without decreasing in value or quality. Additionally, aluminum packaging has the highest recycling rates of all common packaging materials. In fact, nearly 75% of the aluminum ever produced is still in use today.

Together with our customers, we can empower consumers to feel confident in their responsible packaging choices. The results of The Aluminum Bottles Report reaffirm our mission to build a stronger business and a healthier planet by delivering infinitely recyclable packaging solutions. We look forward to continuing to partner with our customers to drive long-term, sustainable solutions for years to come.