Novelis estimates the increased number of people in town for the World Cup games, and the rise in popularity of aluminum beverage cans, will bring the total of drinks in the packaging format to 2bn for the four weeks of the sporting series.
Aluminum boom
Tadeu Nardocci, president of Novelis South America, told FoodProductionDaily the World Cup has been a boon for his company and other packaging producers.
"The World Cup has caused an unusual uptick in our winter sales, adding the equivalent of a peak summer month's sales and creating our highest winter sales season on record for beverage can sheet," he reported.
Sales increase
The increase in aluminum drink beverage cans constitutes a 35% increase over sales for the same four-week period last year.
Market research firm Nielsen reports during a typical World Cup event (which happens every four years), consumption of beer may climb 20% over normal rates in spectating households. Soft drinks and other beverages in aluminum cans also surge, according to Novelis.
Novelis is the top supplier providing aluminum can stock for beverage packaging on the South American continent. In addition, Novelis owns and operates the largest aluminum recycling facility in Brazil, a country with a 98% recycling rate for beverage cans.
Novelis expects can demand to continue growing after the last goal is kicked in. The firm recently wrapped a $340 million expansion of its aluminum rolling and recycling operations in Brazil, bringing its annual production capacity of aluminum can sheet to 600,000 metric tons.