Aerosol industry, new record filling figures for 2018
Statistics announced by the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA) reveal 1.566 billion cans were filled in 2018, an increase of 4.5 million units filled compared to the previous year.
It is another exceptional year for the industry, which has reported record high performance in three of the last four years.
The personal care sector continues to account for the largest volume of products, with antiperspirants still the biggest seller in this sector and across the industry overall. BAMA data shows that 478 million antiperspirants were manufactured in 2018, increasing the 2017 production by 8 million units.
The star categories of the 2018 aerosol filling figures were automotive, Industrial and within personal care, sun protection and artificial tan products, all showing considerable growth year on year. While the first two categories might be justified due to UK higher expertise in technical sectors, the suntan products are likely to have benefitted from other factors.
Public awareness campaigns in UK and Europe, one of the key export markets for UK-manufactured aerosol, have also stressed the importance of sunscreen protection and highlighted the effects of unprotected exposure on the skin. At the same time, people are encouraged to spend time outdoors, to improve mental well-being and increase Vitamin D production by the body (Sun Protection Conference 2019).
Patrick Heskins, BAMA chief executive, “The industry has exceeded the previous year’s record-high production. This is an outstanding result, especially when placed in the context of challenging market conditions and one of the most difficult festive trading periods in the last decade.”
“Aerosols continue to provide a convenient solution for billions of consumers’ daily routines, and while personal care items dominate the filling figures, we have seen impressive growth in a number of sectors, including medical and pharmaceuticals.”
Made primarily with high grade metal and recognised as widely recyclable, aerosols help to avoid product damage and degradation as well as waste, dispensing the right quantities in the right place, accurately with no mess.
Industrial, technical and veterinary products saw a significant growth, together with other niche household products, such as shoe care products and oven cleaners.
Aluminium continued to be the packaging material of choice for most products, with 879.7 million products filled. This was a 3.6% increase on the previous year. As such, tinplate filling fell by 2.58% to 608.1 million products filled.
Heskins added, “UK Aerosol filling saw a very small dip in 2016 after record levels were reported in 2015, and since then, industry has continued to return strong figures. Despite market challenges and an uncertain political landscape, the aerosol industry continues to demonstrate its significance in UK manufacturing and to the wider economy.”
