Embossed design, lightweight engineering and ultra-low carbon aluminium take top honours at this year’s global aluminium aerosol awards.
The International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers (AEROBAL) has announced the winners of the World Aluminium Aerosol Can Award 2025, recognising excellence in design, innovation and sustainability across the sector.
Presented at the association’s General Assembly in Paris in early February, this year’s awards introduced a new voting process, with member companies selecting the winners directly. According to Secretary General Seifeldin Raslan Mohamed, the revised approach was designed to strengthen member engagement and transparency. Strong participation and the quality of entries underscored the award’s standing as a global benchmark for aluminium aerosol packaging.
Awards were presented across three categories – Already on the Market, Prototype and Sustainability.
Already on the Market: dual winners
Two entries shared first place in the Already on the Market category: Aryum (Türkiye) for the Hot Black Collection, and Gulf Cans (UAE) for the PURE Range.
Aryum’s winning cans were developed for the Hot Black Collection of the Bernard Dimitri fragrance brand. The 200ml perfumed body spray range was upgraded from standard cans to 360° embossed aluminium, elevating both brand protection and visual impact.
The embossing acts as a unifying design feature across four variants, allowing distinct colour concepts to stand out while maintaining a coherent identity. A raised “HOT” detail on the base of the can provides a distinctive finishing touch, reinforcing shelf presence and helping differentiate the line from imitators.
Gulf Cans secured its award for aluminium cans produced for the EGOX anti-perspirant deodorant range. Tasked with creating a bespoke format capable of supporting strong brand positioning, the manufacturer developed a slender, elongated silhouette that conveys refinement without excessive shaping.
The design favours sharp, clean lines over rounded contours, delivering a modern aesthetic aligned with the “PURE” positioning of the range. Graphic execution and print quality were central to the concept, with colour-matched caps and coordinated logotype variations creating a premium finish on a white base.
Prototype: lightweighting meets visual impact
In the Prototype category, Trivium Packaging Brasil was recognised for its aluminium aerosol can developed for adidas.
The project set out to create a design that would stand out at point of sale while combining retro cues with a contemporary finish. A dotted pattern adds depth to the metallic background, while specialised inks enable precise fusion of colours without visual defects.
Beyond aesthetics, the prototype delivers measurable environmental gains. The can model was redesigned and unified, resulting in a 25% weight reduction. Through the use of an advanced aluminium alloy and a process that eliminates traditional ingot fusion, carbon emissions were reduced by more than 50% while maintaining structural performance. The internal coating was also reduced by 50%, lowering VOC and CO₂ emissions.
The result is a lighter, lower-carbon pack aligned with growing consumer expectations for global brands.
Sustainability: ultra-low carbon breakthrough
The Sustainability award went to Ball Corporation for what is described as the first ultra-low carbon aerosol can made using ELYSIS aluminium.
Developed in partnership with Alcoa and Unilever, the project combines aluminium produced via ELYSIS carbon-free smelting technology with 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content.
The ELYSIS process eliminates direct greenhouse gas emissions during aluminium smelting, producing oxygen instead of CO₂. Compared with conventional low-carbon aluminium, the material achieves an estimated 40–42% lower carbon footprint.
AEROBAL said the collaboration demonstrates how coordinated action across the value chain can accelerate decarbonisation while maintaining full performance and regulatory compliance. As the first consumer-ready aerosol can combining carbon-free smelting technology with recycled content, the development sets a new benchmark for lower-carbon metal packaging.
With embossing, lightweighting and decarbonised aluminium among this year’s winning themes, the 2025 awards reflect a sector balancing premium design with measurable environmental progress
