Govt extends BIS certification deadline on aluminium cans; relief for beer, soft drinks

The government has extended the timeline for the rollout of mandatory quality control norms for aluminium metallic cans used for alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and foods processing, ahead of peak season, allaying concerns about shortages of cans at a time when they have been growing in double-digits.

Executives at impacted firms across beverages and alcoholic drinks said the extension would help to bridge the gap between demand and supply before peak summer sets in.

“The extension of the timeline for BIS certifications by the DPIIT on imported cans is very timely, and prevents a big potential crisis for the beer and other beverages industries,” said Vinod Giri, director general of the Brewers Association of India (BAI), which counts United Breweries, ABInBev and Carlsberg as members.

ET had reported in its January 12 edition that severe shortage of cans ahead of peak season was leading to beverage and beer makers flag acute supply shortfall, double imports and urge the government to postpone compliance deadlines.

The Cookware, Utensils and Cans for Foods and Beverages (Quality Control) Order, 2026, will be implemented for packs from October 2026, for small units from January next year, and for micro enterprises from April 2027, according to the revised timelines.

“This will help alcobev companies prepare better for the upcoming summer season when the demand for beer and even soft drinks shoots up,” Giri said. “Beer makers prefer domestically made empty cans as they cost significantly lower than imported cans. However, domestic capacity is currently short by over 20%. Can manufacturers are investing in adding capacity but it takes time.”

BAI has been in continuous dialogue with the DPIIT on the matter since last August. The industry body has noted that beer makers faced an annual deficit of 120-130 million units of 500 ml cans last year, and if this gap is not met through imports, there would be a shortfall of around Rs 1,300 crore in state revenue. Aluminium cans had been brought under mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifications through a quality control order (QCO) last year in April, on grounds that this was needed to improve freshness, safety and ease of recycling. While BIS mandates domestic and imported can makers to meet revised specific technical standards on material composition, lids, shapes, dimensions, seam integrity, pressure resistance, leakage prevention, chemical stability, and internal and external coating adherence, the certification processes are prolonged, and some also require inspection of plants overseas.

Cans now account for over 25% of annual soft drinks and beer sales, having doubled in two years, riding on aspirational demand, convenience over glass or PET bottles, and more efficient recycling.

Ball Beverage Packing and Canpack which supply cans say they have exhausted domestic capacity and will take up to a year to add new production lines.