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On National Beer Day, New Data Show Tariffs on Aluminum Have Cost the U.S. Beverage Industry Nearly $1.9 Billion

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On National Beer Day, New Data Show Tariffs on Aluminum Have Cost the U.S. Beverage Industry Nearly $1.9 Billion

New data reveal that aluminum tariffs continue to drive up costs for American businesses and are a tax on hardworking American families. In the five years since Section 232 tariffs on aluminum were imposed, the American beverage industry has paid more than $1.893 billion in taxes.

There are more than 6,600 breweries in the United States, supporting more than two million American jobs and contributing more than $331 billion to the U.S. economy. Brewers and beverage producers pay a higher price for aluminum because rolling mills and smelters include tariffs in their prices — regardless of whether the metal is subject to Section 232 tariffs. Paying a tariff-laden price on all aluminum drives up costs for producers and makes consumer goods more expensive.

The research conducted by HARBOR Aluminum on behalf of the Beer Institute found that the U.S. beverage industry paid $1.893 billion in Section 232 tariffs on 9.042 million metric tons of aluminum since their implementation. Of that amount, only $126 million (7 percent) went to the U.S. Treasury. HARBOR Aluminum estimates U.S. rolling mills, U.S. smelters and Canadian smelters received $1.767 billion (93 percent) of the total by charging end-users – such as U.S. brewers – a tariff-burdened price regardless of whether the metal was meant to be tariffed based on its content or origin.

Last July, the CEOs of America’s biggest brewers sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to repeal Section 232 tariffs on aluminum. They said, “tariffs reverberate throughout the supply chain, raising production costs for aluminum end-users and ultimately impacting consumer prices.”

Imported primary aluminum and cansheet are critical to the U.S. beer industry as more than 74 percent of all beer produced in the United States is packaged in aluminum cans and bottles. In 2020, brewers bought more than 41 billion aluminum cans and bottles, making aluminum the single most significant input cost in American beer manufacturing.

The Beer Institute is a national trade association for the American brewing industry, representing brewers, beer importers and industry suppliers—an industry that supports more than 2 million jobs and provides more than $331 billion to the American economy. First founded in 1862 as the U.S. Brewers Association, the Beer Institute is committed today to developing sound public policy and to the values of civic duty and personal responsibility.

tea

The UK Remains an Indisputable Leader for the European Tea Market

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Tea – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

In 2019, the EU tea market decreased by -5.1% to 214K tonnes, slipping back slightly from the previous year. Over the last five years, consumption remains relatively stable which indicates that any prerequisites for sharp growth of the demand aren’t currently expected.

Consumption by Country

The country with the largest volume of tea consumption was the UK (104K tonnes), accounting for 48% of total volume. Moreover, tea consumption in the UK exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest consumer, Germany (27K tonnes), fourfold. Poland (15K tonnes) ranked third in terms of total consumption with a 7% share.

In the UK, tea consumption contracted by an average annual rate of -1.5% over the period from 2013-2019. The remaining consuming countries recorded the following average annual rates of consumption growth: Germany (+0.7% per year) and Poland (+0.7% per year).

The countries with the highest levels of tea per capita consumption in 2019 were Ireland (2,314 kg per 1000 persons), the UK (1,540 kg per 1000 persons) and the Netherlands (536 kg per 1000 persons).

Imports in the EU

Tea imports reduced modestly to 311K tonnes in 2019, with a decrease of -3.5% against 2018 figures. In general, imports recorded a mild decline. Over the period under review, imports hit record highs at 344K tonnes in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2019, imports remained at a lower figure. In value terms, tea imports fell to $1.5B (IndexBox estimates) in 2019.

Imports by Country

In 2019, the UK (123K tonnes) represented the key importer of tea, creating the demand for approx. 40% of total imports. Germany (50K tonnes) occupied the second position in the ranking, followed by Poland (38K tonnes), the Netherlands (17K tonnes), France (17K tonnes) and Belgium (14K tonnes). All these countries together occupied approx. 44% share of total imports. Ireland (12K tonnes) held a minor share of total imports.

Imports in the UK decreased at an average annual rate of -1.8% from 2013 to 2019. At the same time, Ireland (+7.7%) and Poland (+2.5%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Ireland emerged as the fastest-growing importer imported in the European Union, with a CAGR of +7.7% from 2013-2019. By contrast, France (-1.5%), Germany (-1.6%), Belgium (-3.5%) and the Netherlands (-11.7%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period.

In value terms, the largest tea importing markets in the European Union were the UK ($356M), Germany ($228M) and France ($167M), with a combined 51% share of total imports. These countries were followed by the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and Ireland, which together accounted for a further 26%.

Import Prices by Country

The tea import price in the European Union stood at $4,701 per tonne in 2019, remaining constant against the previous year. Over the period under review, the import price, however, saw a relatively flat trend pattern. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2017 an increase of 7.1% year-to-year. Over the period under review, import prices hit record highs at $4,754 per tonne in 2018, and then reduced slightly in the following year.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was France ($9,624 per tonne), while the UK ($2,890 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by the Netherlands, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform

soft drink

The Soft Drink Market in Asia-Pacific Reached Near $200B, Posting Solid Gains Over the Third Year In a Row

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘Asia-Pacific – Soft Drinks – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

In 2019, the Asia-Pacific soft drink market increased by 3.7% to $198.2B, rising for the third year in a row after three years of decline. In general, consumption showed a relatively flat trend pattern. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2017 when the market value increased by 7% y-o-y. Over the period under review, the market hit record highs at $209.1B in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2019, consumption failed to regain the momentum.

Consumption by Country

The country with the largest volume of soft drink consumption was China (89M tonnes), accounting for 42% of the total volume. Moreover, soft drink consumption in China exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest consumer, India (28M tonnes), threefold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Indonesia (16M tonnes), with a 7.4% share.

From 2013 to 2019, the average annual growth rate of volume in China was relatively modest. In other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: India (+1.2% per year) and Indonesia (-1.7% per year).

In value terms, China ($83.2B) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by India ($26.6B). It was followed by Indonesia.

The countries with the highest levels of soft drink per capita consumption in 2019 were Japan (116 kg per person), Pakistan (62 kg per person) and China (61 kg per person).

From 2013 to 2019, the biggest increases were in Japan, while soft drink per capita consumption for the other leaders experienced a decline in the per capita consumption figures.

Production in Asia-Pacific

After two years of growth, the production of soft drinks decreased by -0.3% to 213M tonnes in 2019. Overall, production saw a relatively flat trend pattern.

The country with the largest volume of soft drink production was China (89M tonnes), comprising approx. 42% of total volume. Moreover, soft drink production in China exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest producer, India (28M tonnes), threefold. Indonesia (16M tonnes) ranked third in terms of total production with a 7.3% share.

In China, soft drink production remained relatively stable over the period from 2013-2019. In other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: India (+1.1% per year) and Indonesia (-1.7% per year).

Imports in Asia-Pacific

In 2019, the amount of soft drinks imported in Asia-Pacific expanded notably to 2.7M tonnes, increasing by 5.7% compared with the previous year. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +4.9% over the period from 2013 to 2019; however, the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. The volume of imports peaked in 2019 and is likely to see gradual growth in the immediate term. In value terms, soft drink imports expanded markedly to $3B (IndexBox estimates) in 2019.

Imports by Country

China (448K tonnes), Singapore (369K tonnes) and Hong Kong SAR (285K tonnes) represented roughly 40% of total imports of soft drinks in 2019. It was distantly followed by Australia (183K tonnes), Viet Nam (180K tonnes), India (178K tonnes) and Myanmar (143K tonnes), together generating a 25% share of total imports. Lao People’s Democratic Republic (104K tonnes), Japan (100K tonnes), Indonesia (98K tonnes), New Zealand (84K tonnes) and Cambodia (77K tonnes) followed a long way behind the leaders.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of purchases, amongst the leading importing countries, was attained by Lao People’s Democratic Republic (+58.1% per year), while imports for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, China ($635M) constitutes the largest market for imported soft drinks in Asia-Pacific, comprising 21% of total imports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Hong Kong SAR ($297M), with a 9.8% share of total imports. It was followed by Australia, with a 8.9% share.

Import Prices by Country

The soft drink import price in Asia-Pacific stood at $1,105 per tonne in 2019, surging by 3% against the previous year. Over the last six-year period, it increased at an average annual rate of +2.4%. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2017 when the import price increased by 31% against the previous year. As a result, import price attained the peak level of $1,260 per tonne. From 2018 to 2019, the growth in terms of the import prices remained at a somewhat lower figure.

There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2019, the country with the highest price was Japan ($2,143 per tonne), while Singapore ($683 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Cambodia, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform