Coca-Cola
notes: label: Description
content: This can is an early example of the aluminum can, which Coca-Cola adopted in 1967 in place of steel cans. By the 1960s, aluminum was starting to take over the steel industry in the metal container market, eventually dominating the can business. The efficiency and low costs of the material was appealing - a single press could make sheets of aluminum that was made into light, thin-walled, and rigid containers that could withstand carbonated pressure and resist corrosion. In addition, aluminum companies and can makers created a nation-wide recycling infrastructure of buy-back centers by 1970. Along with the spread of environmental awareness among the public in the late 60s to early 70s, environmental-friendly products became essential as a marketing strategy.
label: Description
content: While similar to the Coke cans that are distributed today, this can is lacking two significant elements in its packaging – the nutrition information and the barcode. In 1967 the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act took effect, after which nutrition information, quantity of contents in both metric and pounds, as well as “no-frills” labeling became a legal requirement. In contrast, the barcode was not an act of law, but adopted voluntarily by private industry in 1973 to set industry-wide standards. An “innovation through uniformity,” the Universal Product Code standards facilitated connections among manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, and consumers , as well as between suppliers and consumers. The efficiency of the UPC system was also crucial to development of global commerce. Coca-Cola began exploring the uses and impact of the Universal Product Code in 1972, and in 1976, the company magazine Refresher noted that over 80% of Coca-Cola products and packaging included the barcode.
label: Description
content: The Coca-Cola Company was founded in 1886 by an American pharmacist, and began its international distribution in the 1920s. Since then, Coca-Cola has expanded its operations to more than 200 countries worldwide. Their marketing strategies and packaging innovations have helped to establish the popularity of cola drinks in the soft drink industry.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Agriculture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: ZZ.RSN80544Y22
objectType: label: Object Name
content: container
label: Object Name
content: can
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 4 3/4 in x 2 5/8 in; 12.065 cm x 6.6675 cm