Indians turn Diet Coke craze into art amid can shortage linked to Iran conflict

Shortages of aluminium cans and shipping delays have hit supplies of a popular beverage in India: Diet Coke. The drink is a preferred alcohol mixer in India, often paired with rum. It is also popular among health-conscious consumers. 

Unlike most other markets, Diet Coke is sold only in cans in India, making the Coca-Cola beverage more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, such as the ongoing bottleneck of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, triggered by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Cans of Diet Coke can still be scooped up online, but in limited quantities. Its shortage has seen social media flooded with humorous memes showing people hoarding cans in India.

In response to the scarcity, some businesses have turned to art, running workshops and events where people can decorate cans of the beverage with rhinestones, or make prints on T-shirts.

"With the aluminium can shortage, I think a lot of people are trying to sort of keep the Diet Coke as an aesthetic, as a keepsake, as something to just create memorabilia around it," Ridhi Jain, founder of Art cafe and live art studio at the Broadway store, told Reuters on Saturday, May 9.

“Diet Coke parties” have also become popular, as bars and restaurants tap into the social media frenzy, with some organizing events that come with a $10 to $16 entry fee and offer access to Diet Coke.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi count India as a major growth market, and with the exception of Diet Coke most of their drinks are sold in plastic and glass bottles, as well as cans.

(Production: Bhushan Kumar, Sunil Kataria, Keval Singh)