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February 20, 2008
Aluminium foil: a socially responsible packaging choice
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Source: EAFA Website http://www.alufoil.org
The 1992 'blueprint for sustainable development' which emerged from the United Nations Conference on the Environment formed the basis for increased political understanding and was reaffirmed at the 2002 Johannesburg summit. The basic concept is to satisfy the needs of the present generation without robbing future generations of their needs.
The Aluminium Industry's commitment to future generations is founded on a framework of sustainable development. The 'Aluminium for Future Generations' initiative has established a vision for the European aluminium industry which:
- operates in harmony with society in terms of both products and production processes,
- provides tenable solutions for present and future generations to meet their needs,
- delivers continuous improvement in the environmental impact of our operations and products,
- promotes open dialogue with all stakeholders, and
- creates value for present and future generations.
Alufoil based packaging is particularly well suited to meeting this vision because it:
- offers a wide range of properties which guarantee the highest degree of protection for products and ensures that they keep their quality and value, thus preventing a waste of resources,
- allows the design of very light and efficient packs: small amount of alufoil used, small amount of associated material needed, easy transportation and storage,
- offers tailor-made solutions to match changing socio-demographic trends and habits, and
- conserves resources (packaging material, packed products and energy used in logistics) and is economically recyclable.
Energy Efficiency
Electricity use reduced by 33% since 1950.
The production of primary aluminium is an energy intensive process, however specific energy use in the primary aluminium industry has been steadily reduced.
Over half of the energy used in the global primary aluminium industry is derived from non-polluting hydropower in regions remote from the world's main population centres.
Despite the relatively high energy used in its primary production it is important tkeep in perspective that this is only one side of the 'energy equation' - the energy and material savings achieved by economical recycling, weight savings and efficient product protection mean that aluminium based products offer a very attractive energy profile when the entire 'system' is taken into account.
Resource Saving
The alufoil industry has made great progress in saving material and energy by reducing the gauge of foil without compromising performance. Material savings, in percent, made with aluminium packaging in the last twenty years:
- Laminated pouches: - 25 %
- Flexible packaging: - 28 %
- Beverage cartons: - 30 %
- Chocolate foil: - 30 %
- Cigarette foil: - 30 %
- Coffee foil: - 30 %
'Lightweight packaging enables big energy savings'
Alufoil provides maximum performance from minimum use of material.
Alufoil’s wide range of properties makes it a key packaging material capable of meeting the most varied demands. The exceptional barrier properties of aluminium make it possible to transport and store food for long periods without energy-demanding refrigeration. The nutritional value and quality are preserved.
Alufoil only six one-thousandths of a millimetre thick effectively protects contents against quality-reducing effects of oxygen, light, moisture, micro-organisms or unwanted aromas.
Just 1.5 g of alufoil, in a pack weighing 28 g, enables 1 litre of milk to be stored and transported for several months without cooling.
According to the World Health Organisation, 30% of the food in developing countries perishes due to the lack of packaging.
Packaging saves ten times more waste than it creates: 'If, due to being badly packed, the contents are spoiled, ten times more waste occurs than that generated by the production of appropriate packaging.'¹
A study of the coffee supply chain has shown that only 10% of the total energy consumed between the production and use of the coffee is attributable to packaging compared with 50% for the production of the coffee, 35% for its preparation and handling and 5% for the other parts of the chain.²
In the supply chain of a soft cheese, aluminium foil's contribution to energy consumption is, even if land filled after use, less than 10%. Incineration or recycling improves this ratio.³
Thus, adequate protection of the food saves more resources than those needed for the production of the protective packaging.
Lightweight packaging enables big energy savings
Lighter packaging means less fuel consumption, reduced emissions from transport and easier handling at the retail level. A good example is the stand-up alufoil based Capri-Sun drink pack. Using alufoil based pouches rather than standard 20cl returnable glass bottles means nearly twice as much product per truck load. The weight of packaging materials is a mere 6.1% of the total weight of the load. Clearly, a far more efficient and environmentally friendly way to transport such products - not forgetting the advantages of shelf impact and product protection.
Energy recovery and recyclability
Although the energy required to produce primary aluminium is high, it only takes 5% compared to the original energy investment to recycle the metal. The quality of remelted aluminium is as high as the new metal, as it can be recycled over and over again. Recycling simply makes economic sense.
In Europe aluminium enjoys high recycling rates ranging from 42% for beverage cans t85% in building and construction and 95% in transportation products. Comprehensive systems for the recovery of used aluminium now exist in all major European countries.
The packaging sector poses a particular challenge for recycling of aluminium, as it constitutes a 1% of packaging waste stream. The aluminium industry has steadily increased recycling rates from used packaging by a variety of different national recycling schemes ranging from separate collection to post collection sorting.
In addition to hand sorting, 'eddy current' and detector-ejectors machines enable all kinds of packaging containing aluminium to be automatically removed from the packaging stream. Due to the wide range of products a variety of recovery techniques are used. Pyrolysis, for example, allows the extraction of thin gauge foil from laminates.
The aluminium obtained by recycling old short-life packaging can also be used to produce new long-life high value products for use in transport and building - continuing to benefit future generations.
In Germany, the DSD waste sorting and recovery system has provided the basis for the comprehensive recycling of aluminium. The recycling rates for aluminium packaging has risen to almost 80%.
In France, where incineration is commonly used (45% of municipal solid waste), either the energy can be recovered from aluminium in flexible packaging (thin gauge foil) or the metal can be recycled from rigid or semi-rigid packs. In the latter case, aluminium is recovered from incinerator bottom ashes (12,500 tonnes extracted in 2001).
Energy recovery another good option
Energy recovery from alufoil based packaging is another accepted option for valorising used material. Flexible aluminium packaging is normally totally oxidised under waste incineration conditions with 1 kg of incinerated aluminium releasing as much energy as 1 kg of coal or 0.8 litres of fuel oil.
Alufoil – a modern product meets the needs of today's and tomorrow's consumers in an environmentally responsible way.
¹ J. Kooijman, Environmental Impact of Packaging Performance in the Food Supply System, Journal of waste management and resource recovery. Vol. 3, Nr. 2 1996
² A. Diers, H.-C. Langowski, K. Pannkoke, R. Hop, Produkt-Ökobilanz vakuum verpackter Röstkaffee, LCA Documents, ecomed publishers, Vol. 3, 1999
³ German Aluminium Association GDA, 2002, Düsseldorf
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