"Consumption has been good, largely because of the increasing quality of the product," European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) executive director Stefan Glimm told FoodProductionDaily.com. "There has also been a general trend towards flexible packaging, which is substituting rigid packaging."
Glimm contends that as the demand for low-weight, flexible packaging increases, the market of aluminium is set to expand further. One perceived advantage of flexible packaging is that it offers excellent barrier protection, and a recent scientific study conducted by Fabes appears to support this.
The study concluded that aluminium foil of a thickness of at least 6 micron acts as an absolute barrier in food contact applications.
"Based on the theoretical evaluation of the experimental data, especially those obtained from permeation experiments performed at 100°C, it could be demonstrated for the laminates containing an Alufoil with a thickness of at least 6 µm that at 100°C the migration limit of 10 ppb will not be exceeded before 30 hours," the study concluded.
"A worst case scenario for the use of a packaging material will never reach these sever conditions. It can thus be demonstrated by scientific evidence that an Alufoil of at least 6 µm thickness must be considered an absolute barrier in terms of food contact applications."
Flexible aluminium packaging also offers manufacturers new design opportunities, allowing them to better differentiate their product. This is something that Larry Mucha, former director of Future Technologies at Coca Cola, identified recently as a defining trend in packaging.
He predicted that packaging itself is set to become a much more important marketing tool in the future. It will be the means by which manufacturers differentiate their products in what is an increasingly homogenised environment.
"Brands need to find a way to make the consumer pay extra for their product, rather than buying a supermarket own-label product. This is where cutting edge packaging technology can give you the advantage - by packaging your product in a container that keeps food fresher, is resealable and is easier to open and close, you can justify charging a higher price and avoid your product becoming a commodity item."
Glimm also believes that the aluminium foil look is highly contemporary, and is something that food manufacturers should look to promote. "On German roads, every second car is silver metallic-looking," he said. "There is no reason why this look cannot be applied to food packaging."
Figures from the EAFA show that in total, 208,000 tons of aluminium foil was sold in the first quarter of 2004, which marks a strong recovery from the slow down in sales during the fourth quarter of last year. Sales were mainly driven by exports outside the EU, with a growth of 5.6 per cent. The usage inside the EAFA region was stable.
"We expect this good start to continue at least until autumn," said Livio Frigerio, EAFA president. "The level of demand for aluminium foil especially from outside the EAFA region shows the global leadership of the European foil industry in terms of quality and competitiveness."
Approximately three quarters of aluminium foil is used in packaging where its characteristics of strength, formability and barrier properties have made it an essential part of many flexible packaging and container applications. The number of new products that feature innovative uses of alufoil based packaging indicates a healthy future for the material.
With more than 100 members, EAFA is the international body that represents the interests of the major roller, converters and container manufacturers in Europe.