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Aluminium Foil: A positive contribution to sustainable developmentThe 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. 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, 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: '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 t 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 recyclablity 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. According to the European Aluminium Association (EAA) aluminium packaging is recycled with a recycling rate of more than 50% today. Comprehensive systems for the recovery of used aluminium now exist in all major European countries. 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 rate for aluminium packaging has risen to 81%. 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) Following the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) today approximately 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in productive use, creating a virtual aluminium pool which is fed out of short term applications (e.g. packaging) and long term applications (e.g. buildings).
In order to explain concepts, claim and definitions for recycling, recovery and recyclability in we have compiled questions and answers (Q&A) . More evidence on alufoils contribution to sustainable development is given in the life cycle assessments (LCA) on food products . (last update March 2010)
1) J. Kooijman, Environmental Impact of Packaging Performance in the Food Supply System, Journal of waste management and resource recovery. Vol. 3, Nr. 2 19962) 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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