Aluminium foil: Positive expectations for 2008

In 2007, the manufacturers united in the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) produced 864,000 tons of aluminium foil and are therefore only registering a fall of 0.2 percent in comparison with the record year of 2006 – with a unit based growth rate of almost two percent. According to EAFA, these figures, gathered for the first time within the scope of an annual comparison, confirm the fact suspected for many years that growth in terms of square meters lies clearly above the development of the market in measured tons.

“This is a contribution to increased resource efficiency, meaning that a higher level of customer benefit is being achieved with an ever lower application of raw materials” states EAFA President Fred McDonogh. In terms of weight, the deliveries of the thicker foils which are primarily used for containers and technical applications, increased at home and abroad by a clear 5.5 percent. The sale of thinner foils which are mostly used in flexible packaging increased in terms of area by roughly five percent, while falling slightly in terms of weight by 1.3%. Sales by EAFA members in Europe increased by one percent despite growing imports from Asia. Due to the difficulties of exporting to the Dollar zone, exports fell by six percent.

The manufacturers of aluminium foils within the EAFA (EU member states of Armenia, Bulgaria, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Hungary) represent almost 98% of the European foil market. Almost three quarters of aluminium foil produced goes to the packaging market. Its packaging attributes such as resistance, plasticity and barrier protection mean it is indispensable in many types of flexible packaging and containers.