Aluminium – a packaging marvel

Packaging is an absolute necessity when it is a question of maintaining the value of products and also when transporting goods. The demands on packaging, however, are increasing all the time and have to satisfy not only commercial and technical requirements, but also social and ecological ones. Aluminium foil plays a major role here and has become an indispensable form of packaging material.

The use of aluminium as a packaging material began at the start of the 20th century. It was 1910 when it became possible for the first time to roll out an aluminium sheet at a thickness of 1/100 millimetres. Chocolate makers were the first to utilise the advantages of this new aluminium foil in 1911 and used it practically exclusively to replace the tinfoil used up to then.

This marked the start of aluminium's rocket-like career as a packaging material. Thanks to its barrier properties, aluminium offers long-term protection for foodstuffs and so extends storage life considerably, while simultaneously preventing the loss of flavour and other components of the packaged product. Just as an example: one kilogram of aluminium is sufficient to keep around 650 litres of milk drinkable for a long period.

Aluminium foils, tubes and aerosols are also used in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors. Aluminium has become indispensable for the transport and storage of medicines and medical instruments since it ensures absolute protection against light, moisture, gases and germs. In the cosmetic industry, aluminium containers permit precise dispensing and so make economical use and hygienic application possible.

Another additional benefit of aluminium foil is the prevention of product tampering. The foils around the necks of champagne or beer bottles are examples of this. The aluminium foil shows the consumer that the contents have not been tampered with.

In addition to these functional aspects, aluminium packaging also plays a role in marketing: it is used to create an incentive to buy a product, for instance by the metallic, high-quality brilliance or by the printing, embossing or the holographic processing of the aluminium foil. Packaging designers practically have a free hand here. Aluminium is therefore actually also a means of communication.

The aluminium packaging industry continues to demonstrate its dynamic development today: of the approximately 75,000 employees in the German aluminium industry around 20% work in the packaging sector.


Overview