Latest Figures Indicate Aluminium Foil is Still in Demand

Figures compiled by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA) for the first semester of 2005, indicate that shipments of aluminium foil have maintained the healthy level set in the first quarter.

The sales of the first six months increased slightly from 429,300 tons by 0.3 percent to 430,600 tons. With a strong growth of 13 % the sales were driven by the exports to countries outside the EAFA region* while the shipments inside this region decreased slightly by 2 percent. According to Stefan Glimm, EAFA Executive Director, the general expectations for the rest of 2005 are the continuation of a good level of sales over the year as a whole.

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. Other uses of aluminium foil include automotive and other heat exchange components, insulation material and other industrial applications.