Highlighting aluminium on Packaging Day in Germany

Image courtesy of GDA

Packaging Day in Germany will take place on 10 June 2021. The Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie (GDA) – aluminium packaging association in Germany – details why aluminium packaging provides convincing answers to the requirements of brand manufacturers and consumers in a modern, sustainable society. 

The association says that although packaging is a constant companion of consumers in everyday life, many are unaware that aluminium packaging only accounts for around 1% of the packaging marketed in Germany, although the high-performance all-rounders are apparently omnipresent. While it is used for a beverage or aerosol can, tube, meal tray or as a foil that is sometimes visible, it often also appears as a hidden champion in composite packaging. 

Product protection and recyclability are high on the agenda 

With a view to the best possible resource efficiency for the benefit of current and future generations, aspects such as optimal product protection and recyclability play a decisive role in the design of packaging. And this is exactly where sustainable aluminium packaging can score in comparison to other packaging materials. Even with a material thickness of only six micrometers, aluminium represents a functional barrier that efficiently protects food and other products from external influences such as light, oxygen and hydrogen. In this way, food and product spoilage and waste, which in our consumer society must be avoided from a moral and ecological point of view, can be effectively combated. 

Recycling without loss of quality and high material value as decisive assets 

From an ecological point of view, lightweight aluminium packaging enables energy savings during transport, and even at the end of its life, aluminium packaging, which can be recycled almost infinitely without any loss of quality, delivers a convincing performance in terms of resource efficiency. “With a current recycling rate of 93.2% for aluminium packaging marketed in Germany, the material cycle is almost complete. The continuous expansion of the sorting and recycling infrastructure in Germany and, last but not least, the high value of aluminium, which is by far the highest of all packaging materials, have also contributed to this achievement. Legal initiatives such as the Green Deal or the Circular Economy Action Program of the EU Commission will continue to promote the design for recycling, from which so-called permanent materials such as aluminium will benefit”, said GDA managing director Marius Baader. 

Courageously tackling the challenges of a changing society 

The picture is rounded off by the great consumer friendliness of aluminium packaging in an increasingly aging and at the same time more mobile on-demand society. Easily manageable packaging formats in a wide variety of sizes offer tailor-made solutions for senior citizens, single and family households. And even with the rapidly increasing online trade, aluminium packaging cuts a fine figure thanks to its robustness and attractive appearance. 

“Even if aluminium packaging still accounts for by far the smallest proportion of all packaging marketed in Germany on Packaging Day in 2021, the slogan “Small, but powerful!” rightly applies due to its outstanding performance. And it impressively shows the growth opportunities that arise for the manufacturers of aluminium packaging if they courageously take up the current challenges of a society in transition in a demanding competitive environment”, said Gregor Spengler, head of packaging – Sustainability – Recycling at GDA. 

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