Infoil

Freshness and variety rule in coffee markets

Coffee is Europe’s favouritehot beverage with consumption growing steadily year on year. Consumers now expect a lot more than a jar of instant coffee granules or a sachet of powder, they are looking for the barista touch! The demand is for freshness and variety, which the current generation of coffee capsules and pouches or ‘sous vide’ packs – many using aluminium foil – can offer.

Foil on the frontline

On many occasions aluminium foil has stepped up to help deliver solutions to problems facing the world. This sounds quite dramatic, but in the course of a long history the characteristics of this highly adaptable and very flexible material has been called upon to meet fresh challenges – often using the attributes it has always possessed, but in different circumstances. The current pandemic has put such attributes into sharp focus. Once again foil is working on the front line, helping to deliver a safer environment in the fight to control the COVID-19 virus.

Winning entries demonstrate the best of aluminium foil in multiple applications

- Alufoil Trophy 2020 winners once again show the wide range of applications and uses to which this truly flexible material can be successfully applied.

As the most important competition for innovation and performing excellence in the sector, the Alufoil Trophy, this year, attracted a very diverserange of products across the five categories.

From the purely marketing to purely engineering, and including outstanding environmental responsibility, every aspect of aluminium foil was scrutinised by the judges, who were headed by Veith Behrmann, Group Packaging Manager for Nestlé Nespresso. Commenting on the overall results Behrmann said, “Aluminium foil is a very multi-talented material and the entries in this year’s Alufoil Trophy showed just how clever innovators are at coming up with fresh ideas. In particular we were impressed by the potential for some of these products to be applied to wider markets.”

“We felt two entries, one packaging and one automotive application, were so worthy of recognition, that special awards for Innovative Use of Aluminium Foil were given. A special gas bag made from an alufoil laminate, in a new suspension system for Mercedes Benz, plus a range of reusable dining plates to replace disposable plastic and paper ones, show just why aluminium foil is so special and has such strong innovation potential,” he added.

Aluminium foil: totally ‘on trend’ for a modern world

- Judged against the ‘Top Global Consumer Trends 2019’ identified by Euromonitor International, aluminium foil scores high marks for performance and relevance to modern consumer needs.

Today’s consumers expect much morefrom the products they buy, and the packaging it comes in. With over 100 years of service as a material which protects and preserves, aluminium foil is now being scrutinised to meet a new set of criteria. On investigation foil seems to meet many of these new challenges.

Before we see how aluminium foil is doing, it is worth taking a look at some of the challenges being set by consumers of all ages and backgrounds. The Euromonitor report highlights several key aspects of modern living and changing attitudes: age agnostics – older people want to feel, behave and be treated the same as younger persons; Back to Basics for Status – put simply, less is more; Conscious
Consumers – more mindful, respectful and compassionate consumption; Digitally together – more interactive and connected experiences; Everyone’s an Expert – the power has moved from the retailer to the consumer; I want a Plastics Free World – taking positive action on recycling and rejecting single-use packaging; I can Look after myself / Live alone – new ways of dealing with being single.

The most important competition for innovation and new technological advances in aluminium foil, the Alufoil Trophy 2019, once again attracted a strong field of entries. In total nine awards were made across the five categories, including a discretionary award for overall excellence for one outstanding product. The Alufoil Trophy is an annual event, organised each year by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA).

Lids come in all shapes and sizes and are made from many different materials. A lid can be on a shoebox, a biscuit tin or a yogurt pot. For the dairy and food sector particularly, many of them are made using aluminium foil, or combinations of materials which include an alufoil layer. There is a long history of innovation and sustainable development for these products.

But alufoil lidding solutions do not just seal things in, they also keep nasty stuff out, thanks to their barrier properties. In addition they offer puncture resistance to help safe transportation. At the same time they must look good to enhance the impact of the overall pack and the brand.

Winners shine a light on originality and invention in alufoil products.

The Alufoil Trophy 2018 lived up to its reputation as one of the most highly valued awards competitions in the materials sector. This year’s winning entries display excellence in aluminium foil across a wide range of applications including pharmaceutical, food and snack packaging and one which literally does make it much easier to shine LED lighting.

Whether it is containers or trays for cooking, display or protection, food service applications, coffee pods, or household foil used by the consumer to wrap goods for transport, storage or BBQs, there is no better material for these jobs. And let’s not forget the beverage applications for juices such as lined
cartons, pouches for a whole range of applications, and closures for oil, water, wines and spirits.

The diverse range of applications for foil for food and beverages was fully demonstrated at the EAFA stand during interpack 2017 where the Foil & Taste
feature drew enthusiastic crowds to watch experts from the worlds of chocolate, water & wines, coffee and a master BBQ chef show just how versatile aluminium foil can be to improve the whole food experience.

The largest packaging show on the planet, interpack, is the ideal place to show off the winners of the coveted Alufoil Trophy for 2017. A truly global audience will come to see just how innovative and creative the aluminium foil sector can be! And this year saw a particularly bright set of entries across all categories, covering thin and thicker gauges, as well as closures. So there will be many ‘stars’ on the EAFA stand in Düsseldorf this year.

In particular the judges were impressed by the expanding market opportunities for new foil products, whether these are replacing other packaging formats or are completely new developments. Innovative ideas continue to flow from aluminium foil rollers and converters as well as products which are developed in combination with other materials or processes. Read all about these exciting ideas and concepts inside this issue.

Remarkable alufoil: celebrating 40 years of EAFA

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the European Aluminium Foil Association, EAFA, out of organisations with roots going back to the 1920s.

Over the last forty years EAFA’s role has changed considerably as new dynamics have driven the markets it serves, particularly the packaging sector. The need for environmental responsibility, resource efficiency and sustainable materials has put these issues at the forefront of the EAFA agenda. In addition, the increasing influence of legislation and regulation within the European economic areas is driving requirements for longer product shelf-life, better food and drug security in the supply chain and greater recycling. Also modern marketing demands have enabled aluminium foil based products to show the strength and versatility of the material in meeting all these requirements, yet showing its high quality image making properties too!

Consumers have become increasingly aware of the environmental impacts of packaging and how foil covered components can insulate homes better or make auto engines work more efficiently. The huge increase in specialised laminated films, pouches and trays specifically designed for more efficient cooking - and including microwaveable – has had a profound impact on the uses of alufoil.

Showcasing the best of the best of alufoil

Experience the many new ideas from the alufoil and closure sector plus major EAFA initiatives.

Every three years the Alufoil Trophy competition coincides with the interpack, the leading packaging technology show in the world. This provides EAFA with the perfect showcase to demonstrate the ‘best of the best’ in alufoil and aluminium closure developments – the winning entries – on its stand (Hall 10 / C53).

This year the competition attracted a record num- ber of entries, making the competition for the coveted Alufoil Trophy one of the fiercest ever. The re- sult is some truly outstanding new packaging concepts showing the versatility, engineering flexibility and exceptional quality of aluminium as a packaging material, as well as its great marketing and design capabilities for brand identity and new product development.

Packed full of wellness for a better life

Today living better and longer is at the forefront of many people's minds - whether it is to lead a healthy, active life as well as prevent illness there is a growing move towards a “forever young” culture.

Health and wellbeing are high priorities for many parts of society, in all corners of the world. Even governments are taking an active role in promoting healthier diets, better nutrition, improved hygiene and more active lifestyles. There is also a renewed focus on reducing food waste and improving the supply chain to improve the quality and quantity of food available globally.

At every step in this process aluminium foil has a part to play and an increasingly important one. Whether it is a humble seal on a container or bottle; a pouch filled with nutritious juice, liquid or dried food; a food container keeping food fresh and safe; or a pill pack which increases the lifespan and effi- cacy of the drug in hostile environments, alufoil’s unique qualities are a vital component in the story.

Alufoil and closures lead the way in drink packs

More and more alcoholic drinks companies are finding alufoil based packs can add impact to their products – helping to reach new markets

Not so long ago consumers would take for granted that alcoholic drinks and mixers would only come in glass bottles or cans. Today, more and more packs featuring alufoil are achieving high levels of consumer acceptance. Cartons and pouches are now seen as viable alternatives for wine, beer, cider and spirits. For younger consumers pouches with cocktails are seen as convenient and ultra ‘cool’!

Leading with practical and stylish innovations

Alufoil Trophy 2013 winners demonstrate ideas for new products and markets

Great ingenuity to create innovative products, some with the potential to take alufoil into new markets, underlined the entries for the Alufoil Trophy 2013. Practicality was combined with style and creativity across all sectors. So good was the quality of entries that the judges were challenged to pick ‘the best of the best’, but eventually selected 12 winners. The competition, which is ranged across five categories, attracted entries from many of the major European aluminium converters, as well as leading industrial designers, and confirmed its position as the preeminent award for the alufoil sector.

National dishes make the most of alufoil

Thanks to better packaging food specialities can now be enjoyed by a much wider audience.

Even though Europe has become much more linked together, thanks to easier travel and better communication, everywhere retains a strong national identity and being proud of your country has never been more important. With so many people now living and working outside their homeland, national foods are a strong reminder of these roots, as well as offering the chance to introduce a tasty dish or snack for others to discover and enjoy.

The great variety of specialties using alufoil demonstrate its remarkable popularity as a packaging material, as well as the diversity of formats which have been adopted to pack, wrap and decorate everything from wafers, beer & wines, pasta dishes, sauerkraut, cheese and even festive treats like the UK’s mince pies.

Summer of sporting splendour!

Alufoil adds both utility and some sparkle to the Olympics and Euro 2012 competitions

This summer is set to be one of the greatest ever for sports enthusiasts. The spotlight is definitely on Europe as first, in the east, Poland and Ukraine host the European Football Cup. This is followed, as the focus moves west, by the Olympics and Paralympics in London. Modern sportsmen and women take full advantage of the easy to use packs made possible, thanks to laminates with alufoil, for single dose packs and pouches which are convenient and safe to use.

For example many athletes must take in energy or calories in a very controlled way when running the marathon or cycling long distances. Soccer players too need minerals and proteins provided in pouches, even before extra time! Stick packs can deliver single, accurate amounts of these products and keep them in first class condition.

Originality and technical innovation take centre stage

Alufoil Trophy winners demonstrate fresh thinking with existing and new products

“We were particularly impressed by the original thinking which
had gone in to some traditional items which took them to a new level of performance and technical innovation”

Antoinette Devine

Ultimately 13 entries were awarded with an Alufoil Trophy. Categories cover almost every market for packaging, as well as many other technical uses, encompassing Consumer Convenience; Marketing + Design; Product Preservation; Resource Efficiency; and Technical Innovation. One product was awarded with an Alufoil Trophy for its Overall Excel- lence, having scored highly in various categories.

Alufoil keeps you warm in winter

Unique properties combine well with other technologies to keep out the cold

Traditionally keeping out the winter cold has meant adding extra layers of clothes, eating and drinking appropriately and turning up the heating. Govern- ments and other advisory bodies now offer lists of ‘do’s and don’ts’. But with the cost of both food and heating soaring it is more important than ever to look at effective, less wasteful ways to stay warm.

Alufoil’s contribution to this ‘hot’ topic is considerable and comes in a surprising variety of ways. It is present in domestic, commercial and industrial applications, as its unique properties, plus the ability to combine with other materials, means more sophisticated and cost effective solutions are now possible.

Winners help create a vision of the future

Convenience, safety and resource efficiency

Convenience, safety and resource efficiency are words that could have been designed for the aluminium foil industry, which has been successfully pursuing excellence in these areas over many years, not only to create flourishing markets for its packaging and technical products but also to en- sure that future generations benefit from actions that are taken today to create a ‘more sustainable’ environment tomorrow.

This search for quality by the sector has resulted in many successes thanks to its constant efforts to produce innovative materials and product developments, married to resource efficiency aims.

Alufoil helps battle the extremes

Providing essential support and life saving properties

Space exploration, biodiversity, humanitarian aid, crime scene investigations, adventure or military operations are not usually the first applications that spring to mind when we are asked to think about uses for aluminium foil. But these are some of the extreme uses to which alufoil adds its essential, and often life saving, properties and any study of its unique properties makes it an obvious choice for many extraordinary feats of human endeavour.

When battling with extreme climatic conditions, for example, protection of food, goods and equipment is essential and in this scenario many of alufoil’s attributes come into their own. Goods frequently have to be delivered to some of the remotest parts of the world where the transport infra structure is often rudimentary at best. This means that the most efficient and effective packaging possible is needed.

Spotlight on 100 years of innovation

Celebrating the future through the past

‘There is nothing new under the sun’ says the famous biblical expression, and although this may be true vast improvements are being made all the time. One of the most interesting facts of aluminium foil’s 100th anniversary is that the foundations on which its introduction was based are as true today as they were in 1910.

Protection, convenience and cost were the major advantages for manufacturers in the early part of the 20th century. Additionally, although not talked about at the time, these attributes, alongside its lightweight, were also responsible for advances in resource efficiency, something which is close to the heart of the supply chain today.

Alufoil turns the mundane into the beautiful

- and accentuates the positive

Innovation and technical excellence is alive and well in alufoil sector as demonstrated by the winners of the Alufoil Trophy 2010. Designed to echo the needs of direct customers and consumers five categories - Consumer Convenience, Design + Marketing, Product Preservation, Resource Efficiency, and Technical Innovation - were introduced for the first time by EAFA for the Alufoil Trophy 2010.

The new format attracted some 64 entries with 13 winners, leading both the alufoil sector and judges to herald the 2010 awards a great success.

Serving up a healthy future for portion packs

Single-serve packaging options are as diverse as the markets they serve. From food and drink to health and beauty, from do-it yourself products to pet foods, innovative and convenient single- serve and portion-controlled packs are being used in increasing numbers.

In the food market the convenience of single-serve portion controlled packs are now being promoted as a real means of helping to maintain a healthy diet. Understanding how much a serving should be and how many calories it contains is considered to be a prime way in which to tackle obesity.

Food and drink markets using single- serve packs include ready meals, and products to eat and drink on the go; plus a plethora of products for consumption in restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels.

Drinks packs add sparkle

Drinks manufacturers are always on the look out to find new ways of differentiating their brands through innovative packaging materials and design.
Most recently the focus has been on designs that provide cost effectiveness and also offer weight savings, material reduction, production line efficiencies, and all round environmental performance.

At the same time packaging developments must be functional, convenient and demonstrate a quality feel. Star of the show over recent years has been the drinks pouch which demonstrates all of these attributes and which owes much of its success to alufoil.

Creating a sustainable and convenient world

To some there may appear to be a dichotomy between the call for more and more convenience and the desire for a more sustainable world. But is this the case?

Few people believe that the consumer’s desire for convenience will fade but neither will the desire for more environmentally friendly packaging. The key is the development of efficient and appropriate solutions, not the demise of conveniently packaged products.

Fun and education for kids

Food for kids should be fun as well as nutritious and despite all the grave warnings about obesity in children, a fun treat for special occasions such as birthdays, Easter, Christmas and Halloween need not be detrimental to health. 

The increased spending power and influence of children is now being targeted by food manufacturers keen to win "stomach share", while kids also want to be ‘eatertained’ by the food products they buy.

Travel packs take-off

As you prepare to jet off for your sum- mer holiday, just think how much packaging supports you on your journey.

From airline meals or snacks for the car journey to sun cream, cosmetics & toiletries and a handy pack of pain killers, alufoil developments play a big part in making your journey easier.

Following 9/11 in-flight catering experienced a turbulent ride: fewer passengers meant fewer sales. But it has recovered well and in-flight caterers are turning to more interesting healthy and ethnic foods to keep the customer satisfied.

In-flight catering is worth up to US$15bn a year across the world, with a predicted annual growth rate of around 5%, according to International Travel Catering Association. It also directly employs more than 100,000 people worldwide.

Capturing the imagination

Creative, flexible and innovative was how judges described the winners of the Alufoil Trophy 2007. A record number of entries to the annual competition saw eight Alufoil Trophies awarded from 34 entries.

Head judge David Smith, Kraft Foods’ Director Packaging Global Technology and Quality International, said, “The breadth of applications represented by entrants demonstrated some very creative and interesting packaging solutions covering everything from lidding concepts, barrier properties and primary packaging, to some really innovative new material structures and applications offering true consumer convenience.”

This summer promises to provide a bonanza for aluminium foil. It is not just the football fever spreading across Europe and the world as the FIFA World CupTM gets under way in Germany this month that is expected to light up opportunities for barbecues and outdoor activities; all forms of alfresco dining and other outdoor activities are on the increase.

The demand for bottled beers, a glass of your favourite wine with a barbecued burger, sausage, steak or your favourite fish, covered with your favourite marinade or barbecue sauce, all summer products look set to soar.

However, even without a major sporting event bolstering summer sales barbecuing is big business. According to research company TNS, UK sales of barbecue related products in 2005 – red and white meat, vegetarian burgers, grills, sausages and marinades - amounted to some €1.2bn. If you add alcohol the figure soars to €4.6bn in the UK alone; multiply this across Europe and the figure must reach astronomical heights.

Champions of innovation

This year’s hotly contested Alufoil Trophy 2006 awards reflected the growing importance of aluminium foil in today’s packaging mix.

The independent judging panel was delighted with the quality of the 20 entries as was summed up by leading independent judge Dr Jochen Hertlein, Head of Culinary Packaging, Nestlé Germany: “The sheer diversity of applications within entries to the awards and, most particularly, the five winners proves conclusively that alufoil is an important part of the packaging mix.”

The “New Young” breathe life into premium brands

Gone are the days when Grandpa was happy to wile away his retirement pottering in the garden and reading the newspaper interrupted only by eating the same meals Grandma has been preparing ever since they were married.

These days Grandpa is just as likely to be travelling the world following his favourite football team – or even playing the beautiful game himself; while Grandma goes on a world cruise with her friends from the golf club.

Today’s trends in consumer behaviour are shattering traditional assumptions. For a start, the changing senior (50+) group – the so-called ‘new old’ or ‘best agers’ or Infoil’s favoured term the “New Young” – has resulted in the creation of a generation with higher disposable income but, in many cases, less leisure time as they continue to work for longer..”

ALUFOIL is a key component in Tetra Recart, Tetra Pak’s packaging solution developed to challenge canned foods and currently gaining in popularity for upmarket ‘fresh’ products as an alternative to the traditional can.

Aluminium provides oxygen and light barriers to the packaging material structure and ensures the 24 month shelf life. “This is extremely important when the can is the standard to which we are compared,” said Erik Lindroth, business development director at Tetra Recart Polypropylene AB. “Aluminium is also necessary to allow the induction heat sealing of the pack.

Refreshing news for coffee

Increasingly sophisticated consumer tastes and the quest for quality and convenience has led to a plethora of new coffees and exotic flavours, pack sizes and types, plus many different delivery systems. The countless choices now on offer include mild, strong, traditional, and flavoured and gourmet brands, while there is also a growing demand for ethnic varieties.

Brand owners and retailers both large and small now offer coffees for almost every imaginable occasion in both single-serve and family packs: breakfast, coffee breaks and dinner in the home; café society offerings; ready to drink hot and cold coffees for on-the-go consumption; and specialist coffees for the office and catering outlets.

Making the most of summer

With the arrival of summer, most of us dream of getting out into the countryside, into the garden, away on holiday. The longer days and warmer weather can mean fun and relaxation.

There are many ways in which aluminium foil is helping us to enjoy all the opportunities that the summer brings. As well as the more visible ways, such as the ‘instant barbecue’ (illustrated here), alufoil is making a key, yet often hidden, contribution to making food and drink better protected and convenient to use.

Foil Packs of the Year 2003 - The winners!

The latest to be awarded the Alufoil Trophy for Foil Pack of the Year demonstrate user convenience, product protection and source reduction.

The 2003 winners also use the technical properties of aluminium foil to create real opportunities to combine innovation with cost efficiency.

In addition to the four Foil Packs of the Year, one further pack was selected to be ‘Highly Commended’ as an example of the imaginative use of an existing pack format in a new market sector.

A GLITTERING SUCCESS!

Chocolate is good for you . . .

Did you know that, as well as valuable nutrients, chocolate contains an endorphin chemical, phenylethylamine, that can lift the mood and induce feelings ranging from happiness to euphoria? This stimulant is also naturally present in the human body, and its levels have been shown to increase when we fall in love. The Aztecs called chocolate ‘the food of the gods’, and Casanova considered hot chocolate to be the ‘elixir of love’ and drank that instead of Champagne!

ALUFOIL: life support system?

Today we take for granted the ways in which packaging delivers food and drink, pharmaceuticals and confectionery, in a perfect condition ready to be used despite the hazards of the environment, handling, storage and distribution. Modern packaging systems are technological miracles driven by the demands of consumers for quality coupled with economy.

Aluminium foil is playing a central part in this scene. Throughout our day it helps to deliver dependable quality – from the moment we unwrap the butter at breakfast to opening some chocolate while watching TV in the evening. In between, the examples of alufoil’s contributions to our typical day are countless.

DIVERSITY, INNOVATION and IMAGINATION

The EAFA Trophy-winning packs for 2002 again reveal the active level of innovation and creative use of aluminium foil which is going on in the world of European packaging.

Alufoil’s ‘upward trend’

Although a 4% reduction in shipments for the first semester of 2002 was recorded, compared with the same period last year (373,500 t compared with 390,000 t) in the *zone covered by the EAFA figures, the tonnage nevertheless represented a healthy 6% increase over the previous 6 months.

Thicker gauges, much of which are used for technical applications – for example in heat exchangers – account for all of the reduction in the total. However, demand for the thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging, has remained consistently strong during the first half of 2002 – even compared with the same period of 2001.

ALUFOIL SPECIFIERS

confirm its performance and value

Alufoil has established itself as an essential component in today’s high quality, innovative packaging. Its applications in the demanding packaging systems of long life foods, ready meals and pharmaceutical packs are growing rapidly. This is shown by the statistics over recent years – an average alufoil growth in Europe of over 4%. Even in the current unfavourable economic situation, alufoil has remained in healthy demand.

Radical revision of EAFA statistics

results in greater accuracy

As part of its practice of continual improvement and service to members and to user industries, the EAFA has completed a full re-examination of statistical data collected and published during the past five years concerning alufoil production and use. As well as a higher degree of accuracy, the result of the study has revealed a significant historical under- estimation of both the tonnages recorded and of the average growth rate which has been revised upwards to 4.8% for the 1995-2000 period.

Consumers prefer aluminium foil packs

Migros customers insist on alufoil for bakery goods - By popular demand, Migros, the major Swiss retail organisation, has decided that aluminium foil containers will be used in future for its bakery products.

Some years ago, aluminium cake containers were replaced with ovenable board cases ‘for ecological reasons’. But the apple tarts stuck to the board and the pastry got broken. So, thanks to customer pressure, Migros is again offering aluminium cake containers which avoid such difficulties during baking and use.

‘Unlike the paper cases, which get thrown away once they have been used, the aluminium ones can easily be cleaned and re-used by the consumer’. (Reported in the Migros magazine “Brückenbauer”: February 2001)

EAFA takes the lead in setting ‘e-commerce’ standards

The latest annual General Assembly of EAFA represented a landmark. It was the first to be held in the new environment of ‘e-commerce’.

Although the business world is not yet fully ‘on line’, EAFA is already serving its members and their customers and helping them prepare for the new era of electronic trading - providing information and setting rules for fair trading practices.

Presentations to the General Assembly by invited speakers, each an expert in this field, revealed how important this new business tool has already become - and will increasingly be for all business and industry in the future.

The opportunities available were explained by Martin Jäger, from Droege & Comp. AG the business consultancy, Christian R. Schulte, CEO and co-founder of Econia.com, an on-line auction service and Reinhild Gefrerer of mySAP.com, a major international e-trading consultancy.

Health-care products:- a continuing growth market for aluminium foil

Recent PIRA study predicts a strong growth for blister packs

According to a new report from *PIRA International, ‘The European Market for Pharmaceutical Packaging’, the pharmaceutical industry spent an estimated $3.2 billion (EUR 3 billion) on packaging in 1999, with blisters (added to strips and sachets) accounting for one quarter of this amount. In terms of materials, metal accounted for 26% by value.

The popularity of the blister pack with its push-through foil closure is easy to understand.

1999 Aluminium Foil Production up by 3% – another record

The total production of the Roller Members of EAFA for 1999 increased over the previous year and, at 623,000 tonnes, achieved a new record level. Both exports and usage of aluminium foil within EAFA member countries showed a satisfying growth of 3.0 % and achieved the highest level ever: nearly 95,000 tonnes for exports and 528,000 tonnes for usage within EAFA member countries.

EAFA website now fully open

The new EAFA website – www.alufoil.org – is waiting for your visit. It has been designed as a practical information centre which will be useful to all, whether your interest is commercial, environmental or academic.

In order to cover all possible levels of interest, the site includes:

• Details of EAFA member companies and the products they can provide plus a Business Enquiry Service

• Facts on Foil: information about alufoil and its applications

• Infoil News, extracts from this newsletter

• Statistics: the latest reports on production and useage

• E-mail: to send messages or questions to EAFA

• Links to related sites

• A comprehensive search facility covering the whole site