Packaging

In 2009, containers and packaging regained their position as the top market for aluminum. The aluminum industry shipped 4.73 billion pounds of aluminum for packaging applications, or 26.5 percent of all shipments. Aluminum is used in products such as beverage cans and bottles, food containers, and household and institutional foil. Product manufacturers and consumers appreciate foil for its impermeability to light, water, and oxygen - making it a preferred barrier material for beverage, food, and pharmaceutical products. Additionally, aluminum's low weight gives it a competitive advantage over other materials with regard to shipping costs.

The continuing popularity of aluminum packaging is in part attributable to Americans' understanding of the benefits of recycling (energy and natural resource conservation, as well as landfill savings). Thanks to more than 10,000 recycling centers nationwide, 58.1 percent of all aluminum cans produced in 2010 were recycled. The industry has done its part in reducing the weight of aluminum cans by about one-third and continuing to raise awareness of the value of recycling.