BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM - solutions for sustainable living

BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING 35 ALUMINUM AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING SOLUTIONS Aluminum in aseptic packaging The use of the well-known long-life packaging in Brazil started from milk packages. Today, they serve as packaging for juices, isotonic drinks, teas, oils, chocolate, coconut, sugarcane juice, wine, fermented and soy milk, cappuccino, among other products. Build from layers of paper, polyethylene and aluminum – this latter used as a barrier agent - the food that packaging stores are conveyed over long distances and stored for months without refrigeration. In the case of milk, that packaging has been greatly decisive for food security, mostly for infants, since it is a key food for child development. The benefits of this type of packaging are even more critical for low-income, rural and remotely-located communities. The so-called Ultra-High Temperature-UHT process, which is applied to package the milk, demands that food is rapidly sterilized at high temperatures (up to 135° C/275o F), followed by filling it in aseptic packaging, thus enabling to preserve food for several weeks, free of food preservatives. In order words, less waste, healthy food, energy saving and food safety are just some of the benefits these packaging get from aluminum, their greatest ally. For the coconut water, that package meant a huge waste reduction, by allowing usage in fruit processing. For orange juice, using it helps preserve vitamin C, meaning that the aseptic packaging has avoided using preservatives for natural juices in their packaging. For wines, such packaging is commonly used in other countries, thus enabling to store the drink in the fridge for up to 30 days, while retaining the aroma and flavor since it blocks the airway. Aluminum foil is an element of the aseptic package, reaching a thickness of 6 to 9 microns and accounting for nearly 5% of its weight. It mostly works as a barrier against light and oxygen, securing the package’s properties, aroma and flavor. Aseptic packages are recyclable, boosting the circular economy for they serve as raw material for new products. After being separated in the selective collection phase and sent out to specialized recycling industries, the process starts in the paper mills, where paper fibers are detached from the layers of plastic and aluminum. After separation, the fibers are used to produce recycled paper, then employed to manufacture cardboard boxes. Hence, aluminum and plastic can be separated or reprocessed to turn into new products. © shutterstock.com Less waste, healthy food, energy savings and food security are just some of the benefits of this packaging, for which aluminum is the greatest ally.