Europe aluminium foil production rose 3.1% in 2025, but import dependency persists - explore market dynamics and trade flows

The European aluminium foil industry appeared to regain its footing in 2025, extending the stabilisation seen a year earlier. Demand moved in a positive direction overall, yet the recovery did not follow a straight line. As the year progressed, momentum began to soften, with the fourth quarter emerging as a clear weak spot. The question, then, is not whether recovery happened -but how steady it really was.

Despite an installed production capacity estimated at 1–1.4 million tonnes annually, actual output has consistently remained a bit below this range, underlining persistent underutilisation across the sector. The past few years help explain why. Output edged up slightly by 0.4 per cent from 967,000 tonnes in 2021 to 971,300 tonnes in 2022. Then came a sharp fall of 14.4 per cent to 831,700 tonnes in 2023. The rebound started in 2024, with production rising 7.3 per cent to around 892,500 tonnes, and continued in 2025 with a further 3.1 per cent increase to 920,400 tonnes.

This level of output broadly mirrors total deliveries, combining both domestic shipments and exports. In effect, production is closely aligned with the volume supplied to European markets and international buyers.

A year that started strong-but didn’t hold pace