Category: News

Many types of packaging materials are used to protect products during storage and shipping, both in  mass retail and industrial packaging: paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, wood and metal.

The choice of material varies according to criteria such as product type, the level of protection needed and how it will be shipped.

Compared to these materials, aluminium has some amazing properties: it is highly malleable, lightweight and resistant as well as offering conductivity and full protection from light, oxygen and water. But just how recyclable is aluminium packaging?

 

 

Aluminium, a naturally-occurring element:

Aluminium has been in use since ancient times. It occurs naturally, although only in compounds such as alum (the best known). Much later, in 1821, French mineralogist and engineer Pierre Berthier[1] analysed a mineral found near Baux-de-Provence and pinpointed a high concentration in alumina. This red mineral, later named bauxite, was later to become the main mineral in aluminium.

Ranking third among the most common chemical elements, aluminium is the most abundant element, making up 8% of the earth’s crust.

 

The environmental impact of using aluminium in packaging shrinks over time:

For one tonne of aluminium, you need to extract two tonnes of alumina and around four tonnes of bauxite. For an accurate environmental footprint, you need to analysing the product’s full life cycle. This type of analysis is the most comprehensive  because it factors in extraction, manufacturing, shipping, use, recycling and related operations involving the use of energy, secondary materials, and shipping. The standards ISO 14040 and 14044[2] set out the rules and method, factoring in all steps in the material’s life cycle.

Nowadays, global annual production of primary aluminium stands at 60 million tonnes. “The stock of aluminium for recycling is ever growing and is an important resource for the future given its alleviated energy cost”. Source Aluminium France.

You can find out more, and get the low-down on why “Aluminium packaging contributes to the rational use of resources…” and how “aluminium preserves more resources than it uses” from the European Aluminium Association[3] brochure.

 

Infinite recycling and all-aluminium packaging 

The recycling of aluminium packaging is essential to protect the environment, saving on both resources and waste volume. Packaging is recyclable when it can be transformed into a new raw material used to produce new items. Aluminium can be recycled infinitely, to the point that 75% of aluminium produced in 1920 is still in use today. Aluminium is fully recyclable without any deterioration in its initial physical and chemical qualities.

Used, all-aluminium packaging (secondary aluminium) is of great economical value. This contributes to its being effectively recycled: the more aluminium a product contains, the more chances it has of being recycled! Aluminium packaging can be used to produce new packaging and other premium products such as engine blocks, building material and bicycles. For example, you can make 300 racing bike frames from a tonne of recycled aluminium.

 

Aluminium, the most environment-friendly packaging material

According to an ACV Bio Intelligence survey on behalf of Tetra Pak, published on 25 June 2019: “Aluminium has the lowest impact on nature and can thus claim the title of most environment-friendly packaging material[4]”.

This means that it is highly likely that most aluminium packaging used to protect products you buy, especially food packaging, will be recycled. To be precise, some 47% of aluminium used in France has been recycled, For example, cans made of aluminium contain three times more recycled matter than glass or plastic bottles, as the Aluminium Association[5] points out.

 

Aluminium is low-carbon

Very little energy is needed to recycle aluminium: only 5% of that used to produce the primary metal. In other words, recycling aluminium packaging (to make secondary aluminium) saves up to 95% energy compared to producing primary aluminium and an equivalent amount of GHG emissions (source AAA). Indeed, recycling secondary aluminium helps to reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 100 Mt a year (evaluated, in 2015, on a basis of 30 Mt of secondary aluminium produced).

Aluminium is not only lightweight (its density being three times less that of steel) it also contributes massively to decarbonation, since it is infinitely recyclable. Weighing only half as much as steel, aluminium helps to reduce load weight for example, for shipping over land, sea or air, when used as substitute for many other, heavier packaging materials such as glass or steel, for equivalent technical performance.

 

Aluminium recycling in France creates jobs:

Lastly, 92% of aluminium packaging is recycled in France (8% in Europe). In 2015, 472,000 tonnes of aluminium were recycled in France. In comparison, the production of primary aluminium stood at 450,000 tonnes the same year.

Aluminium recycling creates both jobs and value. With a dozen or so refineries and recycling plants in France it accounts for some 1,500 direct jobs.

 

Great room for improvement for the recycling industry:

Today, in France, 47% of aluminium packaging is recycled, so there is still plenty of room for improvement. Click here to learn about all the steps to recycle aluminium packaging in France[6].

Click here to find out about Tournaire’s commitments in terms of Environmental Management Systems [7].

 

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[1] https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Berthier

[2] https://www. iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:14044:ed-1:v1:en

[3] https://www.european-aluminium.eu/media/1320/packaging-brochure_fr.pdf

[4] http://castilloje. ree.fr/1sti2d/1sti2d_ett_tp/2_cycle_vie/tp6d_tetrapak/synthese_acv_tetra_pak.pdf

[5] https://www.aluminum.org/aluminum-advantage/facts-glance

[6] https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/infographie-tri-et-recyclage-des-packaging-en-aluminium-fait-le-point/

[7] https://www.tournaire.fr/le-recyclage-comme-le-monde/

While the busy merchant city of Grasse was already doing brisk business in olive oil, leather and gloves, it still added yet another line of business, that of “perfume oil” and “floral extracts”, leading to a new corporation: that of distillery. This in turn led to the development of boilermakers who were to expand their skills to include the making of stills. And so, in 1833, Joseph Tournaire, son and grandson of millers, set up shop in premises of 40sq.m on Place de la Roque. By the late 19th century, no fewer than six boilermaking workshops catered to the perfume industry in Grasse.

1833 – THE BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE

The growth of this industry, the activity of which depended on the season, fostered new needs: reliable storage, without any alteration of sensitive materials and shipping without damaging it. Perfume makers naturally turned to those with expert knowledge in materials and their various properties: the manufacturers of stills.

Thus, driven by client demand and based on the success of their stills, for which they received a medal at the 1884 Nice exhibition, the firm Antoine TOURNAIRE Fils soon diversified, expanding into the design and manufacture of tin-plated copper vats. At the time, tin-plated copper was also used for stills.

With the arrival in 1900 of the first steam factories in Grasse, and elsewhere in the west, arrived on the scene, Gustave Tournaire moved his ancestor’s workshop to premises of 600sq.m in Font-Laugière. As an engineer from the prestigious Arts & Métiers school, he developed the manufacture of tin-plated copper stills and vats for manufacturers in Grasse, French liquor-makers and the perfume-makers from all over Europe.

1920 – A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT

From 1925 to 1930, with Marcel Tournaire at the helm, Tournaire S.A. harnessed progress in aluminium technology, to spearhead a revolution, introducing a range of packaging in state-of-the-art monobloc aluminium. Type 1 was born. Vitrification with firing and glazing was soon added to the range.

1950 – OPENING TO OVERSEAS

In the 1950s, the firm now directed by Jean Tournaire started catering to new markets. Tournaire packaging was used by the pharmaceutical industry to wrap sterile active ingredients, and also chemicals.

The development of the pharmaceutical and chemicals industries stepped up and in 1960, Marcel Tournaire invested in a plot of land in Plan-de-Grasse on which to build a new plant, still operating today. In 1965 René Tournaire industrialised the production of aluminium packaging with the introduction of the first extrusion presses and swaging machines.

With Gilbert Tournaire as president and Jean-Pierre Forestier as CEO, packaging became Tournaire S.A.’s core business in the 1970s. Exports boomed: Sales Director Jean Tournaire expanded into Asia and the Middle East. Hugues Thibaud analysed and opened up the North American market with Tournaire S.A. partnering the firm O.Berk in New Jersey, and Xavier Arnoult became the first Exports Director, developing the European market.

In 1978, Tournaire S.A. introduced to the market its first tamper-proof mounting screw, designed by Jean Tournaire: Système Plus®. In 1980, Tournaire S.A. set up a plastic injection workshop to better control the performance of the closing mechanisms for its aluminium bottles.

in response to client demand, Tournaire S.A. expanded its savoir-faire in the 1990s to include co-extrusion blow moulding. The production of multilayer plastic jerry cans started up, adding further to the range of aluminium packaging. In 1993, Tournaire S.A. improved yet further the cleaning procedure, setting up an automated stripping and oxidation unit for aluminium packaging for active ingredients used in pharmaceuticals. This also helped to boost production capacity maintaining top quality. Further to several acquisitions, the site in Grasse was extended by 50% in 1995, with new premises being built to further develop the packaging business.

In 1999, Director Luc Tournaire founded the sales subsidiary TMM in partnership with a family business from the Jura, Millet Marius, in order to better serve clients working in agrochemicals. In 2003, the US subsidiary Elemental Container was created with the buyout of the subsidiary O.Berk International in New Jersey.

Tournaire S.A. earned ISO 9002 certification in 1996, then ISO 9001 certification in 2002 and lastly, ISO 14001 certification in 2003.

With a view to greater client proximity and to provide the best possible service, Tournaire S.A. created the industrial subsidiary Tournaire Plastic S.A.S on the former Kodak site in Chalon-sur-Saône in 2005. Thanks to this central location, Tournaire S.A. could quickly deliver its barrier packaging in coextruded plastic to its clients. This manufacturing subsidiary obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2008.

Lasting success, alongside social and environmental responsibility are major values underpinning S.A. Tournaire’s development. In 2011, Director Luc Tournaire set up the firm’s school, with the aim of documenting and teaching the firm’s very specific savoir-faire. This school also fosters the professional development of staff, helping them gain professional qualifications recognised by the French government, while maintaining jobs.

2010 – ROBOTICS FOR QUALITY

In 2013, the first robots came on the scene and the manufacturing lines were modernised, facilitating routine tasks and making them more reliable.

On the strength of its 185 years’ experience serving its clients, Tournaire S.A. created, the sales subsidiary Tournaire Asie Pacifique in Bien Hoa City, Vietnam in 2018, to reach out to its partners and boost its international footing.

From a tiny boilermaker’s workshop in Grasse in 1833 to the international group of today, Tournaire S.A. has ever developed and reinvented itself, lasting through two world wars, recessions and pandemics. Tournaire S.A. remains a family business with a rich and unique experience, ever adapting to its clients and its environment to remain a privileged, innovative partner to industries for sensitive materials.

FAMILY PICTURES

Overlooking the French Riviera from foothills resplendent in the colours of Tuscany, between the sea and the mountains, the town of Grasse has prospered since the early Middle Ages.

Grasse, doing brisk business in a traditional industry: tanning

It became a powerful, independent city in the 12^th century, controlling access to the entire hinterland and doing brisk trade with Italy. In the early 15^th century, the tanning industry developed considerably, for which the town was reputed all over Europe. Grasse leather was famous for its quality and green hue obtained by macerating it in myrtle. Further to the unification of Provence with the French kingdom in 1482, Grasse was able to expand its flourishing tanning business (gloves bags and belts) even further afield. The magnificent fortified city also started large-scale production of jasmine, the May rose, tuberose and lavender in 1560,.

The downside to tanned leather was its unpleasant smell. To better cater to the requirements of the aristocracy, a tanner from Grasse hit on the idea of adding perfume to his leather gloves. He is said to have offered a pair to Catherine de’ Medici, who loved them so much, she launched a new fashion for perfumed gloves at the French court, thus sparking Grasse’s global reputation. In 1614, Louis XIII created the glove and perfume makers guild, which developed such delights as marzipan gloves “à la provençale”.

 

The birth of the perfume industry

Hit by heavy taxation and competition from across the Alps in Italy, the tanning industry then suffered gentle decline through to the late 18^th century. However, this coincided with the wearing of perfume being increasingly included in beauty routines. While the two lines of business were intertwined, perfume started to boom. With perfume makers growing many different aromatic plants and flowers in the Grasse country’s unique climate and soil, the perfume business ousted tanning in Grasse, soon to flourish and carve out the city’s reputation worldwide.

In the 19^th century, the perfume business scaled up from craftsmanship to industry. Large family businesses started up, some of which are global leaders today.

 

Founding of Tournaire to serve Perfume makers

The craftsman’s workshop founded in 1833 on Place de la Roque in Grasse by Joseph Tournaire, also came about thanks to those glove-makers who started selling perfume.

As this industry was taking off, the need to distil natural products developed, ushering in the arrival of the first boilermakers, specialising like Tournaire in the manufacture of stills. With the introduction of steam in manufacturing in the early 1900s, large quantities of raw materials could be handled. Gustave Tournaire harnessed this development to upgrade his boilermaking workshop into a factory.

Along with stills, perfume makers also sought sturdy, waterproof packaging to ship their precious essences as far as Australia without any alteration. So Tournaire designed tin-plated copper packaging, including vats in which to ship perfume. Aluminium packaging first took off in the 1930s, driven by Marcel Tournaire, as copper became too expensive, and aluminium processing technology became more effective. Switching from soldered copper to monobloc aluminium, aluminium flasks would be used worldwide.

From 1833 to the present, a company standing the test of Time

 

Emblematic family businesses in the perfume business in Grasse

The perfume business of course included the growing of plants used to make perfume and their processing, and the composition and creation of finished products (perfume and aromas for the perfume business, cosmetics, hygiene and food products). It also drove imports and exports, trade, and the processing of raw materials.

Many family businesses still operate in this industry today, including Mane, founded in 1871, and Robertet founded in 1850, Payan Bertrand founded in 1854, Argeville in 1955 and Jean Niel in 1779.

Like Tournaire, these firms have been directed from the outset by generations of leaders who have managed to preserve their independence, innovating and developing profitably for nearly 200 years now.

According to Philippe Massé, head of the national association of manufacturers of aromatic products (Prodarom) “The Grasse perfume industry boasts 64 firms employing 4,600 staff and a turnover of 2.9 billion euros” (Source Capital – January 2021 – in French only).

“The Grasse basin has played a crucial role in the perfume business, accounting for almost half the perfume business and aromas and something like 7-8 % worldwide”. The family businesses in Grasse have developed a long-lasting heritage, unique in this world. (Source: Wikipedia, in French only).

The war years, the 1929 crash and the boom in international trade have all chipped away at the  20^th-century expansion of the industry in Grasse, facing off the spectacular growth of synthetic aromas, propelled by multinational giants based in Switzerland, the US and Germany.

 

Grasse and nature, consecration and a new boom since 2018

However, the Grasse families have not had their last word.

All players in the Grasse country ecosystem have teamed up with local elected officials to invest heavily in the past years, to promote natural products and a large-scale return to growing perfume plants.

A quarter of Grasse’s territory has been classified as a “protected nature reserve”. Along with other Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes regions, it became a national business cluster in July 2005, boasting its own label called P.A.S.S (Parfums-Arômes-Senteurs-Saveurs).

The association “Fleurs d’Exception du Pays de Grasse” (Amazing flowers in Grasse country) created in 2006 to promote plant production in Grasse country, is an umbrella organisation for 25 perfume plant-growers. Its president, Armelle Janody, confirmed: “Fleurs d’Exception du Pays de Grasse is an association of perfume plant-growers in Grasse country, who have chosen to go organic. They have all signed a charter encouraging solidarity and sharing. The aim of the association is to promote perfume plants and local production”.

In August 2013, the Association Patrimoine Vivant du Pays de Grasse (Living heritage in Grasse country) was created to apply for “the skills related to perfume in Grasse country: the cultivation of perfume plants, the knowledge and processing of natural raw materials, and the art of perfume composition” to be classified as  “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. Chaired by former French Senator and Mayor of Grasse Jean-Pierre Leleux, this very active association represents all industry players and has gained unanimous approval. It aims to “make a representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, including the entire heritage of the Grasse country, encourage its preservation, and promotion, help to raise awareness among the public, by way of publications, websites, meetings, facilitate access to this heritage to as many people as possible by all means, and apply to be listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Lastly to encourage recognition of Perfume making as an art form”. Click here to find out more.

In 2018, the Grasse country received UN consecration  with the listing of its skills related to perfume as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In 2020, elected officials modified the Local Urbanism Plan to multiply possible farmland by more than five, from 178 to 928 ha, i.e. 20% of the town’s territory!, to develop the growing of rose and jasmine.

Major luxury brands placing great importance on the use of natural products are established in Grasse: Chanel, Dior, Lancôme and Louis Vuitton…

From the outset, the Grasse glove and perfume makers used locally available natural raw materials including lavender, orange blossom, rose and mimosa to perfume their gloves.

Synthetic perfumes and aromas by mainly foreign firms had been making inroads for years, yet the entrepreneurs and elected officials in Grasse country have demonstrated a new sense of initiative, and reasserted Grasse as the territory spearheading the revival of natural ingredients in industry, in anticipation of newfound consumer enthusiasm for natural products.

As the birthplace of family businesses in trading and processing of perfume plants and aromas, the composition and the creation of perfume, Grasse country is ever proud of its ranking as the world capital of perfume, quality and natural products worldwide.

Following the success of lavender, orange blossom, rose and mimosa, other plants too are making a comeback: tuberose and jasmine, unique authentic fragrances. All Tournaire staff are proud to help ship these precious, sensitive perfumes the world over.