12:00 | SHANGHAI | CHINA

Zou Peng is busy working the last days on a project in a growing architectural business in the centre of Shanghai. He doesn’t have time to go out to lunch or to pop round to the local takeaway for a cup of tea. He would rather heat up a pouch of rice or soup, or a single serve pot of noodles with an alufoil lid. Taking just a minute or two to heat the water, such products packed with flavour and protected by alufoil allow consumption of nourishing foods at your desk or at home.

Alufoil lids not only provide product safety and security, they also provide the consumer with easy access and no spillage, essential features in a busy office. Happily, in the sweltering climatic conditions that can envelope Shanghai, the offices are air-condi-tioned, with more than passing thanks due to alufoil’s high thermal conductivity, comparatively low cost and ease of handling. This makes it the material of preference wherever heating or cooling is involved, which means Zou Peng can stay cool while having his lunch.

Whether for a soup snack or a large air-conditioning system – aluminium foil plays a major role in enhancing our quality of life.