According to the latest business survey by the IK, the current economic situation and forecast for the industry is sobering.
 

According to a survey by the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen, the general economic situation of the plastic packaging industry is stagnating at a low level. Companies are reporting both declining sales and export expectations for 2024: the share of companies with pessimistic sales expectations has now risen by almost a third, from 30 percent in the third quarter of 2024 to 39 percent in the fourth quarter. Eight percent more companies reported lower export expectations than in the previous quarter. According to the survey, the proportion of companies fearing a deterioration in their earnings situation has also risen by five percentage points to 54 percent. The industry is now pinning its hopes on 2025.
 
In particular, the detailed and biased regulation of plastics and unjustified double and triple financial burdens were hindering companies on the road to a circular economy, according to an IK statement. (Recently, for example, the association had sharply criticized a classification by the German Environment Agency (UBA) of plastic cups that are to be subject to a special levy under the german Single-Use Plastics Fund Act (EWKFondsG)) High energy prices also weakened the companies' position in international competition. In combination, this lead to an ongoing challenge to maintain high-quality jobs in domestic industry and to further develop process engineering expertise. IK President Georg Pescher calls on the government and the opposition to show economic foresight. At the general meeting in mid-September, he stated: “If we want to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal and enable investments in climate-friendly production, we need policies that reward CO2 reduction and resource conservation.” The circular economy of sustainable plastics as a market of the future is a huge opportunity for our industrial location, especially in the current crisis, if we give the approximately 300 member companies with their 90,000 employees room for development and secure guardrails.” The subsidy policy should also be changed from the IK's point of view and geared towards supporting the 10,000 companies that are already active and demonstrably sustainable. Plastic packaging manufacturers with a focus on climate protection and sustainability are to be seen as a profitable investment, emphasizes Pescher.
 
Sources:

• Press releases IK (18.9.2024, 19.9.2024)
• Photo: © IK