IK: "Cost relief in the crisis"
Manufacturers of plastic packaging are expecting declining sales, earnings and exports, according to a recent economic survey by the IK.
In the first half of this year, sales by plastic packaging manufacturers fell by 6 per cent compared to the previous year, according to the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen. According to the latest survey of IK member companies, an end to the crisis is not yet in sight. According to the survey, 51 percent of the companies expect further declines in sales by the end of the year and as many as 69 percent expect falling profits. Companies' export expectations have also dropped significantly. The reasons for this, in addition to the reluctance to buy in the retail trade, were above all the sharp decline in sales in important customer industries, such as the chemical industry. "Persistently weak demand, high energy prices, staff shortages and strong regulatory pressure are currently determining the everyday life of many of our members," explains IK Chief Executive Dr. Martin Engelmann and calls on politicians to quickly take effective measures to combat the crisis. "The federal government has not yet grasped the seriousness of the situation. Currently, plants throughout the plastics industry are being shut down or relocated abroad. Germany as an industrial country is bleeding to death if something is not done quickly," said Engelmann. "The Federal Government has it in its own hands to quickly provide relief by reducing the electricity tax to the EU minimum rates. In addition, businesses need certainty that the electricity tax equalisation scheme will be maintained." He said it was good that the cost of bureaucracy for businesses was also currently under discussion. "Reducing bureaucracy works best if unnecessary red tape is not allowed in the first place," Engelmann explains and calls on politicians to take a more critical look at the Commission's proposals for more and more reporting obligations for companies under the EU Packaging Regulation.
The IK also draws attention to a survey currently being conducted by the initiative "Wir sind Kunststoff" (We are plastics) on the future of Germany as a business location, in which participants can still take part until Sunday, 08.10.2023, 23:45.
Further information: Link to the survey by "Wir sind Kunststoff" (in German, at surveymonkey.de)
Sources:
- PM IK (Sept. 28, 2023)
- Photo: © IK