German packaging

The German association of plastic packaging manufacturers - Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen - has released statistics on the sector for 2011, highlighting increases of 5% in volume (up to 4.3 million tons) and 9% in value compared to the figures recorded in 2010.
Production of film grew by 5.2%, while bags and other flexible packaging recorded an increase of 3.8% and bottles of 2.7%; meanwhile, the production of jerry cans and other rigid containers increased by 10.5%.
Further progress is expected for the current year, driven mainly by domestic demand, while the export trend is likely to be less buoyant.