Plastics output down in Germany

According to PlasticsEurope Deutschland figures, in 2012 German plastics production fell 3.6% from 2011, stopping at 19.5 million tons. The turnover of the industry – which employs some 37200 people – fell 0.8% to 25.1 billion euro.
This overall decline is chiefly due to a disappointing final quarter of the year, which reversed the upward trend which has followed the 2009 crisis. For what concerns turnover, the domestic market performed better than exports.
With respect to application sectors, around 35% of raw materials consumption is accounted for by packaging, 23% by construction, 10% by the automotive industry, and 6% by electrical/electronics. For 2013, production output is expected to increase by approximately 1.5%.