The Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e. V. (GKV) takes stock of plastics processing in Germany for 2020: less turnover, more appreciation and a circular economy as an opportunity.
Last year, industry turnover fell by 5.6 per cent to 61.5 billion euros. A total of 14.2 (- 2.8 percent) million tonnes of plastics were processed in Germany last year. The number of employees fell by 4.1 per cent to 322,000.
The ambivalence between confidence and uncertainty among companies already observed in 2019 has intensified under the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite a sharp drop in turnover in 2020, around half of the entrepreneurs surveyed as part of the GKV survey with rising sales again in 2021, but with falling profits.
While demand in the packaging industry and in the vehicle and transport sector picked up again in the last quarter of 2020, demand in these sectors is Lack of raw material availability and increased raw material prices This suggests that developments will remain fragile in the coming months.
2020 balance sheet: increasing appreciation for plastic
As plastic has proved to be an important factor in the coronavirus crisis Supporting the supply plastic is experiencing an increasing, well-deserved appreciation of its performance. It will now be important to ensure that the recognition of science and facts has a lasting impact on public and political opinion.
[infotext icon]The SHI is the umbrella organisation of the German plastics processing industry. As an umbrella organisation, it bundles and represents the common interests of its member associations and acts as a mouthpiece for politics and the public."The SHI and thus the plastics processing industry is tackling the challenge of the circular economy not only as a necessity, but also as an opportunity for innovation. We are also joining forces in our public relations work to highlight the industry's contribution to a resource-conserving circular economy and climate protection.“ Roland Roth, GKV President
Source: GKV
