RISING inks, adhesives and energy costs being passed on to customers through higher selling prices triggered a 5.1% hike in European flexible packaging production.
This is one of the key conclusions from an annual report on the European converted flexible packaging market.
“The European Flexible Packaging Market to 2016”, produced by PCI Films Consulting, includes statistics covering 2011 and forecasts for the next three years.
Paul Gaster, the report’s author, said: “Even in these uncertain times, volume growth in European consumption was almost 2% last year (2011), confirming that flexible packaging continues to suffer less than other industries in a downturn.”
This overall growth figure does, however, cover up some significant regional differences. The larger volume markets of Western Europe grew at around 4 to 6%, whereas demand in Spain and Portugal was broadly static while Greece experienced a decline. Russia and Poland continue to exhibit growth at twice the average for Europe as a whole.
