Packaging Industry in Germany

Euromonitor International's Packaging Industry in Germany report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides historic market size data by industry, allowing you to identify the most popular pack types. It identifies the leading companies, and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market- be they new product developments, recycling or legislation issues. Forecasts illustrate how the market is set to change.

Chapters: 6 | Tables: 46 | Publication date: Jun 2009

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Executive summary

Packaging plays a strong role in German industry

The packaging industry in Germany plays a strong role in the economy. Besides major global packaging players which take the lead in every industry across a range of product categories, there is enough room for a large range of medium-sized and even small-scale companies to operate in one or more packaging formats. This allows the complete market coverage of products. Most packaging companies, even smaller ones, supply both domestic demand and export markets.

Packaging is more than simply covering

The impact of packaging has changed during the review period. More than ever the package is not simply a practical container for the product, and its duties have multiplied. While the main impact of packaging used to be product protection and easy storage and transportation, it has become an important marketing and communication tool. A new case study for the Interpack international packaging fair in Germany in 2008 indicated that the most important factors in terms of new packaging trends are: transportation, increasing process-orientated thinking in the whole supply chain, efficient and consumer friendly packaging, convenient handling in terms of opening, storage and time savings, identification through RFID, increasing individualisation, smaller sizes, high-class but environmentally-friendly packaging, and importance as a communication and marketing tool.

Need for innovation

While big companies’ innovations and new developments are created on an international level and then sold to their customers all over the world, many smaller companies have specialised in particular pack types and product categories. For example, Huber Packaging Group GmbH & Co KG has proven to be very innovative in areas such as paper-based packaging, not only in folding cartons but also in flexible packaging. In glass and metal packaging innovations are less frequent in Germany, although the down gauging in material weight continues to be an area in which design-led improvements are made. One reason for less innovation in these packaging categories might be linked to company restructuring through various corporate mergers and disposals, which have occurred recently and kept companies busy.

Slight increase in the packaging collection rate

According to the Federal Statistical Office, almost 11 million tonnes of packaging material was collected in 2006, an increase of 1% compared to 2005. Almost six million tonnes were collected from private households and almost five million originated from the industry. An average of 72kg of packaging material was collected and brought back or put into the correct waste bin. Light metal (aluminium) accounted for a 39% share, followed by glass (38%), paper (20%) and 200,000 tonnes of one-way PET bottles – 3kg per person. In the commercial category 67% of packaging material was paper-based.

Environmental issues

Most of the packaging companies displayed strong awareness of environmental issues. This is true for the packaging that is produced and which the consumer actually sees, while environmental friendliness is also anchored in the philosophy of companies. What kind of resources will be used for production processes and how the greenhouse effect can be reduced have become important questions for companies.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PACKAGING PLAYS A STRONG ROLE IN GERMAN INDUSTRY

PACKAGING IS MORE THAN SIMPLY COVERING

NEED FOR INNOVATION

SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE PACKAGING COLLECTION RATE

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

MARKET BACKGROUND

PACKAGING LEGISLATION

“Verpackungsverordnung” as guideline to avoid disposal of packaging

History of laws on beverage packaging deposits

The situation in 2008

DPG is responsible for the returns system

RECYCLING AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Obligation to accept returned packaging

Dual system for waste management

Verpackungsverordnung amendment comes into force in January 2009

Recycling keeps consumers busy

Table 1 Overview of Packaging Recycling and Recovery in Germany 2007/2008 and Proposals for 2009

CORPORATE ACTIVITY IN PACKAGING

MOVING EAST – IN PRODUCTION AND SHAREHOLDING

CONCENTRATION ON CORE BUSINESS

MANY ACQUISITIONS IN GERMAN PACKAGING

MAJOR CHANGES AT REXAM, SIG AND AMCOR

COOPERATION IS KEY TO SUCCESS

MAJOR MARKET PLAYERS

TETRA PAK GMBH & CO KG

Germans like liquid cartons

Tetra Pak’s philosophy and environmental profile is right on trend

Innovation in pack shapes and closures

Packaging Industry in Germany

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Executive summary

Table of contents