The packaging sector – Data 2016

According to very early analyses of the packaging sector, 2016 should see increased production, in quantitative terms, of 2.8% compared to 2015.

This increase should compound the +1% recorded between 2014 and 2013.
The positive trend in production is influenced by that of apparent use, which, also in quantitative terms, is growing by 3.8%. Exports are also growing (+2.1%), as well as imports (+9.5%).
Production is also growing in terms of turnover (+3.9%).
This positive trend is driven by aluminium packaging (+7.8%) and plastic packaging (+6.5%), but also of note here is the increase in recycled plastics, which alone exceed 9%, and the strong performance of flexible packaging for converting (+4.3%): when the trends of these two types are added up, plastic as a whole is growing by over 10%.
However, all packaging materials show good performance: +2.4% for steel and glass, +2.2% for rigid polylaminate containers and +2% for paper packaging. Production of wood packaging remains largely stable.    

Plinio Iascone
Istituto Italiano Imballaggio

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