European CPP films to reach 545,000 tonnes by 2017
| Despite declines in some non-packaging markets (e.g. stationery), PCI forecasts show European demand for CPP films will continue to grow by an average of 1.3% per annum to reach 545,000 tonnes by 2017. Growth in East European demand is expected to play a relatively significant role in overall European growth. Other report highlights:Between 2007 and 2012, European CPP film demand grew by an average of 1.4% per annum to reach an estimated 512,000 tonnes in 2012. The majority of European demand continues to be accounted for by West European markets although Eastern Europe has been expanding at an average rate of around 5.1% over the past five years. CPP film producers have more than kept pace with demand growth and increased production volumes by around 10% since 2007. However, due to production growth outstripping demand growth, more producers are looking to external regions to fill capacity. Germany is Europe’s largest producer and consumer of CPP films accounting for around 35% of total regional production and 30% of total regional demand in 2012. Investments in East European CPP film capacity over recent years have caused production growth to increase at a rate of around 8% since 2007, although demand continues to outstrip production in Eastern Europe. Flexible packaging applications for CPP film now account for 75% of total European demand amid strong increases in volumes used in food packaging. However, this growth has been somewhat offset by declines in non packaging applications, particularly stationery. Transparent CPP films continue to account for the vast majority of European CPP film demand. |