ETMA reports increased tube demand for first half of 2022 amidst Europe’s energy crisis

European Tube Manufacturers Association (ETMA) recorded that in spite of the prevailing economic challenges and Europe’s energy crisis, delivery of aluminium, laminated and plastic tubes increased by 1 per cent overall.

The data from ETMA showed that aluminium tube deliveries rose narrowly by 1 per cent. In comparison, plastic tubes accounted for 2 per cent, and lastly, the demand for laminated tubes dropped by approximately 4 per cent.

The official report also claims that laminated and aluminium tubes constituted 36 per cent of the deliveries made to ETMA members, whereas plastic tubes totalled 28 per cent.

According to ETMA, demand has been generated by the cosmetics industry and the pharmaceutical sector since they have the largest packaging usages, with the former having a 2 per cent demand and the latter requiring almost 8 per cent of the yield.

While in comparison, the association notified that deliveries to the dental care sector plunged by almost 2 per cent. However, these three markets together account for 85 per cent of the entire delivery volume, and the rest 15 per cent goes to household products and the food industry. The second category saw a steep decline of 10 per cent in the first six months of 2022, while the first witnessed a fall of 15 per cent in the same period.

The president of ETMA, Mark Aegler, quoted: “Skyrocketing electricity and gas prices are causing ETMA members great distress, and there is no end in sight to this alarming trend. A further worsening of the situation could lead to a situation threatening the existence of some members.”

ETMA says increased energy prices are accompanied by a loss of purchasing power among European consumers due to inflation and fears of recession. “This is an unpleasant cocktail of difficult economic conditions that will have a lasting impact on the lives of European tube manufacturers and consumers this year and certainly next,” demonstrated Aegler.

Anyhow, ETMA has also explained how the sustainability demand has risen exponentially in the tube industry as more and more companies are trying to produce recyclable packaging with minimum input of raw material. Here aluminium shows the most suitable properties as it is infinitely recyclable, with the secondary aluminium retaining the actual characteristics of the non-ferrous metal. Therefore aluminium, once recycled, can be used and reused to make sustainable products.

Though the procedure is not the same with plastic and laminated products, respective companies are trying to develop methods for successfully recycling those materials.

Only the previous month, ETMA had proudly named the winners of its annual Tube of the Year Competition, which focuses on the global standards for high-quality, sustainable packaging solutions. The nominated bar consisted of genres including plastic tubes, laminated tubes, aluminium tubes, prototypes and sustainability products.