Media release
European tube production and etma membership increase in H1/2019
The European Tube Manufacturers Association, etma, is continuing to expand and has welcomed three tube manufacturers as new members in 2019, one each from Bulgaria, Turkey and the Ukraine. It means that the association now has 46 member companies. This development in itself would give etma’s secretary general Gregor Spengler every reason to be pleased but the development of the European tube market is also very satisfactory.
“Despite the increasingly more difficult economic situation, etma members produced 5.9 billion tubes in the first half of 2019,” he says. “Adjusted for the production from our new members, this represents growth of a good one per cent compared with the corresponding period last year. The European tube industry was thus able to buck the general trend. It helps, of course, that the markets of the fast-moving consumer goods sector that are important for the tube react less sensitively to economic fluctuations than other branches of industry.”
Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and dental care, the tube markets that dominate in terms of volume, were particularly stable. Regarding the different tube materials, laminate tubes achieved solid growth, while aluminium and plastic tubes suffered slight declines.
Despite the increasing number of economic warning signs, the tube industry is nevertheless cautiously optimistic about developments in the second half of the year. According to etma’s president, Oliver Höll, an important reason for this is the tube’s continued high level of acceptance by consumers, who value it as a functional, modern and sustainable form of packaging.
“Consumers regard the tube as a very user- and eco-friendly form of packaging that offers a whole range of real benefits,” he explains. “It is easy to open and has good resealability so it is simple and convenient to handle. Its excellent product protection and high hygiene standards guarantee that the contents and the product have a long shelf life, thus preventing valuable resources being wasted. The tube is light and unbreakable and can therefore be transported particularly efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner. Innovative materials and even more material savings during production will further improve the tube’s environmental balance and sustainability rating. These are all reasons that make me very confident about the further development of the tube.”
Düsseldorf, 16 September 2019
Contact:
Gregor Spengler
Head of Packaging at Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e. V. (GDA)
etma Secretary General
