The global coronavirus epidemic is having an unexpected impact on the production of printed packaging. Manufacturers may run out of ethyl alcohol (or ethanol).
Synthetic ethyl alcohol is currently in high demand and is used to make hydroalcoholic gel used as a hand sanitizer on a large scale. But it is also important in the packaging industry, where ethanol is used in flexographic printing processes to dilute inks and clean machines.
The European printing industry, grouped under the professional organisations Intergraf (which brings together 21 national printing federations in 20 countries) and FTA Europe (seven national flexographic printing associations), warns of the shortage of synthetic ethyl alcohol already experienced by some companies in the sector.
It recalls that the production of food packaging materials and "without packaging, food cannot reach the final consumer".
"While the supply of synthetic ethyl alcohol must be ensured for health purposes, particularly in medical environments, its supply for the continuous production of food packaging must also be available."
