The 10 largest trade associations in the packaging sector are on the warpath. Together, they are calling for measures to protect the manufacturing and logistics chain for food and pharmaceutical packaging.
With one voice, they stress that packaging production is essential to secure and transport vital food and pharmaceutical products across Europe in the context of the current covid-19 epidemic. "Securing the population's supply of food and pharmaceuticals is important to the system and packaging is an integral part of it."
10 European associations with one voice
Cepi - the confederation of European paper industries Cepi, the International Confederation of Paper and Paperboard Converters (CITPA), the European Paperboard Manufacturers' Association (ECMA), the European Converters' Association (EuPC), the European Plastics Converters' Confederation (EuPC), the European Printing Inks Association (EuPIA), the European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers (Fefco), fEICA - the European Adhesives and Sealants Industry Association, FPE - the European Flexible Packaging Association, Intergraf - the European Federation of Printed and Digital Communication and I&P Europe - the Imaging and Printing Association - are calling on the European Commission and national governments to put in place three guarantees.
"Our main concerns are potential border delays and the supply of essential packaging materials, as well as raw materials for food packaging intermediates, such as inks and adhesives."
Three measures to ensure the delivery of food and medicines
The associations request that security of supply and transport of packaging for food and pharmaceutical products including their supply chain and raw materials and intermediate products (paper, cardboard, metals, plastic substrates, adhesives, printing inks and varnishes) is guaranteed.
The industrialists also claim open borders for food and pharmaceutical packaging supply chains.
"Recently introduced national border controls in the Schengen area threaten EU supply chains for food and pharmaceuticals. In addition, employees of logistics companies are afraid and refuse to travel to highly restricted areas, fearing that they will be quarantined in these areas and also be allowed to return"
Finally, they call for fight against shortages and raw material price increases. They urge that packaging and components required for the manufacture of food and pharmaceutical products be classified as essential components and products in the context of measures to contain this coronavirus pandemic.
The spread of Covid-19 is creating a large increase in the demand for synthetic ethanol and isopropanol (IPA), which are used to make disinfectant gel. However, these solvents are also used in the manufacture of packaging inks and to clean flexo and offset printing machines.
By the way, the American ink manufacturer.. SunChemical has announced a price increase due to the increase in the ethanol short from April 1. And Intergraf (which brings together 21 national printing federations in 20 countries) and FTA Europe (seven national flexographic printing associations) have already warned that some companies in the sector are feeling the shortage of synthetic ethyl alcohol (read Concern of food packaging manufacturers ).
"To increase the necessary supply of disinfectant, alternative sources of solvents could be considered to meet the current needs of medical applications."
Without these solvents, the manufacture of packaging inks and the printing process are severely disrupted to the extent that food and pharmaceutical packaging may no longer be produced. Shortages are also becoming evident in other raw materials for food packaging intermediates, such as adhesives.
