Italian packaging production fell 3.6% in 2012 according to preliminary data from the Italian Institute of Packaging, with falls in all sectors, including steel and plastics.
Total production was 14.7 million mt in 2012, down from 15.2 million mt in 2011, the body said in a note released Friday. Steel-based packaging production fell 4.5% to 757,000 mt while plastic film production dropped 4.0% to 4.3 million mt and rigid plastic packaging output dropped 2.6% to 2.9 million mt. Production of aluminum-based packaging was down 1.0% to 99,000 mt, the data showed.
At the same time, demand was down 3.2% year-on-year to 13.5 million mt, with falls of 6.5% for steel to 531,000 mt, 4.1% for film to 4.4 million mt, 1.0% for plastic to 23.2 million mt and 2.7% for aluminum to 72,000 mt.
Overall, packaging exports were down 2.8% to 2.6 million mt while imports were up 0.9% to 1.4 million mt, the institute said.
