Sales in the industry declined slightly again in the first half of 2025.

Compared to the previous year, the decline was around one per cent, according to the GKV Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie (General Association of the Plastics Processing Industry). According to the GKV, the reason for the decline in turnover in this sector is the steadily decreasing domestic demand for plastic products. According to the association, turnover among manufacturers of plastic packaging in particular fell by 3.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. Turnover among manufacturers of other plastic goods, which include technical plastic parts, also declined, falling by 2.8 per cent. According to the GKV, sales by manufacturers of plastic construction supplies remained virtually unchanged. By contrast, sales by manufacturers of semi-finished plastic products (sheets, films, etc.) recorded a slight recovery with an increase of 1.8 per cent, albeit after significant sales losses in 2024.

 
As the GKV explains, sales in the plastics processing industry in Germany have been declining since 2023. Although the business climate in the industry appears to have improved slightly since June 2025, the GKV believes that there has not yet been sufficient momentum to reverse the economic trend towards growth. GKV Chief Executive Director Dr Oliver Möllenstädt believes that politicians need to take action here: ‘The new federal government has so far sent contradictory signals to the economy. There is a lack of concrete reforms to significantly relieve small and medium-sized enterprises of bureaucracy and high energy costs and to reduce non-wage labour costs.’ The GKV is therefore calling on the federal government to take more decisive and rapid reform measures. The GKV expects positive impetus for the plastics processing industry from the world's leading trade fair for the plastics industry, K 2025, which will take place in Düsseldorf from 8 to 15 October.

 

Sources:

• GKV press release (26.8.2025)
• Photo: © GKV