FTA Europe and Intergraf are both concerned over the shortage of ethyl alcohol, essential for packaging production, as manufacturers divert stocks to the production of disinfectants.
The association is urgently calling on European and national authorities to secure the supply or ethyl alcohol for the continuous production of food packaging. Packaging printers have seen a huge rise in demand as the panicked public continue to bulk buy food and cosmetic items.
Ethyl alcohol is a critical input material for the production of printed packaging materials, and therefore the production of food packaging. Ethyl alcohol is used in flexography printing processes to dilute inks and clean machines. It is also used for the production of disinfectants, for which demand has significantly increased with the spread of COVID-19 sparking concerns for shortage.
A statement from Intergraf, said, ‘While the supply of ethyl alcohol should be secured for sanitary purposes, in particular in medical environments, its supply for the continuous production of food packaging should also be available. Without packaging food cannot reach the final customer. Under these exception circumstances, the priority is to secure business continuity for the supply of consumer goods that are vital for the population. Food is one of them.’
FTA Europe has also released a statement, which said, ‘It is key that the supply of food to the European population is safeguarded and therefore any disruption to the supply chain has to be avoided. The European printing industry therefore warns about the already experienced shortage of ethyl alcohol by certain companies. Ethyl alcohol is a critical input material for the production of printed packaging material[1] and therefore for the production of food packaging. Without packaging, food cannot reach the final consumer.’
In addition to this many companies in the printing industry rely on the Chinese production of chemicals used in the printing process, such as inks and solvents. Companies using isopropanol, are concerned about supplies as it is also used for the production of hand sanitiser.
