Under these exceptional 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.
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.
Ethyl alcohol is also used for the production of disinfectants, which demand has significantly increased with the spread of COVID-19. 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.
FTA Europe and Intergraf urgently call on European and national authorities to secure the supply of ethyl alcohol for the continuous production of food packaging.
