The German government’s new energy policy is threatening the country’s medium-sized plastics packaging companies, warns the country’s packaging producers association Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (IK, Bad Homburg; www.kunststoffverpackungen.de). Although most German SMEs reportedly are in favour of expanding Germany’s renewable energy sector, IK points towards expert opinions, according to which the current levy of 3.5 cents per kilowatt hour could rise to 4.5 cents by next year.

Such a rise would be disastrous for the German plastics sector, which already is at a competitive disadvantage as a result of the current levy, IK says. As a result, the association’s managing director Ulf Kelterborn has called on the German government to guarantee that the levy will not rise any further, adding that if necessary, existing decisions on electricity subsidies would have to be revised. “At the same time,” he added, “the exaggerated promotion of photovoltaics has to come to an end.”