Rising energy prices may lead to a shortage of glass containers in Germany

Glass production requires a lot of energy, which increases the price of beer containers. According to German brewers, there is a risk of a shortage of glass bottles by early summer.

After the announcement of a rise in prices for beer, German producers started talking about the lack of containers for bottling products. The CEO of the German Brewers Association, Holger Aichele, said that the true state of affairs will only become clear by the summer of 2022: “Producers without long-term contracts and stocks are currently buying glass bottles at a price that is 80% higher than last year.

Stefan Fritsche, deputy head of the Berlin and Brandenburg Brewery Association, said the shortage of bottles mainly affected small and medium-sized brewers. However, this may affect the entire range of the German market and its diversity.

The situation is described as extremely tense. The main reasons for a possible shortage are the sharp rise in the cost of energy-intensive bottle production and the inability to maintain supply chains due to a shortage of personnel in the logistics industry.

In early May, German brewers announced a 30% price increase to offset higher production costs. The inflation rate in April 2022 was 8.5 percent. Against this background, pallets have risen in price by 150%, electricity by 250%, and gas by 430%. Industry officials claim they have "never experienced a crisis like this."

Source: Profibeer