glass production
There is a threat of beer bottle shortages – consumers should return empties more quickly
The brewers warn that returnable bottles are becoming scarce
© Roberto Pfeil / DPA
The brewers warn of an impending shortage of beer bottles in the summer. Because the costs of glass production have risen enormously, the industry hopes that empties will be returned more quickly.
The German breweries fear a shortage of beer bottles in the warm season. “We see bottlenecks in the summer at the latest,” said the general manager of the German Brewers’ Association, Holger Eichele, the “Bild” newspaper. One reason is above all the sharp rise in costs for energy-intensive bottle production. The situation is “extremely tense”. In addition, due to a shortage of truck drivers in the logistics industry, it is becoming more difficult to maintain the supply chains.
Glass bottles 80 percent more expensive
“Those who don’t have long-term contracts currently have to pay 80 percent more for new glass bottles than they did a year ago,” Eichele told the newspaper. “Some breweries are threatened with idling, they may soon be without bottles.” Consumers should return empties to retailers as quickly as possible in order to ease the situation.
The deputy head of the Berlin-Brandenburg brewery association, Stefan Fritsche, said that the shortage of bottles mainly affected small and medium-sized breweries. “This threatens diversity on the German beer market,” Fritsche added.