Germany is Europe’s chief producer and manufacturer of plastics, and has one of the longest-standing histories of innovation spanning over a century. The true birth of the plastics industry begins with Nobel Prize winner Hermann Staudinger, whose groundbreaking research laid the foundation for modern polymer science. Today, Germany generates an annual turnover of over EUR 97 billion and the industry contributes around seven percent to domestic industrial production. Plastics play a key role in various industries, including automotive, mechanical engineering, packaging, electrical engineering, and construction. Additionally, plastics are widely used in medical applications, furniture, household goods, and agriculture, reinforcing their importance in a competitive European consumer market. Germany’s plastics industry boasts a robust value chain that includes manufacturers, processors, machine producers, application industries, and an advanced plastics and rubber recycling sector. German companies are recognized worldwide for their infrastructure, technical expertise, and groundbreaking research and development (R&D) efforts. Foreign companies investing in Germany benefit from the advantages of the single European market and well-established industrial networks. More than 40 plastics industry clusters and competence centers provide direct access to markets, raw materials, and state-of-the-art R&D infrastructure. These clusters connect small and large enterprises, academic institutions, and research hubs, accelerating innovation and competence growth. The German plastics industry is deeply integrated into the global supply chain, exporting high-quality plastic products worldwide. In 2015, approximately 48 million tons of plastics were processed in Europe, with Germany accounting for about 25 percent of this total. This demonstrates the country's significant role in supplying high-performance plastics to both domestic and international markets. The German plastics industry employs around 400,000 highly skilled professionals, with universities and technical colleges playing a crucial role in training the next generation of experts. More than 200,000 students are currently enrolled in plastics-related engineering programs, and over 35,000 graduates enter the workforce annually.