(4) Cost of sales

The cost of sales includes the cost of materials consisting of expenses for raw materials and supplies as well as for purchased goods and services totalling €1,165,509 thousand (prior year: €1,070,182 thousand).

The cost of materials contains currency gains and losses amounting to €15,723 (prior year: €4,427) and € 18,171 thousand (prior year: €6,443 thousand) stemming from purchases made in foreign currencies.