The packaging sector in Catalonia has experienced significant growth during the years 2023 and 2024, according to data from the Barometer of the Packaging Sector in Catalonia commissioned by Clúster Packaging and prepared by the company Market AAD. Specifically, during the year 2023, the majority of supplier companies in the packaging sector - companies that provide packaging and packaging products, equipment and services to companies in various sectors, such as packaging machinery manufacturers, manufacturers or distributors of packaging, among others - experienced positive growth in 2023, with 58% of them improving turnover compared to 2022. Looking ahead to the year 2024, these companies plan to deepen this increase, and 78 .5% of them anticipate improvements in the business figure with respect to 2023. Regarding client companies - demand companies in the packaging sector that use packaging and packaging products, equipment and services supplied by supplier companies for develop their activity in sectors other than packaging - the turnover data is also solid: in 2023, 73.1% of these companies improved their results compared to 2022, and it is predicted that in 2024, three out of every four exceed the turnover of 2023. In relation to the recovery of industrial activity, although approximately one third of supplier companies experienced a decrease in their activity in 2023 compared to 2022, these figures improve significantly in the forecasts for 2024, where three of every four companies anticipate an increase in their activity. On the other hand, client companies maintain growing levels of activity both for 2023 (with 77% of companies improving their activity compared to 2022) and for 2024 (with 67% of companies). In addition, these also present good growth data in production area and production lines. A notable aspect of the business landscape of the packaging sector is the significant increase in export activity. During 2023, 40% of supplier companies reported an increase in exports compared to the previous year, and these figures remain strong for 2024, with 50% of companies anticipating continued growth in exports This trend reflects a growing international demand for Catalan packaging products, highlighting the key role they play in the European market. In addition, only 5.8% of companies anticipate a decrease in the volume of exports for 2024, which underlines the confidence and stability in the international projection of the sector. Despite the macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges - increases in energy prices, increased material costs, war conflicts and market instability - the packaging sector continues to demonstrate its resilience, adaptability and solidity. Despite the adversities, 2023 was a year of increased profitability indicators for 30% of companies, and the outlook for 2024 is even more promising, with two-thirds of them expecting to improve their results. Sustainability and technological innovation: transversal challenges in the industry The main challenge for the packaging industry, both for solution provider companies and client companies, is sustainability and especially how to improve it by controlling costs and preventing them from impacting customers. In this sense, the use of recycled materials, regulatory deployment and decarbonisation will be the three axes of greatest impact within the industry for the next two years. Supplier companies face additional specific challenges related to sustainability, such as recycling (17%), regulatory and regulatory compliance (14.1%), using alternatives to plastic (8.9%) and using new materials (5.9%). Whereas in the case of client companies, sustainability focuses on the circularity of packaging (21.4%), alternatives to plastic (11.7%) and the use of new materials (11.7%). These trends reflect the growing importance that sustainability and environmental responsibility have throughout the value chain of the packaging sector. In the technological field, both the supplier industry and the user identify the adaptation of machinery and the improvement of production and quality as the key factors in the coming years. Packaging supplier companies point to artificial intelligence as a third key element in the transformation, while customer companies expect packaging customization to become more relevant. In the field of logistics, the optimization of packaging and the reuse of materials emerge as the dominant transversal trends. In addition, supplier companies consider that material substitution in logistics will have a high impact in the immediate future, while customer companies also focus on solutions to improve logistics and maintenance processes. However, the packaging sector faces another important challenge: the recruitment and retention of talent. While more than 40% of companies increased their workforce in 2023, and a similar proportion plan to do so in 2024, 87% of companies report difficulties in onboarding talent, highlighting the need to address this problem effectively to ensure the continued development and prosperity of the sector in the coming years. According to the president of the entity, Martina Font: "The barometer shows us the good state of health of the sector, which we can describe as very good. On the one hand, we observe the favorable progress of the sector, given that most companies predicts that this year's turnover and exports will increase. On the other hand, we can see that the more than 700 companies that operate in Catalonia are doing a good job, as customers rate their level of satisfaction when working with Catalan companies in the sector." The Barometer of the packaging sector in Catalonia, commissioned by the Packaging Cluster and prepared by the company market AAD, offers a comprehensive analysis of the business ecosystem of the sector. With a representative sample of 280 companies, both suppliers and customers, covering sectors such as food, beverages, cosmetics, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and automotive, among others, the barometer offers a comprehensive view of shared challenges and dynamics, including digital transformation , the efficiency of the supply chain and the improvement of the environmental impact. The detailed results provide information on business characterization, business climate, talent, main challenges, trends in sustainability, technology and logistics, as well as the sector's innovative capabilities. The Packaging Cluster The Packaging Cluster is a non-profit organization that was established in 2012 by several Catalan companies and that today brings together more than 145 active members among companies, knowledge centers and entities that represent the entire value chain of the packaging sector. packaging and packaging. The main objective of the entity is to help the competitive improvement of the companies that make it up, in order to solve the challenges of the current context, promote innovation and generate new business opportunities.