“Flexible packaging, minimalist by nature”: Giflex presented the Rome congress on 6 and 7 November

It was a busy year, as Giflex explained to the press on 31 October in Milan. Starting with its 40th anniversary, moving through an important programme of institutional engagement, and looking ahead to two key dates for the sector: the autumn conference “Flexible packaging, minimalist by nature”, to be held in Rome on 6–7 November, and the event “Supply chain in dialogue: Italy’s packaging industry towards the new European legislation”, scheduled at the Senate on 13 November. Hosting the meeting were Alessandra Fazio, President of the Italian Packaging Institute and the Packaging Ethical Charter Foundation, and Alberto Palaveri, President of Giflex.

Alessandra Fazio presented data from the flexible packaging sector, describing an industry in evolution. 2024 closed with mixed results: 4% growth in production volumes but substantially stable turnover, highlighting price compression due to reduced raw material costs and competitive pressure. Flexible packaging confirms its strength with 422,000 tonnes produced, of which 51% is destined for export (215,000 tonnes). The sector comprises approximately 100 companies with 12,000 employees, ensuring employment stability in a market dominated by food (80% of applications) and driven by e-commerce and cosmetics.

The 2025-2028 horizon forecasts average annual growth of 1-2%, but the sector must contend with the new European Packaging Regulation which requires a reduction in material placed on the market by 2030-2035. "We must think in terms of CO2 emissions, not just weight," Alberto Palaveri staed highlighting how flexible packaging represents only three kilograms out of the 500 kg of urban waste collected annually per person. Furthermore, Palaveri emphasised that the transition towards more sustainable technologies requires significant investments that companies can hardly sustain independently, calling for public incentives similar to those provided for renewable energy.

The two-day Roman event will open with the first of five sessions entitled "AI and Strategic Mindset for Companies". The role of packaging as an active, responsible and relational interface between brand, supply chain and consumer will be central to the second session entitled "Our Clients and the Value of Packaging". The third session will be entitled "The Crisis of Global Models and Geopolitical Coexistence" and will bring the audience back to the international context: from Europe to Brazil's return to the world stage through to the American approach to major international dossiers. The second day will continue with the fourth session "Minimalism, Design and Creativity": packaging is one of the most powerful forms of communication; it speaks before the product is even opened. It is not just aesthetics, but storytelling, memory and positioning. The fifth and final session of the congress will be dedicated to "Legislative Challenges: Between Reflections and Actions". The two days will conclude with the round table "What Does the Supply Chain Ask of Politics?"

Giflex supports Fondazione Carta Etica del Packaging with training projects ranging from prisons to primary schools, to educate about the value of packaging beyond the consumer's negative perception. The focus is on "competitive sustainability": packaging that is light, recyclable, functional and convenient for the end consumer. The road to 2030 requires investments in technologies and a systemic approach that evaluates the overall environmental impact, not just the weight of packaging.