53 CLÚSTER DEL PACKAGING together the business community of the packaging sector in Catalonia. This year’s event took place on Wednesday, November 26th at the Moritz Brewery in Barcelona. The gathering, which has become a key event on the calendar, brought together more than one hundred attendees, including representatives from member companies, institutions, technology centers, and innovation stakeholders. The event served to recognize talent, collaboration, and digitalization within the Catalan packaging ecosystem, as well as to strengthen synergies among Cluster members and share the challenges and opportunities facing the sector in a context of change. During the evening, the president of the Packaging Cluster, Martina Font, addressed the attendees, conveying a message of optimism about the current positive state of the sector, given that 80% of the member companies anticipate economic growth. Font also emphasized that packaging is “a strategic sector” for the country’s economic development, and that “Catalonia’s industrial base must be strengthened” to “generate stable, competitive, and skilled employment.” The 2025 Awards During the Gala, three awards were presented, recognizing three companies in the sector. The award for Best Joint Project in Digitalization went to the implementation of a Platform for the Traceability and Management of Reusable Packaging, a leading initiative coordinated by a broad consortium of partners (ECOLIGNOR, MAFRICA, Obach 1915, NOEL, Font Packaging Group, ENPLATER GROUP, with the collaboration of Ecophir Recicla and GRUPO BATALLÉ, and with the support of the INNOVACC cluster and the Packaging Cluster). The initiative aims to develop and implement an advanced tool for the traceability of reusable packaging, ensuring compliance with Royal Decree 1055/2022 on packaging and packaging waste. This legislation establishes new obligations for packaging producers, including compliance with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the implementation of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). The initiative promotes collaboration among packaging manufacturers, companies in the meat sector, and other stakeholders to encourage reuse, optimize processes, and achieve competitive advantages in the market. Another award this year is the Best Business Strategy Project award, which was given to the Ebro-based company Salaet. The jury recognized the company’s investment in new machinery to expand production in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as its €3.7 million investment in new machinery to increase production capacity by 10-15% at its four plants in Gandesa. The company, dedicated to the production of paper and cardboard trays for the food industry, has created 20 jobs with this project. Finally, the Most Active Partner award was given to the Catalan company TPL (Transparente Papel Ltd.). It is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of polyester (PET), nylon (BOPA), aluminum films, and shrink sleeves. Its executives actively participate in the Cluster’s daily operations and played a significant role in the mission to Italy, in addition to collaborating on several projects within the sector. With this latest edition of Packaging Night, the Packaging Cluster reaffirms its commitment to collaborative innovation and the development of projects that boost the competitiveness of companies in the sector. Packaging Night was sponsored by Hinojosa, Grupo Cooperativo TEB, Bobst, Fakolith, Saica, and Faca Packaging, and received institutional support from Hispack (Feria de Barcelona) and ACCIÓ of the Government of Catalonia.
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