“Strengthening workers’ involvement in the Packaging and Tissue sectors in the context of the Covid crisis”

UNI Graphical and Packaging: Conclusions of the project “Strengthening workers’ involvement in the Packaging and Tissue sectors in the context of Covid crisis” developed with the support of the European Commission.

Packaging and tissue are cross-cutting sectors that form part of the value chain of countless industries, touching every aspect of human activity. These two sectors provide essential products for industry and people in a number of well-defined market segments.

Both sectors have experienced growth in some segments during the Covid pandemic as a result of changing habits. While industrial activity has declined as well as activities, such as hospitality, that demand packaging and tissue products, increased household consumption and the rapid growth of e-commerce have boosted demand in these segments.

The war in Ukraine brings a new challenge for these industries. Rising energy prices have an impact on these electro-intensive industries. On the other hand, the energy crisis threatens to slow down industry, while high inflation is leading to a cost-of-living crisis that will have a significant impact on household consumption.

With support from the European Commission, UNI G&P and industriAll Europe joined forces to develop, together with their member organisations, this project aimed at strengthening the workers’ participation in the Packaging and Tissue industries in response to the Covid pandemic and implementation of key policies for the future of the industries such as the European Green Deal, the Recovery and Resilience Strategy and the Digital Transformation.

The project has consisted of two study phases analysing the economic and social aspects affecting the packaging and tissue sectors and has been analysed in three seminars (two sector-specific on trends and one joint seminar on social aspects) held between November 2021 and April 2022.

The results of the project were presented at the Packaging and Tissue conference held in Brussels on 13-14 October 2022. The conference also provided the appropriate framework for discuss, together with employers’ organisations and other relevant stakeholders, the challenges facing these sectors and how to address them from an industrial, political and social perspective.

Find out more in the project report conclusions ( EN, FR, ES, DE, IT, PL). You can also read the full report.