Companies belonging to the Italian Paper and Graphics Federation are fully operational

The coronavirus emergency is leading to double-digit growth in sales in supermarkets, grocery stores and household goods stores.

Packaging (along with products such as handkerchiefs, serviettes and toilet paper) originates from an essential supply chain which must be kept up and running at an even faster rate of production through the current emergency.

Companies in this supply chain are represented by the Italian Paper and Graphics Federation, which includes Acimga (manufacturers of printing and converting machines), Assocarta (paper producers) and Assografici (graphics and printing companies), and are sending out a clear message that they are operational and have complete confidence in the Italian production system. While adopting the necessary precautions, they are working hard to keep pace with the 10.6% growth in purchases in the large-scale retail sector between 2 and 8 March, with peaks of +20.5% in southern Italy (source: IRI).

E-commerce, pharmaceuticals and information (newspapers, magazines and books) are other sectors that are seeing strong growth during the current lockdown. E-commerce soared by 73% in the period between 22 February and 8 March compared to the same period last year and fuelled a sharp rise in the need for packaging.

“Our companies set an example in terms of their ability to meet the urgent needs of the community coupled with the necessity to keep Italian industry up and running,” says the Federation’s chairman Girolamo Marchi. “Thanks to the dedication of our sector’s highly skilled workforce and business leaders we are constantly in the front line of efforts to meet current needs and to contribute to the recovery that lies ahead.”