The packaging market experienced a revival process in the first quarter of the year, following an upward slope, especially against the background of the orientation of companies towards complete packaging solutions – protective packaging and packaging systems. Underlying the revival is the roughly 20 percent increase in demand in the cardboard and paper packaging segment compared to the first quarter of 2023, according to INATECH Packaging’s internal data. However, a moderation in general consumption is observed this year, Romanians tend to purchase fewer products, reflecting the changes in consumer behavior influenced by the current economic context, shows data from INATECH Packaging, one of the main suppliers of complete packaging solutions in Romania.

This growth is mainly fueled by increased interest from retailers, especially  ecommerce. Thus, between January and March 2024, companies ordered over 300,000 kg of paper and cardboard packaging, according to INATECH Packaging’s internal data.

In this context, as the main trend in 2024 on the packaging market remains the interest of companies to reduce product packaging costs, preferring to enter into partnerships with suppliers with complete packaging solutions and that offer packaging resistant to handling and transporting products, especially for holidays, when there is peak demand.

“Although the beginning of the year indicates some uncertainty in the economy, the packaging market maintains its development trend, but with demand adjustments: there is an increasingly obvious interest in complete packaging solutions. Thus, companies in Romania are increasingly oriented towards suppliers who can offer solutions from A to Z, from the most diverse types of packaging-to-packaging systems, which challenges us to rethink our product, sales and investment strategy to meet the needs of the market and to ensure constant growth in the business. Moreover, the packaging market is going through a slightly atypical period: although we are experiencing growth in our activity due to the diversification of the product range and the development of the customer portfolio, the overall consumption is more moderate compared to other years. In contrast, demand for protective packaging was at its highest around Easter and continues to grow overall, fueled by a number of factors, including the rise of e-commerce and the growing focus on protecting products during transport and storage. This has led to a constant demand for sustainable and efficient packaging solutions that provide adequate protection but are also environmentally friendly,” says Cristian Bădescu, CEO of INATECH Packaging.

Companies want complete packaging solutions, practically they are more and more interested in one-stop shop type suppliers, where they can find all types of packaging and including packaging systems necessary for the activity and the products sold. Also, INATECH Packaging representatives notice an increasing orientation towards the automation of packaging processes, especially in the manufacturing industry and in logistics, where efficiency and saving time and resources are a priority. This change is fueled by constant technological advancement and the need to reduce costs and improve operational processes.