If a trade fair and a city could represent the prelude to a great year, that trade fair is PCD, that city is Paris and the year is obviously 2023. RAFESA was thrilled to attend what is clearly no ordinary perfume and cosmetics packaging trade fair. This is one of the most important trade fairs in the sector and the visitor numbers certainly reflect that fact. All the top brands and suppliers attend this event to share trends, concerns and challenges; and to do business, naturally, lots and lots of business.
Accompanied by Eurovetrocap, the excitement, determination and passion from everyone in a sector that is now starting to demonstrate a strong sense of optimism was palpable in the air, albeit within a context of ongoing complexity due to an endless war and inflation.
If we had to summarise the lines of action that we believe will define our path to the future in just two words, those words would be “innovation” and “sustainability”. These two concepts are actually just different sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. What we have been seeing lately in the packaging world is that environmental commitment is no longer just an alternative or opportunity for the few; it is now the beaten path travelled by both large and small companies alike, benchmarks and disruptors.
Sustainability was omnipresent in everything we were fortunate enough to discover first-hand at this event, simply confirming what we have been putting into practice for some time through our own projects: reduced plastic packaging densities, recycled materials, mono-material structures, refill containers, application of the three “Rs” (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), etc. We could not be more excited. The host city was equally excited, that much was clear to everyone.
