Martina Font, boxes and packaging in a 13 billion sector

BarcelonaPackaging and packaging, which we know as packaging, surround us every day. We find them both in the products we fill our shopping carts with and in the packages we receive when we place e-commerce orders. But, despite their everyday presence, they are relatively unknown as an economic sector, laments Martina Font, corporate director of Font Packaging Group and CEO of Kartox, who will run for re-election as president of the Packaging Cluster at the entity's assembly on June 19. This organization brings together a significant portion of the sector, with a total of more than 150 members and the goal of closing 2025 with at least 160, including companies, knowledge centers, and entities representing the entire packaging value chain.

This economic activity generates around €13 billion annually in Catalonia, representing 25% of all business in Spain and between 4% and 5% of Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP). The company operates more than 720 companies, many of them family-owned, and employs more than 50,000 people in total. Business has grown in recent years, driven by industry and e-commerce, which has led to an increase in hiring. In fact, one of the sector's challenges, which Font will include in the upcoming 2026-2030 strategic plan he is working on with his team, is attracting young talent, given the aging workforce. "Replacement is needed in the most specialized trades" in a sector that requires significant research and development to comply with the mandates of the packaging and waste law. The packaging industry faces challenges such as reducing environmental impact and reusing waste.

The fact is that staff renewal is necessary. Heavy tasks are disappearing, but new ones linked to digitalization are emerging. Another pending issue is increasing scale, because the main productive structure is made up of small businesses, as well as exporting not only products, as is the case today, but also services. One way to do this is to promote collaborative projects.

Packaging Cluster leads or participates in several European projects, such as Value4Pack, which strengthens collaborations between European regions to drive innovation in the food packaging value chain; or Epic, which seeks to develop innovation capacity in less developed regions by connecting stakeholders in the food packaging value chain. packaging to promote sustainable solutions. Another project is Oxicook, which studies different strategies to minimize the waste of cooked meat products cut and packaged in a protective atmosphere during their commercial shelf life. It is multisectoral. Participating are, on the one hand, companies from the agri-food industry value chain (Carinsa, La Selva, Monells, and Noel) and other producers and packagers; and, on the other hand, companies from the food sector. packaging (Enplatero, TPL, Kao Chimigraf, Ulma and Multivac) and Representatives of collaborative technological research with the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technologies (IRTA); specialized food establishments (BonPreu Esclat and Almendro Origen); and business groups, coordinated by the Packaging Cluster, Hispack, and FECIC.

All types of materials

The sector is made up of companies that work with all types of materials, from cardboard to plastic, glass, and metal, and therefore have different needs. One of its hallmarks is its commitment to innovation and reducing environmental impact, with the incorporation of recycled materials, for example. In any case, "there must be a balance between sustainable innovations and competitiveness."

Although Martina Font's initial steps did not seem to lead her to the family business through Font Packaging Group, she eventually ended up in this company, founded by her grandfather, and has broken the old principle that the first generation of the family business creates the business, the second consolidates it, and the third takes over. It has been quite the opposite, as she works as corporate director, with her brother Francisco as general manager and her sister María as head of innovation. Sales reach 60 million euros.

But Martina Font, who is also the second vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and sits on the board of directors of Pimec and is a member of Fira de Barcelona, ​​​​didn't have enough. After studying for a year in Sweden, she wanted to import a business model frome-commerce packaging, but the market wasn't ready yet, she recalls. She persisted and finally founded Kartox in 2013, which also includes her family: she is the CEO and has already celebrated its first decade, currently earning around €5 million.