On November 27^th, an intercluster textile-packaging working meeting took place at Leitat Technological Centre headquarters. It was jointly organised by the Packaging Cluster and AEI Tèxtils Cluster.

These working sessions aims at promoting knowledge exchange between complementary sectors, generating networking between different business profiles and promoting new business and joint innovation projects boosted by clusters. Clusters work with an open innovation focus in order to co-create ideas of new developments that anticipate and give response to new trends and consumers’ needs.

Twenty-five representatives from companies and organisations from both clusters participated at the meeting.

Mr. Sergi Artigas, from Leitat Technological Center, President of AEI Tèxtils and Secretary of the Packaging Cluster, opened the session. Following, Aleix Fortuny, from the Barcelona Institute of Packaging presented the main trends and challenges of packaging in the textile industry.

Then, two members of AEI Tèxtils, Manufacturas ARPE and FINSA – Filtros Industriales, presented their companies as well as the challenges related to packaging they have to deal with during their industrial and commercial activity.

The main trends that applies for most companies in the sector are to use sustainable packaging materials (especially PVC substitutes) and to improve and economize the packaging for the transport of final products.

After the presentations, the participants split into four groups to hold a creative workshop with the objective to generate collaborative outputs coming from the different professional profiles within the textile and the packaging industry.

The SCAMPER technique was used for the creative session. It stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put other uses, Eliminate and Rearrange. This is a tool used to improve existing products, services or processes. This kind of workshops help in providing the required tools to manage innovation and to facilitate the emerging of new ideas. By using this method, it is possible to create innovative new quality services, products or processes.