• This certification will allow to be a support for companies and entities of the cluster in the process of opening up to the world, either with the accomplishment of missions, training or financing
• It is one more step for the entity on the path of providing service to the member and is that internationalization is one of the lines of work that it wants to promote, in order to be a support for all those companies that think about internationalization

During 2020, despite the pandemic situation, different actions were developed for internationalization through European projects and international connections of the Packaging Cluster. For example, the Safe Smart Food project was started with the aim of exchanging knowledge between clusters and companies in the Packaging and Food sector. The FoodPackLab 2 internationalization project is also underway, a commitment to international collaboration between companies from India and South Africa, where for now the first contacts have begun to be made virtually, with the view of being able to go in person to be able to get to know better the different companies and needs of the countries and create collaborations.

In the international agenda of the cluster, during 2020, there have been about 20 activities in this area, which have had to be carried out online, in addition to another 6 virtual events open to companies and entities associated with the Packaging Cluster.

This 2021, we continue to work on internationalization where there are more than 15 activities for members at an international level and the cluster team will carry out a total of 27 international activities to publicize the cluster, the activity and later link companies in this internationalization.

Currently, according to the study carried out by ACCIÓ in 2020, Catalonia leads exports in the Spanish State with 25.4% and, although in the last year the figures have fallen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase is expected significant between 9.5% and 11% by 2021, according to Joan Romero, ACCIÓ councilor delegate, a few months ago (see statements)

ACCIÓ already confirmed in another linked study that the average export ratio over the total turnover of the sector is 34%. Machinery companies with ratios around 75%. On the other hand, in packaging companies the ratios drop to 30%, and the countries where they export are in Europe, mainly in neighboring countries such as France and Portugal, due to their proximity.

In terms of opportunities, it predominates above all in the world of machinery and capital goods, although there are also packaging opportunities. There are several countries where we can find opportunities in the sector. In general terms, in international business opportunities, new materials are sought for Packaging, especially food (Germany, Thailand and Indonesia), customization and innovation solutions are also sought (Poland, Vietnam), packaging for the pharmaceutical sector (Mexico), investment in new designs and packaging applications around wood (Slovenia).

As for machinery, it is quite diversified in the type and sector in which it is directed. Highlights the United States for the need for packaging machinery and food processing. This new accreditation that the cluster has obtained will help us to prepare annual internationalization plans: on the one hand, the realization of European projects and the connection of clusters at the EU level, and on the other, help companies to internationalize, participating in the most important fairs in the sector, supporting the needs of the ecosystem itself.

The Packaging Cluster maintains other accreditations such as the Gold Label Excellence, certified by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis, the accreditation of the Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo as an Agrupación Empresarial Innovadora and the latest renewal of the ACCIÓ Clusters Cat until 2023 .