Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile

What Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile does

Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile is the Italian national trade association exclusively dedicated to flexible packaging manufacturers, founded in 1985 by Luigi Goglio and headquartered at Piazza Castello 28, Milan. It represents 46 converter member companies that produce printed flexible packaging for food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and industrial applications, together with 64 supporter member companies that supply the sector; collectively these 110 members account for approximately 80% of Italy's flexible packaging sector turnover (estimated at €4.3-4.4 billion in 2025, supporting over 12,000 sector employees). Giflex operates as a non-profit association integrated into the Confindustria system through Assografici and at the European level as a member of Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE).

The association delivers four core service lines to members: information and regulatory monitoring (covering MOCA food-contact compliance and the EU PPWR), sector economic-statistical reports and technical documents produced with Centro Studi Assografici and Prometeia, training programs including the Mini Master MOCA Specialist and the DESI high-level course on packaging design and sustainability, and event organization spanning the twice-yearly Giflex Congress, the API International Technical Congress co-organized with CRdC Tecnologie, and the YouPack educational competition. It also operates the Packaging Innovation Observatory with the University of Bologna's ADU research group and publishes the monthly Flexible News newsletter. Underlying platforms include a reserved member area (Area Riservata), the giflex.it website, a LinkedIn company page, and a Vimeo video channel.

As a non-profit association, Giflex is funded primarily by membership dues rather than commercial product sales. It is governed by a President (Neni Rossini, elected May 2026 for the 2026-2029 term, succeeding Alberto Palaveri), a General Secretary (Italo Vailati, twenty years of service), and functional committees covering technical, communication, and sustainability domains. The organization has five direct employees and pursues commercial partnerships with Ipack-Ima (renewed for 2026-2028), Print4All, Federazione Carta e Grafica, and ENIPG.

Name

Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile

Legal name

Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile

Website

https://giflex.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Giflex is the Italian national non-profit trade association representing flexible packaging manufacturers, with 110 member companies (46 converters, 64 supporters) accounting for 80% of Italy's €4.3-4.4 billion flexible packaging sector turnover.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Giflex is a non-profit national trade association that represents Italian producers of flexible packaging for food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and industrial applications. It delivers membership-based services including regulatory monitoring, economic-statistical reporting, professional training, industry congresses and events, advocacy with Italian and European institutions, and research initiatives on sustainability and packaging innovation.

Product overview

Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile is a national industry association that groups flexible packaging producers for food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and other industrial applications. The organization does not offer a commercial product in the traditional sense but provides services to its member companies including: information and regulatory updates, economic-statistical reports and technical sector documents, professional training and development courses, event organization (including the international API congress), and research initiatives such as the Packaging Innovation Observatory and Plastics Observatory. Giflex is integrated in the Confindustria system through Assografici and at European level adheres to FPE (Flexible Packaging Europe). The association also publishes the monthly Flexible News newsletter and runs educational programs like the Mini Master MOCA Specialist and the DESI high-level training course on packaging design and sustainability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Information and Regulatory Monitoring Services Insights on technical, regulatory, and current affairs related to flexible packaging, including monitoring of institutional and national/EU regulatory developments such as MOCA (food contact materials) and PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). Provided to member companies of the association.
• Sector Economic-Statistical Data and Technical Documents Economic-statistical reports and technical sector studies produced with the support of Centro Studi Assografici, Prometeia, and other national/international associations, providing market intelligence to members.
• Professional Training and Development Programs Update and skill development pathways for the technical and commercial staff of member companies, including commercial and technical courses on flexible packaging topics.
• API - Advances in the Packaging Industry Congress International two-day technical congress held in English, co-organized with CRdC Tecnologie, providing scientific updates to flexible packaging industry experts.
• Mini Master MOCA Specialist Course Specialist training course on MOCA (Materials and Objects in Contact with Food) for paper and cardboard, delivered in collaboration with Federazione Carta e Grafica, Ecolstudio, and Innovhub.
• DESI Advanced Training Course - Packaging Design and Sustainability Advanced training course on Packaging Design and Sustainability, created by Assografici and ENIPG in collaboration with Democenter Modena and the University of Bologna's Department of Architecture.
• Packaging Innovation Observatory (Osservatorio Innovazione Packaging) Research project founded by the ADU (Advanced Design Unit) of the University of Bologna to map, interpret, and narrate innovation in the packaging sector, including the 'GIFLEX: Enhancing the Value of Flexible Packaging' research on identity, innovation, and value storytelling.
• Flexible News Monthly Newsletter Monthly newsletter providing association updates, industry news, and member information, distributed through the reserved member area.
• Annual Industry Congresses and Member Assemblies Organization of assemblies, congresses, and workshops on specific topics for the flexible packaging industry, including promotion of participation in national and international trade fairs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Giflex members represent 80% of national sector turnover
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ipack-ImacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 November 2025Giflex and Ipack-Ima renewed their partnership for 2026-2028 at the Giflex Congress in Rome. Ipack-Ima is a major processing and packaging trade fair, and this partnership strengthens dialogue between materials and technologies in the industry.
• Assografici (Associazione Nazionale delle Industrie Grafiche, Cartotecniche e Trasformatrici)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiflex is integrated into the Confindustria system through Assografici. This is the parent association for graphic, paper conversion, and transforming industries. Giflex operates as a specialization group within Assografici.
• Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt the European level, Giflex is a member of FPE, the European flexible packaging association. This provides European representation and international network access for Italian members.
• ADU, Advanced Design Unit - University of BolognacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiflex is a member of the Packaging Innovation Observatory, a project founded by the ADU research group at the University of Bologna's Department of Architecture. This partnership led to the research project 'GIFLEX: Enhancing the Value of Flexible Packaging' focused on identity, innovation, and value storytelling.
• MECS SrlminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMECS Srl conducted the 'Statistical Sector Survey 2025 and Perspectives 2026' analysis for Giflex, providing economic data on the Italian flexible packaging industry.
• PrometeiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiflex uses Prometeia's consulting services for sector analysis and economic forecasting, collaborating to provide accurate information on market trends.
• CRdC Tecnologie (Centro Regionale di Competenza Tecnologie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRdC Tecnologie co-organizes the API (Advances in Packaging Industry) International Technical Congress with Giflex. This is a major technical conference held over two days in English, bringing together sector experts.
• Print4AllminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrint4All is a hub for the printing, converting, and finishing industry value chain. Giflex collaborates with Print4All as a supporter sponsor of industry events.
• Federazione Carta e GraficacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiflex collaborates with Federazione Carta e Grafica (Paper and Graphics Federation) on training programs, MOCA compliance courses, and shared initiatives including the DESI (Design and Sustainability of Packaging) advanced training course.
• ENIPG (Ente Nazionale Italiano Per la Poligrafica)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiflex collaborates with ENIPG on educational initiatives including the YouPack competition, which aims to strengthen connections between schools and the packaging industry workforce.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Confindustria: Main Italian employers' federation and Confindustria umbrella body of which Giflex is part via Assografici. Comparable as a larger Italian industry-association umbrella, but operating across all manufacturing sectors rather than flexible packaging specifically.
• PlasticsEurope: Pan-European trade association representing plastics producers, with broader material scope than Giflex. Comparable as an industry advocacy body engaged on PPWR and circular-economy policy, but covering raw materials rather than flexible converters specifically.
• Europen (European Organization for Packaging and the Environment): European cross-material packaging industry organization representing the full packaging value chain. Comparable as a peer industry association engaging on EU packaging regulation, but with broader scope than flexible-only.

Regional players

• British Plastics Federation (BPF): UK trade association for the plastics industry. Comparable as a national plastics/packaging industry association with similar advocacy, technical, and sustainability functions to Giflex, but serving a different geography.
• IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen: German trade association for plastic packaging, with a strong flexible packaging constituency. Comparable peer association in structure and remit, but operating in Germany rather than Italy.

Direct peers

• UCIMA (Unione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Automatiche per il Confezionamento e l'Imballaggio): Italian trade association representing packaging machinery manufacturers. Comparable as a packaging-sector Italian association, with overlapping membership and a co-signed 2021 supply-chain protocol with Giflex on flexible plastics circularity.
• Flexible Packaging Europe (FPE): European-level trade association for flexible packaging manufacturers, of which Giflex is an Italian member. Directly comparable as a sector association with similar advocacy, technical, and sustainability remit, operating at the EU level instead of nationally.
• Assografici: Italian national association for graphic, paper converting, and transforming industries, within which Giflex operates as a specialization group. Closest direct peer given shared governance, services, and Confindustria integration.
• Federazione Carta e Grafica: Italian federation for paper and graphics industries, which co-delivers training programs with Giflex (e.g., DESI, Mini Master MOCA Specialist). Directly comparable as a Confindustria-affiliated Italian industry association serving adjacent converter constituencies.

Emerging players

• Corepla (Consorzio Nazionale per la Raccolta, il Riciclo e il Recupero degli Imballaggi in Plastica): Italian national consortium for collection and recycling of plastic packaging. Adjacent peer organization operating in the same packaging-policy ecosystem, with overlapping members and shared circular-economy agenda, but focused on end-of-life rather than converter representation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/giflex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/giflex-gruppo-imballaggio-flessibile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Giflex - Gruppo Imballaggio Flessibile