Despite the crisis: positive financial year 2023 for SVI
The Swiss Packaging Institute (SVI) looks back on a challenging year in 2023. In addition to successfully hosting the Swiss Packaging Award, the association posted a small profit. For 2024, the SVI aims to emerge from crisis mode despite increased regulatory pressure on the industry and a currently rather weak economy. Plans also include relocating the office to Olten.
SVI President Philippe Dubois welcomed 21 voting members to the 61st Annual General Meeting of the Swiss Packaging Institute SVI in Olten on Friday. The past year 2023 was characterized by the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, with the corresponding impact on the global economy. In the packaging industry, the last upheavals from the corona crisis slowly subsided and other issues such as energy shortages, raw material prices, deindustrialization, economic downturn, shortage of skilled workers and increased regulatory activities in Switzerland and the EU weighed on the industry. In view of all these facts, the Board of Directors defined and sharpened the SVI's strategy for the next three years at its last meetings, the SVI writes in a press release.
Out of crisis mode
Managing Director Andreas Zopfi considers it necessary to change the narrative from crisis mode and calls for the current situation to be understood as the "new normal", which includes both wars and increased regulatory pressure. The past year was dominated by "sustainable transformation" and the SVI had fulfilled its duties in the office and implemented its strategy and mandate. Zopfi's report focused on the topics of internal and external communication, law and politics as well as the results of the last SVI business survey. Training remains an important strategic pillar of the SVI. The review of the Swiss Packaging Award 2023 is positive, with 48 entries and two Swiss winners also scooping a World Star.
2023: Better earnings situation
The association's annual financial statements for 2023 showed a better income situation than in the previous year. Income from the Academy was satisfactory, even though a certain reluctance to offer courses was noticeable. As the CAS training was not well received, the SVI will write off the initialization costs in full in 2023. Overall, operating income of CHF 643,568 and expenses of CHF 588,622 resulted in a profit of CHF 2841 for 2023. The budget for 2024 seems realistic, even if the year did not start as well as expected due to the weak economy.
There were no personal elections on the agenda this year. Board elections for the period 2025-2027 are due next year, as well as the election of a new President, as Philippe Dubois would like to retire for good. There are also plans to relocate the head office to Olten in August 2024.
