The survey assesses the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on the packaging value chain companies in Georgia and advises on the next step. It was commissioned by the EU and UNDP and carried out in May 2020 by the Georgian research agency ACT.

Based on interviews with over 500 companies, the research reveals that:

• Over half of the enterprises that make up Georgia’s packaging value chain lost more than 50 percent of their income to lockdown.
• 83 percent consider the pandemic a significant threat to their continued operation.
• 88 percent of companies had no business-continuity insurance.
• 58 percent say they lack the financial resources needed to survive the crisis.
• 54 percent of packaging companies managed to avoid firing or laying off staff. 17 percent put staff on unpaid leave while 17 percent temporarily laid off their employees.
• More than 70 percent of packaging companies see business opportunities emerging alongside pandemic challenges. Most of them aim to develop new products and services, enter new markets and explore online business tools to modernise their operations.