2PointZero, ISEM, KEZAD sign MoU to establish Abu Dhabi as a premier global hub for premium packaging

UAE – 2PointZero Group has signed an MoU with Italian luxury packaging leader ISEM and KEZAD Group to establish Abu Dhabi as a premium packaging hub, building on 2PointZero’s acquisition of a 60.8% stake in ISEM earlier this year.

ISEM, founded in 1949 and headquartered in Bologna, Italy, is a highly automated packaging group serving luxury brands including LVMH, Gucci, Kiko, L’Oréal, Puig, and Coty Lancaster. 

Its product portfolio includes rigid boxes, folding cartons, silk paper, and cotton dust bags, manufactured across 11 facilities spanning more than 100,000 square metres.

The MoU signals intent to transfer that specialised manufacturing capability to KEZAD’s industrial ecosystem in Abu Dhabi.

Packaging Becomes 2PointZero’s Sixth Consumer Vertical

Samia Bouazza, CEO of 2PointZero Group, explained that completing the ISEM acquisition represented a significant step toward the company’s global growth ambitions and building a scalable platform in the packaging industry. 

She noted that packaging will become the company’s sixth consumer-facing business vertical, complementing existing operations in beauty and apparel. 

The MoU with KEZAD moves beyond financial ownership toward operational integration, with the goal of establishing local production capacity for premium packaging serving regional luxury and FMCG markets.

KEZAD’s Growing Packaging Ecosystem

KEZAD has been actively building a packaging-focused industrial cluster. 

Star Paper Mill recently inaugurated a AED 200 million (approximately US$54.4 million) recycled containerboard facility in KEZAD, producing 135,000 tonnes annually and recycling up to 80% of domestically sourced waste paper. 

ETG Bio Green Polymer has signed a 50-year land lease to establish a compostable polymers factory with a AED 150 million (approximately US$40.8 million) investment. 

The UAE packaging market is projected to grow from US$10.8 billion in 2025 to US$14.75 billion by 2031, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.34%.

Strategic Logic

Francesco Pintucci, CEO of ISEM, said the partnership with 2PointZero and Peninsula provides ISEM with the platform to scale globally while maintaining the precision and personal service that distinguishes the company. 

For KEZAD, hosting ISEM’s manufacturing capabilities would add a luxury packaging anchor to an ecosystem that already includes recycled containerboard, compostable polymers, and general packaging converting.

When Italian Luxury Packaging Finds a Home in Abu Dhabi

A rigid box for a Gucci perfume made in Abu Dhabi, not Bologna, collapses lead times for regional brand owners. 

2PointZero’s MoU with KEZAD is not about moving ISEM’s headquarters, it is about extending its production footprint to the Gulf. For the region’s packaging sector, that extension is not incremental; it is transformational.

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