In Spain, the organic sector closed the last quarter of 2024 with renewed optimism: according to the quarterly thermometer, 75% of the companies interviewed—three out of four—believe that their situation has improved compared to the same period of the previous year. This result reflects the resilience and adaptability of a sector that is fundamental for sustainability and the Iberian economy.
With the aim of providing reliable and up-to-date information on the state of the organic sector, Bio Eco Actual (a publication dedicated to organic professionals in Spain and now a partner of GreenPlanet.net) launched the Quarterly Organic Sector Thermometer, an initiative that, with the collaboration of the sector, will allow a better understanding of the market’s dynamics and characteristics, contributing to its cohesion. In this first edition, 80 companies with very different characteristics participated, ensuring a balanced and significant representation of the sector. In terms of activity, 38% of the companies were engaged in marketing, 19% in distribution and 43% in production. In terms of size, 49% of the companies had fewer than 10 employees, 30% had between 10 and 50 employees, and 21% had more than 50 employees. Finally, regarding the segments that fall under the umbrella of the green business, companies dedicated to food, natural cosmetics, dietary supplements, household cleaning products, water treatment systems, and products specific to maternity and infancy all contributed.
In the last quarter, the group of companies in the sector rated their own situation with an average score of 3.95 out of 5.
Key results of the Thermometer
General optimism: The companies in the sector surveyed, overall, rated the last quarter with an average score of 3.95 out of 5. Along the same lines, 75% declared they experienced growth in the last quarter compared to the same period of the previous year, 19% stated that it remained at similar levels, and only 6% said it worsened compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Employment: 36% of the companies reported having increased their staff, 60% maintained the same number of employees, and only 4% reduced their workforce.
Prices: 51% of the companies say they kept prices unchanged, 47% say they had to increase them slightly, and 2% managed to reduce them. These interesting data show the effort made by the organic sector to avoid raising prices despite the current inflationary context.
Investments: 40% of the companies increased investments, 54% kept them unchanged, and 6% stated they reduced them. Regarding share capital, 46% of respondents said it remained at similar values to previous periods, 35% explained that they increased it, and 19% commented that they reduced it.
Exports: The sector, finally, confirms its great potential in terms of exports: 70% of the companies maintained the same share devoted to exports, for 21% it increased, and only 9% reduced it.
In summary, analyzing the results by variable confirms positive trends, since for over 50% of the factors surveyed the responses are equal or better when compared to those for the last quarter of 2024.
Perceptions of the sector as a whole
Bio Eco Actual recognizes the potential that is expressed when the Spanish organic sector shows unity; for this reason, it asked companies for their perception of the sector as a whole. In general terms, the companies rated the last quarter with an average score of 3.4 out of 5 and, in the same vein, comparing it to the same quarter of the previous year, 57% perceive that overall the sector has improved, 29% indicate that the sector remained at similar levels, and only 14% believe that the sector’s situation has worsened.
Future prospects
With regard to the outlook for the first quarter of 2025, the thermometer indicates that, on the one hand, companies rate their own future prospects positively, with an average score of 3.7 out of 5, and on the other hand, they rate the activity of the organic sector as a whole with an average score of 3.4 out of 5. These data once again support the optimistic view and the growth capacity demonstrated by the sector, while at the same time revealing the great resilience of the companies in facing future scenarios.
Three out of four companies in Spain’s organic sector improved their sales in the last quarter .
For companies dedicated to distribution, the average evaluation of the quarter — which reflects the degree of satisfaction or the perception of the company’s situation — stands at 3.8 out of 5. Moreover, the vast majority of these companies report being in the same or a better situation compared to the same period of the previous year. Similarly, it is believed that the entire organic sector has recorded an improvement compared to the same stage of 2023. Looking to the future, the companies foresee continued improvement and a stabilization of the growth trend, with an average forecast of 4 out of 5.
Analyzing differences based on company size, it is observed that companies with fewer than 10 employees report slightly higher average scores compared to those with 10 or more employees. In the last quarter, small companies gave a score of 4.2 out of 5, medium-sized companies, surprisingly, 3.4 out of 5, while large companies gave 4 out of 5. As for the forecasts for the first quarter of 2025, small businesses (fewer than 10 employees) anticipate a score of 4.6 out of 5, while companies with 10 or more employees foresee a score of 3.7 out of 5.
For industrial sector companies, the average rating of the quarter — which also represents the perception of their own business situation — is 4.25 out of 5, the highest score in the entire organic sector compared to marketing and distribution companies. Similarly, 94% of these companies report having remained stable or achieved growth compared to the same period of the previous year. However, it is interesting to note that the forecasts for the first quarter of 2025 indicate a lower average score compared to the close of 2024, settling at 3.6 out of 5.
Analyzing the data by company size, we find that the average score did not change, nor did the growth trends of the last quarter and those foreseen for the future. However, if we distinguish between food production and cosmetic production, it emerges that companies dedicated to food achieve a slightly higher average score compared to those in the cosmetics sector: 4.28 versus 4 out of 5. Similarly, in their forecasts for the next quarter, a slight difference is observed — about 3.3 for cosmetics and 3.7 out of 5 for food.
Sector challenges
From the Quarterly Organic Sector Thermometer of Bio Eco Actual, the importance that the sector’s protagonists place on being able to face challenges emerges clearly. Considering the multiplicity of actors involved and the diversity of their productive activities, the potential critical issues are numerous. Among these, the most prominent are the concern over the lack of generational turnover (which could ensure business continuity and the preservation of the organic productive fabric with its high socio-environmental value); the control of infestations and their treatment in compliance with organic production standards; the high costs of organic certification; and other structural problems that represent obstacles to the sector’s growth.
In conclusion, the Quarterly Thermometer on the State of the Organic Sector provides very positive data for the entire Spanish sector, without overlooking the challenges that remain. With the aim of providing reliable information on a sector that until now lacked consolidated data, Bio Eco Actual has presented a comparative analysis of the last quarter of 2024, comparing it with the same period of 2023 and with the prospects for the start of 2025.
In this context, what stands out in particular is the positive trend that saw 93% of companies grow or remain stable compared to the same period of 2023, considering all areas of activity (retail outlets, distribution, and production), and that the entire sector is heading into 2025 with optimistic prospects for the future.
Souce: Bio Eco Actual
Authors: Gemma Isern, Politóloga y Máster en Relaciones Internacionales, Seguridad y Desarrollo.
Anuario Profesional 2024 – Tendencias 2025
