WPO Makes September 6 Annual World Packaging Day

By  Omolola Makanjuola

The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) has officially designated September 6 as World Packaging Day.

According to the group, World Packaging Day is envisaged as a decentralised, participatory global movement, with packaging associations, manufacturers, converters, machinery companies, material innovators, educational institutions and brands encouraged to organise technical seminars, factory open days, design competitions, student programmes and digital campaigns.

It also called on its 88 members representing 66 countries, including Nigeria,  to organise local events and activities under a shared global identity.

WPO President, Mrs Luciana Pellegrino, emphasised that packaging is present in every aspect of daily life, enabling efficient production chains, reducing losses and waste, and providing safe access to goods for better quality of life.

The inaugural World Packaging Day campaign is built around four key themes: Packaging for Progress highlights packaging’s contribution to healthcare, pharmaceutical safety, product security, accessibility and quality of life; Packaging Against Food Waste focuses on the role of packaging technologies in protecting food and reducing losses across supply chains; packaging as an enabler of manufacturing i.e commerce, logistics, exports and employment; Packaging and Economic Growth showcases packaging as an enabler of manufacturing, e-commerce, logistics, exports and employment; and Packaging and Sustanability draws attention to circular economy principles, recyclability, and mono-material solutions.

The Institute of Packaging Ghana, a full WPO member, will mark the occasion with a Pan-African Knowledge-Sharing Forum later in September, themed Shaping the Future of African Packaging through Innovation, Sustainability, and Intra-African Trade.

Indian packaging companies, industry associations and professionals can use the occasion to showcase innovations in sustainable materials, printing, converting and product protection.

The global campaign encourages organisations to share their initiatives through social media using #WorldPackagingDay, creating a worldwide showcase of the industry’s contribution.

The initiative comes at a time when packaging is often discussed primarily through the lens of waste and environmental impact, with the WPO seeking to bring greater balance to the conversation by recognising the value packaging creates throughout the product lifecycle.