The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) has established World Packaging Day, to be marked each year around 6 September, the anniversary of the organisation's foundation.
The initiative aims to raise awareness of the role of packaging and provide a global platform for collaboration between industry, institutions, academia and society on responsible packaging and circularity.
Rather than a single global event, World Packaging Day will be marked through locally organised activities coordinated under a shared WPO identity and the hashtag #worldpackagingday. WPO members and other stakeholders are encouraged to organise conferences, educational programs, factory visits, sustainability projects, innovation showcases, student activities and public awareness campaigns.
Luciana Pellegrino, president of WPO, said, "Packaging is present in every aspect of our daily lives, serving society across the globe by allowing efficient production chains and logistics, product preservation and functional usability reducing losses and waste, enhancing sustainability in consumption, and most of all, safe and convenient access to goods for better quality of life for society."
World Packaging Day will focus on four themes:
- Packaging for Progress
- Packaging Against Food Waste
- Packaging and Economic Growth
- Packaging and Sustainability
According to the WPO, the first World Packaging Day celebrations will take place around 6 September 2026, with activities organised by board members and stakeholders across the global packaging sector, supported by an international media and digital communication campaign.
Soha Atallah, vice-president of Marketing at WPO, said the inaugural celebration would be held around 6 September 2026.
The concept for World Packaging Day was developed with support from WPO member Istituto Italiano Imballaggio, represented by communication manager Alessandra Alessi. The logo was designed by Brazilian designer Giovanni Vannucchi and his team.
