The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) has marked a milestone at COP30 in Brazil, with president Luciana Pellegrino placing the role of packaging squarely on the global climate agenda – and directly linking it to food loss, food security, and sustainable development.
Representing WPO’s 84 members across 66 countries, Pellegrino addressed policymakers, NGOs, multilateral agencies and industry leaders at a high-level session in the Action on Food Hub, held in partnership with UNIDO and the FSSC Foundation. Her message was unequivocal: packaging must be recognised as a core enabler of sustainable food systems.
“Packaging is not just a product; it is a critical system that protects resources, preserves food, enables trade, and powers sustainable food systems,” Pellegrino told delegates. “There is no credible strategy to reduce food loss and waste without placing packaging at the centre of the solution.”
Packaging’s climate role elevated
For WPO, participation at COP30 represents the culmination of a multi-year push to elevate packaging within global climate discussions. What had previously been a technical conversation inside industry channels has now gained diplomatic visibility, with packaging acknowledged as essential in meeting SDG targets related to hunger, responsible consumption, climate action and global partnerships.
Drawing on WPO initiatives – including Navigating the Food Loss and Waste Paradox and its Design for Recycling Guidelines – Pellegrino highlighted the material, economic and social implications of packaging in supply chains. She stressed that the discussion must now evolve from advocacy to implementation.
“Our next step is to expand the conversation into action: securing funding, increasing governmental support, and integrating packaging into public policies that strengthen sustainable food systems,” she said. “The end goal is simple and transformative: to empower food chains and local communities with more efficient packaging that preserves products, reduces losses, and boosts economic resilience.”
Focus on small producers
A central theme of Pellegrino’s address was the disproportionate impact of food loss on small and mid-scale producers, particularly in emerging markets. Many lose significant portions of their harvest due to inadequate storage, transportation and protection.
“Packaging, when properly designed, can be the difference between losing half of the harvest or bringing it safely to market,” she noted. Yet these producers rarely receive the investment or technical support needed to adopt improved packaging solutions.
Pellegrino outlined four priority areas requiring global collaboration:
• investment in packaging technology for small producers
• capacity building and education across the food chain
• public policies that embed packaging as an enabler of sustainable systems
• cross-sector partnerships to scale climate-positive packaging solutions
According to Pellegrino, these themes resonated strongly throughout COP30. “These topics crossed the boundaries of the packaging industry and entered the broader agenda of food security and climate change,” she said.
A turning point for global recognition
For the global packaging community, WPO’s presence at COP30 signals a shift in how the sector is perceived on the world stage. Rather than being viewed solely through the lens of waste management, packaging is increasingly recognised for its strategic role in preventing food loss – a climate priority with substantial emissions implications.
“What matters most is the commitment we are helping to build among governments, companies and global institutions to recognise the essential role of packaging in reducing food loss and empowering local food chains,” Pellegrino said. “This is the beginning of a stronger movement. When packaging is properly valued and intelligently designed, entire communities benefit.”
