Say YES to World Packaging Day

This article brings together materials released by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). It is being shared here for AOTC readers who recognize and want to celebrate the important role packaging plays in the quality of life around the world.

“Packaging moves life forward” is the motto for a new initiative that seeks to acknowledge—and  celebrate—the possibilities contained within every package used to ship, protect, store, improve, and communicate about the products we use every day. With more than eight billion people around the world who rely on safe access to goods, that is a lot to celebrate!

Set as September 6th every year, World Packaging Day highlights packaging as the strategic enabler of our modern life—in society, from a business perspective, and in our personal experiences. Packaging adds value to the products we need and ensures efficient supply chains, supporting quality of life for every citizen of Planet Earth. By bringing everyone together on a designated day, World Packaging Day creates an annual, international celebration of packaging as indispensable to modern society — powering sustainability, economic development, food protection, innovation, and quality of life.

World Packaging Day is supported by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), the global institutional body for the packaging industry. WPO aims to amplify the voice of packaging worldwide and encourage its advancement for greater positive impact. WPO calls 2026 a “preparation year”; as the inaugural event, World Packaging Day on September 6, 2026 will be backed by WPO’s Board Members and partners across the globe.

Is Packaging Really That Important?

Yes! Packaging is a driver of social, economic, and environmental progress. It is critical for food safety and food waste reduction. It provides a foundation for local competitiveness and global trade. Packaging has been a catalyst for sustainability, innovation, inclusion, and design excellence for thousands of years. Importantly, packaging is also an industry that is quickly shifting its model towards greater circularity.

For World Packaging Day, these ideas come together under the WPD Four Pillars:

• Packaging for Progress: Improving health, safety, accessibility, and quality of life.
• Packaging Against Food Waste: Extending shelf life, protecting products, and enhancing food safety.
• Packaging and Economic Growth: Supporting brands, logistics, e-commerce, local production, and trade.
• Packaging and Sustainability: Advancing circularity, eco-design, responsible consumption, and innovation.

Can Anyone Celebrate?

Yes! According to WPO, World Packaging Day is envisioned as a day with “one identity (and) thousands of local actions.” A global, distributed celebration under the #WorldPackagingDay hashtag allows organizations everywhere to design their own experiences and initiatives.

Packaging associations, companies, academic institutions, and professionals worldwide are invited to organize local events and campaigns on or around Sunday, September 6th to raise awareness on packaging advancement according to the WPD Pillars.

The packaging community is encouraged to organize knowledge-driven and community-oriented activities that supports the purpose of the World Packaging Day to raise awareness on the key role packaging plays in modern life and to encourage collaboration for continuous sustainable development and positive impact. The WPO suggests that activities might include a webinar, an open house, a social media campaign, an award—anything that celebrates packaging’s impact. Use #WorldPackagingDay to spread the word while also drawing attention to other activities sharing the hashtag.

Every initiative registered at worldpackaging.org will be featured in an official international calendar and amplified through #WorldPackagingDay. Activities and promotions conducted under #WorldPackagingDay should be material-agnostic and communicate a positive message that inspires packaging advancement and highlights its positive impact around the world. Initiatives should avoid commercial or sales-driven approach, such as product promotions or direct marketing campaigns. Full guidelines and more resources are available at the website.

So, should you and your company be celebrating World Packaging Day? The answer… is Yes!

The WPO is a non-profit, non-governmental, international federation of national packaging institutes and associations, national packaging professional bodies, regional packaging federations, and other interested parties including trade associations. www.worldpackaging.org