During the IPACK-IMA trade expo in Italy in May, members of the International Packaging Press Organisation (IPPO) attended the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) press conference.

Curated by WPO communications manager Liliam Benzi (an honorary IPPO member) and led by WPO president Luciana Pellegrino, the conference outlined how the WPO is broadening its efforts to nurture the growth and advancement of the global packaging industry.

 

Knowledge sharing

On the education front, the WPO is expanding its globally accessible online courses, offering exclusive content through three-hour programs featuring expert lectures on strategic topics to build new capabilities across the global packaging sector.

Pellegrino also announced the soft launch of the new Pack’t Forum, a packaging technology platform currently under development. Designed as an open-source resource, the forum will enable global collaboration on technical packaging challenges and will welcome “both specialists and those seeking support.”

“We anticipate the sharing of technical knowledge and packaging trends among professionals and businesses worldwide. Pack’t will be collaborative, easy to join, and free of charge,” Pellegrino emphasised.

She went on to provide an update on WPO’s research into food loss and waste. Presented at the World Circular Economy Forum in May, the WPO’s paper Navigating the Food Loss and Waste Paradox, together with its sustainable packaging initiatives, aims to develop assessment methodologies for mapping food loss locally and fostering sustainable consumption chains.

“We believe strongly in the positive impact of packaging on society. While nearly one billion people lack access to proper nutrition, food loss and waste — affecting both developed and developing countries — also contribute significantly to climate change, with decomposing food in landfills releasing methane equivalent to the emissions of the third-largest country,” she said, noting that addressing food loss and waste is an industrial challenge requiring “closing gaps across agricultural, processing, supply, and consumption chains.”

Pellegrino also shared Global Packaging Perspectives, providing a market overview based on Smithers analytics, which reveals that healthcare is the fastest-growing segment to 2026 (just under 6% CAGR), followed closely by food, cosmetics and other consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories (just over 4% CAGR).

She also touched on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on packaging technology development, as well as the roll-out of new packaging regulations with broad implications for packaging design and delivery.

“The packaging industry is highly globalised, and yet there’s always room to push beyond current boundaries. This could mean introducing new technologies that enable innovative packaging solutions and structures, or improving productivity for greater efficiency, competitiveness, functionality and flexibility in response to the growing and increasingly decentralised CPG market,” Pellegrino said.

WPO has a strong relationship with IPACK-IMA, and Pellegrino noted how the organisation values this collaboration. “Trade shows are not only a bold stage to showcase packaging solutions but also valuable opportunities to strengthen connections.”

This sentiment was echoed in successive presentations from IPACK-IMA president Valeria Soli and CEO Simone Castelli.

Celebration

A highlight of the week in Milan was the WorldStar Awards ceremony, hosted by IPACK-IMA and the Italian Packaging Institute with the support of the FSSC Foundation. In Pellegrino’s words, “Milan was transformed from the famous global fashion and design hub into a shining stage for packaging innovation.”

As IPPO president, I was part of the awards judging panel, and I attended the event.

It was a glorious night of celebration at the Alcione Theatre in downtown Milan as the WPO’s WorldStar team, led by VP for marketing Soha Attalah, pulled out all the stops to give award winners the recognition they were due. The ceremony brought together packaging professionals from around the world during the IPACK-IMA trade show week, reinforcing the international spirit of the awards.

This year’s edition marked a record-breaking achievement, with more than 550 entries submitted from 40 countries — demonstrating the growing reach and relevance of the WorldStar Awards as a prestigious global packaging competition.

IPPO was delighted to be able to support WPO at its press conference and the WorldStar awards and looks forward to continuing to foster our collaboration to help disseminate news from the world of packaging.