World Design Challenge on Sustainable Packaging Attracts

The Sustainable Packaging Design Challenge, a collaboration between WPO (World Packaging Organisation – www.worldpackaging.org) and World Design Organization (WDO) launched in April of this year, culminated in a series of final presentations from 7 teams on Friday, 4 June. The project regrouped 11 facilitators, seven thought leaders, 76 participants and 28 student participants from 32 countries.

Held over the course of two weeks from 24 May to 4 June 2021, the initiative was developed in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production. The challenge aimed to address internationally relevant topics related to sustainable packaging, including food waste and safety, circularity and changing lifestyles to spur meaningful change at both the individual and industry level.

Participants worked to develop project proposals and early prototypes on seven main topics:

•             E-Commerce

•             Packaging that saves food

•             Food service packaging

•             Healthy and on-the-go lifestyles

•             End-of-life solutions

•             User-centric and safe packaging

•             Consumer behaviour change

"The Sustainable Packaging Design Challenge aims to bring together professionals and researchers in the fields of sustainability, packaging and design across different industries. The idea is that the international teams develop creative solutions that best address the seven key challenges”, states WPO President, Pierre Pienaar.

Pierre adds: "We are totally convinced that design is a key element to the future development of packaging especially at this critical time. We must ensure that the impact on our global natural resources and our environment is minimally affected. We, therefore, enthusiastically approach this opportunity and anticipate innovative outcomes to the benefit of multiple communities and generations.”

“It is really exciting to watch the WPO/WDO Design Challenge evolve and to especially see the students work through the mapping process to ideation. It is encouraging to see that the next generation are learning more about the challenges we face within sustainability and food waste and working together to find innovative global solutions”, states Nerida Kelton, WPO Vice President Sustainability & Save Food and Thought Leader in the Challenge.

According to WDO President, Srini Srinivasan, “The beauty of these two-week World Design Challenges is the speed and the intensity with which the challenges are addressed. The momentum builds quite quickly and teams bond in the first few days working towards a prototype on day 9 or 10. For a group of strangers to come together and ideate, create and present solutions that may be implemented at a global scale should make all of our participants proud.”

The outcomes of this World Design Challenge on Sustainable Packaging will be released as part of a final report to be published in the coming months.