How can packaging help fight hunger and protect the climate? This crucial question was at the heart of the Packaging Forum 2025, held on 23 September as part of FACHPACK in Nuremberg. Under the title “Leadership Dialogue on Sustainable Food Packaging”, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) and the German Packaging Institute (dvi) brought together leading representatives from industry, retail and politics – with a clear goal: to take packaging out of the defensive and reposition it as an active lever for sustainability and food security. For the organisers, this combination was the decisive success factor. “It was precisely this mix of industry, retail and politics – and the open atmosphere created by the FACHPACK team – that made the Forum so special,” emphasises Johannes Bergmair, Secretary General of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). Issues such as the climate crisis, food security and the circular economy are complex, and the sector is “only at the beginning”. Technological innovation, awareness-raising and joint action are needed. For this, dedicated spaces for exchange are essential – and “FACHPACK, with its hands-on mentality, is exactly the right place. The team immediately recognised the importance of the topic and worked energetically and unbureaucratically to make the Forum possible at short notice.”
The partnership between UNIDO, WPO, dvi and FACHPACK forms the core of the Forum – and has a long history. “UNIDO and WPO have been cooperating on food packaging since 2017,” explains Bergmair. The UN organisation operates in many countries where the WPO does not yet have national members; at the same time, UNIDO values the WPO’s packaging expertise to improve food supply chains. The dvi, meanwhile, as the German member and Board Member of the WPO, is “the logical partner whenever we implement projects in Germany.” The strength of the WPO lies in addressing international topics always in close cooperation with local partners.
A key result of the Forum: the public image of packaging is one-sided. While recycling and environmental impact dominate public debate, the protective and climate-relevant function of packaging is often underestimated. “Our concern is that we also look at the other side of the coin,” says Bergmair. Packaging prevents food loss and waste – significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption. Water, soil, energy and biodiversity are indirectly relieved; at the same time, efficient packaging systems contribute to food security. Yet: “These connections are not sufficiently understood – even within the industry itself, as the Forum clearly showed.” One important insight was that a stronger internal understanding must be established first, before communicating this message jointly to the public.
A key success of the Forum is already visible at international level: packaging is now officially anchored as a topic within the COP process. “We had our own session at COP30 and were able to bring the results from Nuremberg into the discussions,” reports the WPO Secretary General. The goal is to firmly embed the climate-mitigating role of packaging in global climate policy. The next step is already being prepared: concrete model projects in selected regions, jointly with UNIDO, dvi and FACHPACK, to demonstrate the practical contribution of optimised packaging systems to climate protection.
A Packaging Forum 2026 is fundamentally planned – though its exact format remains open. “We first need to wait for the COP30 results and then decide together with all partners how to proceed,” says Bergmair. While FACHPACK will pause in 2026, the organising team has signalled that it will continue to actively support the topic.
The most important takeaway is summarised succinctly in the Forum’s final document: “Finally, a key takeaway was the importance of raising awareness among both consumers and professionals.” Awareness – both internally and externally – will therefore be the central lever in making packaging visible as an active part of the climate solution.
Author: Alexander Stark, Editor FACHPACK360°
