The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) recently launched the Thai version of the Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide during ProPak Asia in Bangkok. The organisation also had an institutional booth present with some of the WorldStar 2023 winners.
WPO president Pierre Pienaar said the newly translated document is a starting point to understand best practice examples using state-of-the-art technology, to be applied and tailored to suit the recovery and recyclability capabilities and infrastructure on a regional and local level.
“There would not be a better place to launch it than ProPak Asia, a trade show that is a reference to the industry”, Pienaar said.
Together with Pienaar, attending the show and hosting visitors at the WPO booth were senior vice-president of marketing and president elected Luciana Pellegrino, vice-president of sustainability and save food Nerida Kelton, vice-president for events and WorldStar coordinator Soha Atallah and members from Asia, as the Thai Packaging Association, coordinated by Patra Khunawat.
Luciana Pellegrino commented, “ProPak Asia was also an incredible opportunity to WPO to interact with members from the region, as well as to spread our message and have a better approach to the global packaging challenges, especially key ones related to save food, food safety, sustainability, digitalisation, packaging innovation and packaging education programs”.
The Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide was translated by the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and the official launch ceremony was conducted by Jeeranuch Buddeejeen, a lecturer at the School of Science and Technology at the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.
In her speech she said, “I hope that all of the young packaging designers at universities and entrepreneurs in the packaging industry globally can gain knowledge and understanding of the standard for circular packaging design that is set out in this guide. I believe that good packaging design will help Thai people to have a better quality of life and make our planet better”.
The WPO Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide will be available in the university’s central library and 10 campus libraries so that is accessible to everyone to use.
According to Pierre Pienaar, an exciting future awaits for the Thai packaging professionals and everyone that is now able to reference this WPO ‘Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide.
He said, “I am confident that this guide will make the student’s lives easier as they work towards more sustainable packaging design and development in Thailand. I would encourage everyone in Thailand to use it and tell all of your colleagues about how they can access the guide through the World Packaging Organisation website”.
Kelton added, “ProPak Asia was also an opportunity to meet many students who are using the Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide in their degrees. We need to see more academic institutes like the Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University training students to design out waste at the start and teaching them to better understand the end of life for packaging materials through collection, sorting, recycling and reprocessing capabilities”.
