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India’s packaging vision goes global: Chakravarthi delivers keynote at UNIDO Global Meet in Bangkok
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Tuesday, 17 June, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Bengaluru
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India’s Packaging vision goes global with an event, themed ‘Accelerating Sustainable Industrial Development of the Food Packaging Industry in Asia’, hosted in collaboration with WPO and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), Netherlands, a globally reputed centre for life sciences and agricultural innovation.
Here Chakravarthi AVPS, chairman & managing director, Ecobliss India and global ambassador of the World Packaging Organisation (WPO), delivered a special address at an international roundtable organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Bangkok, Thailand.
He said, “India’s food waste problem has a packaging fix.” He called for a shift in the perception of packaging—from an avoidable expense to a critical tool in reducing food loss.
“India loses up to 30% of its food post-harvest due to inadequate packaging, handling, and cold-chain infrastructure. We must rethink packaging not as an expense but as a value-preserving necessity,” he said.
From banana fibre to bagasse, both natural fibres that can be used to create composite materials, Indian packaging ideas won global attention. Chakravarthi showcased India’s growing leadership in sustainable packaging stating that the key highlights included rapid adoption of active and intelligent packaging in dairy and perishables, eco-innovations use banana fibre, areca leaf, and sugarcane bagasse.
“There are state-led traceability pilots for horticulture and seafood exports, emerging green-tech packaging startups across the country and expansion of cold-chain networks and R&D centres. All these factors bolster India’s packaging industry which is evolving rapidly and holds immense potential to lead sustainable transformation across Asia,” he stated.
UNIDO roundtable reinforces the central role of packaging in food security. The speakers included: Luciana Pellegrino, president, WPO; Ali Badernah, divisional chief, UNIDO; Eelke Westra, programme manager, WUR. The session was moderated by Dr Johannes Bergmair, general secretary, WPO. Together, they emphasised that packaging is not just aesthetic—it is critical to food preservation, consumer safety, and meeting global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The event also was a platform to release a strategic roadmap to tackle food loss through packaging. A key outcome of the roundtable was the release of a joint research paper titled: Navigating the Food Loss and Waste Paradox: Balancing Food Loss Reduction with Save Food Packaging. The report, authored by UNIDO, WPO, and WUR, provides a methodology-driven roadmap for nations to reduce food waste and enhance food security through smart, sustainable packaging solutions.
“This global forum marks a significant milestone for India’s packaging industry, reinforcing the country’s thought leadership in building resilient and sustainable food systems across Asia,” concluded Chakravarthi.
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