World Environment Day, celebrated every June 5th, has grown from a UN initiative into a global moment of reflection, advocacy, and action. For the packaging industry—often scrutinized for its environmental footprint—this day has become a powerful opportunity to showcase progress, share commitments, and lead with innovation.
Over the last five years, the packaging industry has shifted from symbolic gestures to measurable impact. Here's a look at how the sector has marked World Environment Day from 2020 to 2024.
✅ 2020: From Awareness to Responsibility
As the world grappled with the pandemic, concerns over rising plastic usage were tempered by renewed calls for sustainability.
• Tetra Pak achieved Bonsucro certification for its plant-based polymers and secured global FSC certification across facilities. This enabled greater traceability and responsibly sourced packaging materials.
📄 Tetra Pak 2020 Sustainability Report
• Amcor released its 2020 Sustainability Report, reaffirming its alignment with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s circular economy principles.
📄 Amcor 2020 Sustainability Report (PDF)
✅ 2021: Circular Economy Becomes Central
With the theme “Ecosystem Restoration,” World Environment Day 2021 encouraged companies to address the entire lifecycle of packaging.
• Mondi Group showcased its FlexiBag Recyclable, a high-barrier paper-based alternative to plastic that earned the Hungaropack award for its sustainable design.
📄 Mondi’s FlexiBag Innovation
• Notpla, a UK-based startup, gained attention for seaweed-based biodegradable films and takeaway containers. Its scalable materials responded directly to the call for nature-based packaging.
🌐 Notpla Official Website
✅ 2022: Collaboration Over Competition
The 2022 theme—“Only One Earth”—spurred packaging leaders to move beyond internal efforts and drive system-wide change.
• Unilever and Veolia advanced their partnership, originally formed in 2018, to invest in waste management infrastructure in developing regions. Their joint efforts became a model for plastic circularity.
📄 Veolia and Unilever Agreement
• DS Smith launched its Circular Design Metrics, helping customers design packaging with recyclability, carbon impact, and reuse in mind. Over 100,000 designs were reviewed using these metrics by the end of the year.
📄 DS Smith Circular Design
✅ 2023: Innovation in Action
The packaging sector moved from pledges to prototypes, showcasing material breakthroughs during the 2023 celebration.
• Nestlé launched chocolates in paper-based wrappers made with responsibly sourced cocoa through the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, emphasizing both sustainable sourcing and plastic reduction.
📄 Nestlé’s Sustainable Cocoa Launch
• Huhtamaki advanced a circular waste management model in India, converting post-consumer plastic waste into value-added products. Their World Environment Day campaigns spotlighted this impact.
📄 Huhtamaki in India
✅ 2024: From Carbon Footprint to Circular Events
As ESG reporting deepened and the climate crisis sharpened, packaging firms linked innovation to accountability.
• Huhtamaki partnered with Slush, a major global startup event, to pilot a new standard in event recycling. All used cups were collected and recycled on-site, setting a precedent for circular event practices.
📄 Huhtamaki + Slush Initiative
• No Issue, a sustainable packaging platform, ran a World Environment Day campaign offering carbon-neutral custom packaging to small businesses, underscoring the democratization of sustainability.
🌐 No Issue Sustainability Commitment
🧭 Looking Ahead to 2025
As we move forward, World Environment Day is no longer just a symbolic date—it’s a checkpoint for measurable environmental progress. Key trends gaining traction:
• 🌱 Reusable packaging pilots, especially in retail and e-commerce
• 📦 Stronger alignment with EPR policies
• 🧑🏫 Consumer education tools for responsible disposal and sorting
For the packaging industry, World Environment Day is no longer about image—it’s about accountability and leadership. The last five years have seen a shift from greenwashing to groundbreaking. As the world watches, the industry is being asked not just to innovate, but to transform.
Will your company rise to the challenge next June 5th?