SHANGHAI, Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai World of Packaging (swop) came to a successful close on November 20, 2024 in Shanghai, China, marking a remarkable conclusion to the annual grand show for the packaging industry in Asia. This year's event stood out as a premier annual exhibition, highlighting a fresh vision and a deep alignment with the dynamic needs of the market. With a focus on globalization, swop has firmly established itself as an essential platform for exhibition, communication, and collaboration across the entire packaging value chain.
Covering more than 65,000 square meters, swop 2024 attracted 903 distinguished companies from across the globe, including those from China, Germany, Spain, Finland, the United States, and many other countries and regions. The event drew 33,192 trade visitors from around the world, offering a vibrant space for exhibitors and buyers to engage in fruitful discussions and explore opportunities for collaboration in response to the evolving landscape of global supply chains.
Ms. Evian Gu, General Manager of Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., said: "As an essential bridge connecting production and consumption, the demand for the packaging industry continues to grow.This surge not only highlights the vitality of global trade but also reflects the ongoing drive across industries to innovate and elevate the quality of product packaging. As a member of the interpack alliance, swop benefits from extensive support that boosts its international reach and influence. "
Ms. Rita Chu, Vice Chairman of The Adsale Group, said, swop has always been a bellwether for industry hotspots and trends, and this year is no exception, delivering an impressive array of highlights. "Sustainability" can be said to be a consensus within the global packaging industry, while "going overseas" represents a new blue ocean for numerous enterprises to expand into. This year, swop participants from all walks of life can not only gain insights into the latest dynamics and technological trends in the packaging industry but also find ideal solutions tailored to their own development needs.
Highlights of swop 2024: Showcasing Cutting-Edge Packaging Industry Technologies and Development Trends
- Spotlight on digitalization, intelligence, and automation in packaging equipment and new technologies
In response to the growing demands of the packaging market, swop 2024 featured a range of innovative solutions for trade buyers and visitors, covering product production, transportation, and supply chain traceability. On-site demonstrations included advanced digital factory models and comprehensive strategies designed to enhance competitiveness, with a particular focus on product traceability and food safety.
- Leading the green revolution in packaging: Showcasing innovative eco-friendly materials
As environmental compliance and green packaging continue to take center stage, swop 2024 embraced this transformative trend by focusing on the green revolution in raw packaging materials. The event attracted a wide range of innovative material suppliers, providing a premier platform for showcasing cutting-edge materials to the exhibitors. swop 2024 highlighted advanced packaging materials, including MDO-PE and EVOH, demonstrating their applications in sectors such as food and daily chemicals. These materials stood out for their eco-friendly, sustainable, and high-performance qualities. Additionally, bio-based and biodegradable materials were prominently featured, offering innovative solutions for food packaging and driving the industry toward a greener future.
- FMCG Packaging Pavilion at swop 2024: Empowering brands to shine
The FMCG Packaging Pavilion placed consumer needs at the forefront, emphasizing key factors such as user experience, visual appeal, and sustainability. The pavilion showcased popular FMCG products that not only provide effective product protection but also elevate brand value and foster consumer engagement, breathing new vitality into the brands. The pavilion also highlighted "E-commerce Express and Logistics Packaging", presenting innovative, eco-conscious packaging solutions designed for both convenience and sustainability. Highlights included luxury gift boxes, packaging products for chemicals used in daily life, high-temperature sterilization aluminum foil boxes, fully biodegradable courier packaging bags, and customized packaging for food, beverages, pharmaceuticals, chemicals used in daily life, and e-commerce.
The International Pavilion, a standout feature of swop 2024, was proudly supported by the "interpack alliance". The event hosted a distinguished roster of internationally renowned exhibitors, including Multivac, Metsä Group, Herma, UNITED CAPS Kulim, Novexx, KOCH Pac-systeme GmbH, Wippermann Jr., Langguth, Cintas Adhesivas Ubis and the World Packaging Organisation (WPO). These exhibitors presented cutting-edge packaging solutions from around the globe, demonstrating new quality productive forces driving the international packaging sector. With its strong focus on emerging trends, swop continues to solidify its position as a genuine hub of innovation and a premier platform for industry dialogue and collaboration.
Mr. Thomas Dohse, Director interpack of Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, noted that Shanghai, as a crucial business hub for China and Asia, serves as an exceptional platform for showcasing innovations in the packaging industry. The processing and packaging industry is evolving rapidly, driven by an ongoing pursuit of innovation and excellence. swop 2024 provided an ideal platform for visitors to explore the latest industry trends and gain insights into the key factors driving its development.
A Series of Concurrent Events Creates a Premier Platform for Industry Exchange
In its pursuit of establishing a world-class communication platform and reinforcing its role as an industry trendsetter, swop 2024 hosted a diverse range of expert-led forums and technology exchange sessions. These events brought together industry leaders, scholars, and corporate representatives to deliver comprehensive insights into the latest trends in packaging.
This year, swop collaborated for the fourth time with the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations Representation in China to host the Save Food Forum. Reducing food loss and waste is a critical global issue, and packaging plays a vital role in minimizing these losses across the stages of food production, storage, transportation, processing, and consumption. During the forum, experts shared insights and engaged in discussions on three key topics: Packaging Industry for Reducing Food Loss and Waste, Impacts of Climate Change and Consumption Habits on Urban Agri-food Systems, and Women in Packaging.
Ms. Han Yan, Assistant FAO Representative, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Representation in China, noted that reducing food loss and waste is an important issue faced by all parties today, while packaging plays an important role in reducing food loss and waste in food production, storage, transportation, processing, and consumption. She also emphasized the importance of collaboration and innovation in addressing food loss and waste. Over the years, FAO has worked closely with government agencies, international organizations, the food packaging industry, and private-sector partners to pool ideas and tackle this challenge, with the goal of contributing to global food conservation efforts.
Additionally, the Awarding Ceremony for Save Food Design Award & Sustainability Design Award China, jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf, the World Packaging Organization (WPO), Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations Representation in China (FAO China), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), concluded successfully. The awards recognized UNITED CAPS Kulim, KOCH Pac-Systeme, Multivac (Shanghai) Trading Co., Ltd., and CINTAS ADHESIVES UBIS, S.A. for their outstanding achievements, as they emerged as winners in the selection process.
Positive Response and Widespread Praise for the Exhibition
swop 2024 provided a comprehensive platform for collaboration and exchange between exhibitors and trade buyers, receiving strong support from nearly 60 industry associations spanning sectors such as food, daily chemicals, e-commerce, plastics, printing, and packaging, both domestically and internationally. The event attracted over 300 visitor groups from China, along with participants from various countries and regions from across Asia, particularly Southeast Asia.
Exhibitor Testimonials
Ms. Jiang Jing, the Marketing Director of Hualian Machinery Group commented, "The packaging industry is increasingly focusing on efficiency, intelligence, and personalized customization. At swop, we showcased our cutting-edge packaging solutions and connected with numerous buyers with relevant needs. We look forward to returning next year!"
Mr. Lai Jisheng, the Sales Manager of Guangdong Yuedong Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. expressed, "By participating in swop 2024, we have conducted in-depth exchanges with numerous professional buyers and visitors from all around the world, gaining abundant insights. We are extremely satisfied with the high quality and professionalism of swop."
Visitor Testimonials
Mr. Udomsuk Limwongthong, the Managing Director of The One Point from Thailand, attending as a visitor, stated: "This year's exhibition was impressive in scale, with numerous exhibiting companies. I came to discover innovative technologies and trends in the packaging industry, and I gained a wealth of knowledge. I'll definitely attend the next swop and look forward to seeing even more groundbreaking innovations."
Ms. Virginia Marte, the COO of CAFÉCUATROPH COFFEE STORE, a food manufacturer from the Philippines and a member of Alipop, shared, "I attended swop to find packaging machines and materials. It was my first time at such a large-scale exhibition, and I was pleased to find a wide range of suppliers offering excellent value for money. I'll be back next year."
swop 2025 will be held from November 25 to 27, 2025, at SNIEC (Shanghai New International Expo Centre) in Shanghai, China. We are confident that the shift to an annual event will create even greater opportunities for exhibitors, trade buyers, and the packaging industry as a whole. We look forward to welcoming you once again to swop, the premier global platform for the packaging industry, where you can discover cutting-edge concepts and technologies, exchange insights on packaging trends and opportunities, and collaborate in shaping a brighter future for the industry.
About swop
Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. will join hands once again to present the Shanghai World of Packaging (swop) at Shanghai New International Expo Centre from 25 to 27 November 2025. Shanghai World of Packaging (swop), as a member of the interpack alliance, the world's leading packaging machinery and processing exhibition, will make full use of the interpack alliance's global network and professional resources to provide an excellent trade display platform for domestic and foreign processing and packaging machinery manufacturers, packaging material production suppliers. swop will provide one-stop processing and packaging solutions for end buyers of Food, Beverage, Sweets, Bakery, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics, Non-food and Industrial Goods Packaging.
For more information, please visit the official website: www.swop-online.com.
About the Organizers
Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
As one of the Asian subsidiaries of "Messe Düsseldorf for Asia" (MDfA), established in 2009, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai (MDS) is committed to introducing industry leading trade fairs to China and providing Chinese and international customers with superior exhibition services. MDS is successfully holding 13 leading trade fairs and conferences in China, covering a broad range of industries including printing, packaging, wire and tube, plastics, medical devices, rehabilitation, retail, safety and health, wine & spirits and caravanning. With a workforce of 60+ fulltime employees, the company's head office is located in Shanghai with a branch office in Beijing. For more information about MDS, please visit www.mds.cn.
Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd.
Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd has been established in Hong Kong since 1978. It is the organizer of Chinaplas, the Asia' s no. 1 exhibition in the plastics and rubber industries. Adsale is also the organizer of Sino-Pack, PACKINNO, Sino-Label and Printing South China, etc. Backed up with enormous resources in Asia and with well-versed trade promotion strategies for the Chinese market, Adsale is endeavoring to provide cost-effective and integrated marketing solutions across various industries, to satisfy international suppliers' needs of tapping into the Chinese and Asian markets. The Group has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Singapore. Website: www.adsale.com.hk
