Shanghai World of Packaging Ready for Restart in 2023

The international trade fair business in China is ready to go, finally offering a platform for the processing and packaging industries in Shanghai again after a hiatus of three years. In November 2023, swop (Shanghai World of Packaging) will take place with approximately 700 exhibitors. swop is part of Messe Düsseldorf’s interpack alliance.

After the end of the stringent restrictions due to COVID-19, the Chinese economy is on an upswing and industry actors from all over the globe are meeting again at trade fairs. swop 2023 will be held at just the right time to support the business of the processing and packaging industries, to move innovations to the forefront and to promote international business relations. More than 700 exhibitors and 25.000 trade visitors, both domestic and international, attended the last swop in 2019. The expectations are just as high for 2023; a total exhibition area of about 62,000 square meters is planned. The trade fair will be held from November 22 – 24, 2023 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the third largest trade fair center in China.

Together with Adsale Exhibition Services, Messe Düsseldorf Shanghai is organizing swop under the interpack alliance umbrella brand. Just like interpack, this trade fair addresses all core target groups from the sectors of food, beverage, confectionery and baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, non-foods and industrial goods. It covers the entire supply chain of the packaging industry. Its scope ranges from production and processing of packaging materials to primary and secondary packaging as well as packaging printing.

Seizing opportunities in China

According to VDMA (the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), 34% of global packaged food consumption is generated by countries in Asia. In the coming years, a further demand increase of 20% is expected, concluding at 337 million tons in 2026. Within the region, China is the largest market for packaged foods with a share of almost 50%. The largest product category is dairy, followed by rice, pasta, cooking oils and baked goods. The increasing demand is expected to lead to more investments in machinery in order to increase production capacities. In 2021, food processing and packaging machines worth almost EUR 7.9 billion were imported to Asia.

Visionary concepts and ideas

Several accompanying events and special areas at swop 2023 will offer visitors useful inspiration. The focus will be on the topics of circular economy, conservation of resources, digital technologies and product safety as well as fast-moving consumer goods.

For the first time, swop 2023 will feature  the “Green Power Immersive Interactive Exhibitor Area”, a platform for companies to present their sustainable packaging solutions for the circular economy. In this context, the conservation of resources is a further important topic at the trade fair, also due to the increasingly restricted availability of materials and components on the global market. The exhibitors will present powerful components, automated technologies and environmentally friendly packaging management systems.

Increasing digitalization is of equal concern to the packaging industry and will also be a key topic at swop 2023. For example, the trade fair will host a special area for intelligent production systems for packaging and materials.

In addition, swop 2023 will present innovative packaging solutions to help prevent food waste and ensure product safety at the same time. For the Chinese market, packaging for ready meals is an important topic. There are new packaging materials and technologies that can extend the shelf life of food in the future.

The FMCG Infinity Zone is a cooperation between swop and PKG Family, created as an efficient communication platform for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). This term includes all products that have a high fluctuation in retail, for example consumer goods for everyday use. With rapid socio-economic development and the start of the digital age, consumer desires for customization, emotional appeal, innovation and creativity have become new trends in the FMCG industry. Packaging plays a key part here. At swop 2023, the newest packaging materials, ideas, technologies and design will be exhibited and more than 300 exhibitors will present their products in this FMCG Infinity Zone.

For further information about swop 2023, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: infor@mdna.com or Portilloi@messe-duesseldorf.de; Visit www.swop-online.com/en  and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

About the interpack alliance

The interpack alliance consists of Messe Düsseldorf events which are part of the Processing & Packaging portfolio. In addition to the flagship trade fair interpack in Düsseldorf, Germany, swop (Shanghai World of Packaging), pacprocess India and food pex India (Mumbai, New Delhi), pacprocess MEA and Food Africa (Cairo), components (Düsseldorf) and indopack (Jakarta) are all part of the interpack alliance. In important growth markets, the interpack alliance addresses the target groups of food, beverage, confectionery and baked goods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, non-food consumer goods and industrial goods, with different focuses depending on the event.