SHANGHAI, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WEPACK, the World Expo of Packaging Industry, a flagship global platform backed by more than 25 years of industry expertise, has officially announced that WEPACK 2027 will take place from April 27–29, 2027, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).
As a biennial industry event in East China, WEPACK 2027 is expected to cover 140,000 square metres, bring together more than 1,500 exhibitors worldwide, and welcome approximately 140,000 professional visitors. These are expected to include 15,000 international visitors, 1,000 overseas agents and 30,000 end-user brand buyers. By creating a large-scale business ecosystem spanning the entire packaging value chain, WEPACK provides a central platform for global packaging businesses to identify market trends, connect with industry partners and unlock new growth opportunities.
Under the theme "Pioneering Carbon-Neutral Packaging, Powering a Green Global Chain" the exhibition will bring together low-carbon transformation and global trade growth, helping advance the packaging industry towards a greener, smarter and more globally connected future.
Organised by RX, WEPACK 2027 will bring together nine specialised exhibitions: SinoCorrugated, SinoFoldingCarton, DPrint, Sinopaper, InnoLabel, PACKCON, the International Aerosol and Metal Containers Exhibition, Plant Fiber and Food Packaging Manufacturing Tech Expo, and New Label Industry Expo. By presenting all nine exhibitions concurrently, WEPACK enables participants to explore the entire packaging value chain in one visit.
A Deeper, More Connected Value Chain: Nine Exhibitions Creating Shared Opportunities
WEPACK's core strength lies in its ability to integrate the entire packaging value chain. The exhibition connects every stage, from base paper and raw materials to packaging machinery, converting processes and finished packaging products, while showcasing solutions across multiple material categories, including paper, plastics, metals and glass.
For exhibitors, this integration creates additional business opportunities by attracting buyers from across different sectors. WEPACK's visitor base encompasses two key groups: packaging manufacturers and end users.
Packaging manufacturers include corrugated box producers, folding carton manufacturers and paper product converters. End users represent high-potential purchasing sectors such as food and beverages, personal care and cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, consumer electronics, and e-commerce logistics.
At the same time, packaging manufacturers are rapidly expanding beyond their traditional business boundaries. Companies specialising in corrugated boxes and folding cartons are increasingly exploring complementary fields such as moulded pulp, plant-fibre packaging, digital printing, labels and containers.
As a result, WEPACK exhibitors can connect not only with buyers focused on a single product category, but also with versatile buyers seeking integrated solutions across multiple packaging formats and production processes. According to exhibitor feedback, enquiries from cross-sector visitors have accounted for more than 30% of potential orders in some cases.
By bringing upstream suppliers, distribution partners and end buyers together in one place, WEPACK's interconnected ecosystem helps exhibitors expand their reach and maximise the commercial value of their participation.
Global Market Reach: Connecting with Emerging Markets and Buyers with Real Purchasing Power
WEPACK's global expansion strategy is driven by one fundamental principle: measurable trade outcomes.
The 2025 Shanghai edition demonstrated the platform's international reach, welcoming 138,614 visitors from 134 countries and regions, including nearly 100 professional buyer delegations for in-depth business networking and sourcing.
In 2027, WEPACK will further strengthen its focus on emerging growth markets, particularly Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. This strategy reflects the changing landscape of global packaging trade. Southeast Asia has become a key destination for Chinese packaging companies expanding overseas, while the Middle East and Eastern Europe are emerging as increasingly important strategic markets. Meanwhile, packaging demand in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa is reported to be growing at annual rates of 5.2% and 5.6%, respectively, outpacing the global average.
To turn these market opportunities into tangible business results, WEPACK will continue its "Million-Level Buyer Incentive Programme," providing travel subsidies and on-site purchasing incentives to qualified overseas TAP (Trade Audience Programme) buyer delegations with clearly defined sourcing requirements.
The exhibition will also continue to develop its "Global Super Agent Programme," targeting more than 2,000 international agents, with over 1,000 expected to qualify for enhanced Global Super Agent status. The programme will cover key categories including base paper, corrugated machinery, printing equipment, spare parts and consumables, and food packaging machinery.
Industry Leadership: Turning Low-Carbon Compliance into a Competitive Advantage
As the European Union's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) introduces more stringent requirements and ESG considerations become increasingly widespread, compliance capabilities are becoming essential for packaging companies seeking to enter and compete in international markets.
Requirements relating to recyclability, recycled content and restricted substances are increasingly shifting from competitive advantages to prerequisites for market access.
Reflecting its theme of carbon innovation and greener global supply chains, WEPACK 2027 will place low-carbon compliance and sustainable packaging solutions at the heart of its industry agenda, highlighting three key areas: green materials, smart manufacturing and carbon-neutrality services.
A dedicated Packaging Sustainability and PPWR Compliance Technology Zone will showcase advanced technologies and practical solutions, including water-based coating and low-coat-weight efficiency improvements, precision spot UV coating, film-free embossing and debossing, paper-based alternatives to plastics and lightweight structures, high-precision die-cutting and intelligent imposition, as well as inline inspection and waste-reduction systems.
The zone will directly address the challenges packaging manufacturers face in responding to EU PPWR requirements and global efforts to reduce plastic use.
With an emphasis on real production results and practical compliance solutions, demonstrations will include water-based coatings as alternatives to PET film lamination, purely mechanical embossing as an alternative to film-and-ink-based finishing, and integrated moulded-pulp packaging in which the body and inner insert are formed in a single process.
By showcasing commercially applicable technologies, WEPACK aims to help packaging companies translate sustainability objectives into tangible production-line upgrades and new international business opportunities.
Precision Business Matching: From Product Display to Commercial Conversion
WEPACK's differentiated value ultimately lies in its systematic approach to business matchmaking. Rather than relying solely on broad visitor recruitment, the exhibition focuses on building a buyer base aligned with exhibitors' actual commercial objectives.
For 2027, WEPACK will focus on the genuine sourcing needs of packaging companies in China and overseas, aiming to attract more than 1,000 new international buyers. A comprehensive matchmaking mechanism will connect buyers with relevant suppliers across equipment selection, material sourcing and production-process upgrades.
Before the exhibition, RX will leverage its global packaging buyer database, built over more than 20 years, to profile prospective international buyers, understand their purchasing plans and match them with relevant exhibitors.
During the exhibition, a dedicated international business-matching area will facilitate one-to-one introductions. The matchmaking team will connect exhibitors' product capabilities with buyers' specific requirements, helping ensure that meetings are driven by genuine purchasing interests.
These international buyers are expected to attend with concrete business objectives, including capacity expansion, technology upgrades and cost optimisation, rather than simply browsing the exhibition.
Global association delegations will further strengthen the credibility and effectiveness of these connections. More than 200 packaging industry associations worldwide are expected to organise professional buyer delegations covering corrugated packaging, folding cartons, labels, containers and other specialised sectors.
Association-led delegations offer a valuable pool of prospective customers, with clearly defined requirements, more direct decision-making processes and strong purchasing intentions—helping exhibitors improve the efficiency of their business development efforts.
Exhibiting at WEPACK 2027: A Strategic Move for Global Growth
The achievements of WEPACK 2025 remain a strong testament to the exhibition's international reach and commercial relevance. The event welcomed 138,614 visitors from 134 countries and regions, including 18,806 international visitors.
Behind these figures lies a global packaging supply chain undergoing rapid transformation: purchasing power in emerging markets is growing, compliance requirements are becoming more demanding, and technological innovation is accelerating.
For Chinese packaging machinery and materials manufacturers, Shanghai, April 27–29, 2027, represents more than an exhibition opportunity—it is a strategic opportunity to position their businesses in the world's fastest-growing markets.
As the industry moves beyond exporting products towards building global brands and exporting advanced technologies, WEPACK offers an effective trade platform for transforming manufacturing strengths into a stronger international market presence.
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WEPACK 2027 Returns to Shanghai, Reuniting the Entire Packaging Value Chain
