From June 8 to 12, 2026, the 25th IAPRI World Packaging Conference, a key global event for the packaging sector, took place in Zhuzhou, Hunan. Yang Mu, Executive General Manager of Sichuan Bluesword Packaging Co., Ltd., led the Bluesword Packaging R&D team at the event. The team presented forward‑looking academic reports on smart packaging to the conference and held in‑depth exchanges with well‑known universities and research institutions including Duke Kunshan University, Linköping University in Sweden and Spain’s ITENE Research Institute on topics covering packaging printing, environmental sustainability and innovative design. Furthermore, Bluesword Packaging took part in multiple high‑level international forums on industry‑academia collaboration, demonstrating from multiple perspectives the innovative strengths of Chinese packaging enterprises in digitalisation and low‑carbon green transition.
I. Focus on Cutting edge Research: Accepted Conference Paper and 30 minute Bilingual Presentation Garner International Attention
Hosted by the International Association of Packaging Research Institutes (IAPRI) and organised by Hunan University of Technology, the conference centred on the theme “Future Packaging: Driving Transformative Development through Innovation”. It gathered leading industry specialists and company delegates from over 20 countries, including the United States, Spain, Belgium and Australia. A research paper developed by the Bluesword Gold Seal R&D team, Meta Packaging System Integrating Self verifying Holographic Interaction and Blockchain powered Lifecycle Management, cleared stringent assessment by the conference academic committee. The work was published in official conference proceedings and selected for an oral presentation within the smart packaging track.
Team representatives delivered a 30 minute bilingual oral presentation to an audience of global subject matter experts. The talk laid out the Meta Packaging System’s three tier architecture and its core innovations, drawing positive on site responses.
Researchers from prestigious institutions including Michigan State University, Spain’s packaging research institute and Vrije Universiteit Brussel noted that the solution resolves three critical industry pain points: anti counterfeiting performance, end user experience and recycling incentives. It delivers an alternative technical approach for full lifecycle smart packaging governance. Following the session, several international scholars exchanged contact information with the team and voiced substantial interest in prospective technical collaboration.
II. Industry Academia Integration: In depth Round table Engagement and Appointment as University Innovation Mentors
Bluesword Packaging actively embraces corporate responsibility by advancing integrated development of research, education and practical application. During the conference, Yang Mu, Executive General Manager, was invited to take part in multiple high‑level industry forums.
At the “Digital‑intelligent Empowerment: Reshaping Packaging Design Education for a New Era Summit”, hosted by the School of Packaging Design, Hunan University of Technology, Yang Mu participated as the sole corporate representative. He joined distinguished experts including Professor Fan Kaixi and Professor Hu Weifeng on the round‑table panel to share insights on opportunities and challenges brought by AI to design.
At the subsequent corporate‑focused forum “Industry‑Academia Empowerment, Global Connectivity: Packaging Design Driving High‑quality Industrial Development”, Yang Mu joined representatives from more than ten multinational and well‑known enterprises, including Zexi Beauty, Malaysia’s Kwan Wang Group and Luzhou Laojiao Group, to explore new pathways for advancing industrial high‑quality growth through packaging design. In the course of the event, Zhang Daocong, Chairman and Director of the Technology Centre, together with Executive General Manager Yang Mu, were appointed as mentors for the School of Packaging Design at Hunan University of Technology. This appointment lays a solid foundation for future joint technical research projects and the cultivation of high‑calibre talent between enterprise and university.
III. Global Outreach through In‑depth Exchanges
During the conference, Yang Mu, Executive General Manager of Bluesword Packaging, held open and thorough discussions with a broad group of distinguished scholars and industry figures. These included Professor Amin Joodaky from Michigan State University, Researcher Alexander Whiteside of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Professor Damien ERRE from École Nationale Supérieure d’Ingénieurs de Reims‑Université de Reims Champagne‑Ardenne, Yuan Zhiqing, Party Secretary and Wang Zhiwei, Dean of the School of Packaging Engineering, Hunan University of Technology, Zhu Heping, Dean of the School of Packaging Design, Hunan University of Technology, Dato’ Dr. Tan Teck Hong, Honorary Vice‑Chancellor of HELP University Malaysia, and Chen Minghua, Chief Operating Officer of Kwan Wang Group. Their conversations covered the EU’s new PPWR regulations, emerging packaging materials, new technologies and process applications, commercialisation of research outputs, industry‑academia partnerships, and joint approaches to international market expansion.
From academic presentations to industry-academia partnerships, and from technical matchmaking to international dialogues, Bluesword Packaging secured meaningful outcomes at the IAPRI conference. These successes position the company to deepen its integration within the global innovation ecosystem and help advance the packaging industry toward smarter, greener and more sustainable practices.
Liu Xiaoping
R&D Department, Marketing Centre