Avery Dennison Corporation has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) at the institute’s Mumbai campus. This agreement marks a significant step towards strengthening industry- academia collaboration and advancing capability-building within India’s packaging landscape.

The MOU was formally signed by R. K. Mishra (IRS, director IIP and additional DGFT Mumbai), director representing IIP and Saurabh Agrawal (VP and GM Avery Dennison South Asia) representing Avery Dennison. Under this partnership, they will jointly launch a unique Management Development Programme tailored especially for mid-level packaging professionals working in industry segments such as Food & Beverages, Home & Personal Care, Wine & Spirits, Pharmaceuticals, Lubricants, Agrochemicals, Solar, Batteries, Automobiles, Appliances etc.

The three-day extensive program will be conducted across IIP Mumbai and Avery Dennison’s Pune facility, combining academic learning with practical, hands-on industry exposure. Facilitators will include senior industry leaders, accomplished academicians and varied thought leaders from the packaging world. Representatives from both organizations expressed strong confidence that this collaboration will significantly enhance capability-building efforts, bridge the gap between academic training and industry needs, and contribute to the long-term growth of India’s packaging ecosystem.

“This MOU marks a significant milestone for the Packaging industry in India, as this is the first time an industry leader is joining hands with a revered academic institution to augment industry’s packaging talent. This aligns with our ongoing efforts to contribute meaningfully to the Indian ecosystem,” says Saurabh Agarwal.

“The MoU is aimed at bringing capacity building to a new level for the packaging industry leadership with a focus on leveraging the emerging opportunities as well as fulfilling the societal obligations of sustainable development,” said RK Mishra, Director, IIP.

The program will target mid-level packaging talent working with brands across segments, so as to help them accelerate their packaging careers in the light of fast changing external considerations such as AI, Sustainability, Compliance, Fast evolving Consumer behaviour etc. The program will offer valuable exposure to real-world applications, emerging technologies, and expert insights from practitioners, better preparing the members for future leadership roles in their organisations. The first batch will be starting in March 2026 and will be a cohort of 20 high-potential candidates.

This partnership reaffirms Avery Dennison’s commitment to elevating the standard of packaging education and professional development across the country.