Avery Dennison and IIP forge academic collaboration

Avery Dennison has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP) at the institute’s Mumbai campus to advance capability building within India’s packaging landscape. The organizations plan to launch a management development program, especially for mid-level packaging professionals working in food and beverages, home and personal care, wine and spirits, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, agrochemicals, solar batteries, automobiles and appliances industries.

The MoU was formally signed by R K Mishra (Indian Revenue Service officer, director of IIP and additional director general of foreign trade, Mumbai) and Saurabh Agrawal (vice president and general manager, Avery Dennison, South Asia).

The program will be a three-day course, 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 are confident 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 an academic institution to augment the industry’s packaging talent. This aligns with our ongoing efforts to contribute meaningfully to the Indian ecosystem,' said 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,' noted Mishra. 

The program will target mid-level packaging talent working with brands across segments to help them accelerate their packaging careers in light of fast-changing external factors such as AI, sustainability, compliance and fast-evolving consumer behaviour. 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 organizations. The first batch will commence in March 2026 and will be a cohort of 20 candidates. 

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