Established on December 15, 1972 by the UN General Assembly in memory of the Stockholm Declaration (which defines the 26 principles on environmental protection for present and future generations), the WED - World Environment Day) has been celebrated for the first time in 1974.

The International Day is celebrated on June 5th in over 150 countries around the world, proposing a different environmental theme every year in a specific host country in which to hold the main events. 

The goal of this World Day is to raise awareness of environmental issues, the active involvement of individuals, communities, organizations and nations and the promotion of initiatives aimed at protecting the environment around us.

In 2016 the theme chosen was the illegal trade in wild animals that threaten animal and plant species with the motto "Go Wild for Life" and the host country was Angola in Africa as it was particularly affected by the poaching of animals in the street. of extinction.

In 2020 the theme chosen was the protection of biodiversity with the motto "Time for Nature" and the host country was Colombia as one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity in the world.

In 2021 the theme chosen is the "Ecosystem Restoration" with the aim of defending the different ecosystems on Earth and, where necessary following environmental damage, to intervene for their restoration. The host country for World Environment Day 2021 is Pakistan, a country that has been very active in recent years from an environmental point of view thanks also to its massive reforestation and greening campaign in urban areas.

With World Environment Day 2021, the United Nations officially launches the "Decade on Ecosystem Restoration" which runs from 2021 to 2030 and which "aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems, and restore them to achieve global goals. Only with healthy ecosystems can we enhance people’s livelihoods, counteract climate change, and stop the collapse of biodiversity". 

Hosted by Sweden, the 2022 World Environment Day has as its theme #OnlyOneEarth centered on the need to live sustainably so as to optimize and safeguard the resources of the wonderful planet we call home.

World Environment Day is hosted in 2023 by the Ivory Coast and is all about #BeatPlasticPollution.

This day reminds us that our daily actions matter to tackle this type of pollution and they add up to the global effort that businesses and governments around the world are undertaking to accelerate towards a circular economy.