March 8-10, 2023
Swissotel Chicago
Returning to Swissotel Chicago, Sustainability in Packaging US will take place March 8-10, 2023, to deliver timely updates and firsthand industry insights into the emerging developments, notable market trends, and cutting-edge packaging solutions that are steering the supply chain towards an increasingly circular economy and more sustainable future.
Uniting the entire packaging value chain, including brand owners, retailers, packaging converters, manufacturers, suppliers, recyclers, and more, Sustainability in Packaging US is designed to facilitate industry collaboration, support the sharing of ideas, explore innovative solutions, and deliver upon the collective promise of increased sustainability within the packaging industry.
Join us as we Make Sustainable Packaging a Commercial Reality. Registration for the 2023 event is open! Confirm your place at the Standard pricing rate expiring on Friday, February 24, 2023.
With three workshops, two tours, and two days of general sessions, this year's event can't afford to be missed by anyone in the industry.
Thank you to Ink Factory Studio and our 2022 visual note taking sponsor UPM Raflatac. Click here to learn more about sponsoring in 2023.
On the Consumer Health team at Environmental Defense Fund, Cassie focuses on creating a safer and more sustainable marketplace by driving down toxic chemicals in everyday products and food. She works with leading companies to develop and adopt solutions to eliminate toxic chemicals in their supply chain, use verified safer alternatives, and drive a more circular future. Prior to joining Environmental Defense Fund, Cassie worked in health sciences consulting, a state health department, and in environmental toxicology research. Cassie has a Master of Public Health degree in environmental health and is an expert in toxicology, exposure science, epidemiology and risk assessment.
Bio coming soon!
Melissa Seburg is a North American Marketing Specialist with H.B. Fuller working with our Packaging Makers, ACS and Envelope businesses. She is a Business Development and Marketing professional with 19 years of experience. Melissa is focused on strategic planning, product portfolio & innovation management that bring forth new product solutions for a more sustainable, circular future in packaging.
Carlos graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City. He worked in industry before moving to the United Kingdom, to do his Ph.D at the University of Cambridge. During his doctoral research and subsequently as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate, he developed the basis of the Enval process to recycle plastic aluminium laminate pouches, sachets, tubes, etc.
As a result, Carlos founded Enval where he is CEO. The Company now has a commercial plant recycling laminates in the UK and is in the process of installing further units in other locations. Enval has also started to develop recycling processes for other materials, creating a link between the packaging world and the waste handling sector.
Brent has over 24 years of retail experience in print, packaging, branding, sourcing and supplier management with private brand and branded programs at Target, Best Buy, Flagstone Foods and Good Natured Products. He is currently a Director of Packaging, Engineering, Design and Innovation at Billerudkorsnas, a Swedish based paper company that challenges conventional packaging for a sustainable future.
Brent has been involved and worked on high profile programs at Target such as Michael Graves, Philippe Starck and Robert Abbey. He helped lay the foundation of the Target Packaging Department and many of the processes and supplier relationships that exist to this present day. At Best Buy, he was instrumental in creating processes and forming relationships with strategic partners that resulted in astronomical growth of their private brand portfolio, which includes Insignia, Dynex and Rocketfish. While at Best Buy, he effectively launched and implemented sustainable packaging initiatives that removed 100’s of tons of material and plastics from packaging (resulting in millions of dollars in cost reductions), implemented recyclable identification programs for packaged materials and introduced innovative recycled-based content and bio-based packaging solutions.
He is enthusiastic about opportunities to create sustainable impacts to our world by lessening the material impacts of consumerism and promoting recycling solutions
Ashley Elzinga is director of sustainability and outreach for the Foodservice Packaging Institute, the trade association for the North American foodservice packaging industry. At FPI, work primarily focuses around communications, outreach and FPI’s recovery efforts.
Prior to joining the association, Elzinga has worked in different positions within the sustainability and environmental fields. Her most recent position was with Dart Container Corp. where she was the social responsibility and sustainability specialist. Before that position, she acted as the company’s recycling and community outreach specialist.
Elzinga holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Grand Valley State University with a minor in Environmental Studies. When not going on adventures with their corgi, Dutch, Ashley and her husband enjoy working toward their goal to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums — 10 down, 20 still to go.
Bio coming soon!
Ashley has 15 years of experience bringing sustainable packaging solutions to market with some of the world’s most prominent brands. Prior to joining Dow in 2019 she gained diverse experiences from a variety of roles spanning both technical and commercial functions, from start-up to multi-national, in sustainable packaging and consumer goods product development. She led the development and launch of new packaging and technologies across 5 continents for companies including PepsiCo, Amcor, HAVI Global Solutions, and 915 Labs. Ashley received a DuPont Packaging Award, R&D 100 Award, Chairman’s Award, and a patent for her work on sustainable packaging at PepsiCo.
Currently, Ashley is the Sr. Marketing Manager for Value Chain Engagement and Sustainable Packaging at Dow. Her current role focuses on increasing collaboration across the value chain to accelerate adoption of sustainable packaging solutions and to create circular ecosystems for plastic packaging. She also has responsibility for shaping the commercial strategy and introduction of Dow’s circular products made from advanced recycling processes. In 2019 Ashley was elected by her industry peers to serve on the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition.
Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and is a certified yoga and meditation instructor.
Scott Byrne serves as the Assistant Director of Global Sustainability at Sonoco, a global packaging solutions leader, committed to improving the lives of customers, teammates and communities. With his extensive background in all aspects of environmental management and sustainability, Byrne helps ensure Sonoco is on the cutting edge of sustainability initiatives.
As the Vice President of the American Institute for Packaging and the Environment (AMERIPEN) Board of Directors, Byrne works to further the organization’s goal of leading the packaging industry through advocacy based on science. Prior to joining Sonoco, Byrne was the Market Sustainability Manager for the US and Canada at Tetra Pak, where he was responsible for the implementation of sustainability programs and driving positive stakeholder engagement as the Director of Government Affairs at the Carton Council of North America, a recycling-focused industry group.
Byrne holds a master’s degree in environmental management and sustainability from the Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, as well as a Juris Doctor from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Florida Bar. Byrne received his bachelor’s degree in business economics and public policy from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, in Bloomington, Indiana. When not working, Scott enjoys exploring the outdoors with his wife and son and their two miniature schnauzers.
Jennifer McCracken is Director, Sustainability for HAVI’s N.A. Packaging service line. In her role, she is responsible for N.A. leadership for HAVI Sustainability, including strategy, alignment, and services.
In her thirteen-year tenure at HAVI, Jennifer has fostered positive impacts for client’s products and supply chain through integrating Sustainability into internal HAVI operations, partnership with Suppliers and industry collaborations. For example, she has initiated a sustainable fiber sourcing program, led the implementation of grease barrier coatings with an improved material health profile, and spearheaded environmental packaging regulatory compliance management. She also developed and implemented sustainability-related processes, tools and reporting to drive continuous improvement, such as ISO 14001.
Jennifer also participates on working groups focused on sustainability issues such as the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC), where she served as an Executive Committee member (2005-2011), the Foodservice Packaging Institute’s Paperboard Recovery Alliance (FPI PRA) and AMERIPEN (board member 2012-present).
Jennifer holds a M.Sc. in Applied Environmental Economics from the University of London, a B.A. in Environmental Biology from the University of Colorado. Professional certifications achieved include ISSP Sustainability Associate (ISSP-SA), and Sustainable Business from the University of Vermont.
Sameer is a R&D Director, External Innovation at PepsiCo. In this role, he manages PepsiCo’s open innovation platform and strategic partnerships to source external technologies that can impact the company’s wide portfolio of food and beverage products. These technologies can range from packaging materials, ingredients and processing to digital technologies and business model innovations.
Prior to his current role, Sameer held various roles within Packaging R&D at PepsiCo and before that at the Wm. WRIGLEY Jr. Company, successfully leading packaging development for commercial launches of new beverage, food and confectionary products as well as longer term development on new packaging materials and technologies. Sameer began his career in the materials industry working on polymer films and coatings as well as glass and fiberglass for GE Plastics and PPG Industries. He has a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston and B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Rich McNabb has been the Global Director for Packaging at Church and Dwight Co. Inc. since 2015. He has worked in the Packaging Industry for over 30 years and is committed to driving Sustainability. Rich is responsible for Global Packaging Development and Sustainability strategy, working closely with the Church and Dwight Sustainability Council. Prior to Church and Dwight, Rich worked at Unilever in Europe and US, where he was a Global Director for Packaging. He has worked across a number of Global Brands and created packaging Innovations and Sustainability solutions over the course of many years.
Rich is a Mechanical Engineer, having been to university in his home town of Liverpool, UK. He is passionate about finding new innovations for consumers and for the planet and is proud of the great progress that he and his team have already made in support of Church and Dwight’s Sustainability goals.
