Take a peek at the sessions detailing the best packaging for the environment- from food packaging to clothes packaging to pharma packaging and MORE!
Please note: The workshops and breakout sessions will run concurrently. The breakout sessions are complimentary with a Delegate Pass or On-Demand Pass while the workshops are added content. If you wish to attend the workshops, you should select the "Delegate Pass + Workshop" Ticket.
Sal’s passion for packaging and innovation has led to increasing positions of responsibility in manufacturing, product development, marketing and innovation leading to Sal’s current position as Vice President Global Package Design, Applications and Business Development at ProAmpac directing the activities of the corporate Collaboration & Innovation Center.
Sal holds a BS and MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology. He has been with ProAmpac 19 years in 2026, is a technical resource for packaging technology and design for ProAmpac and its customers, and is a frequent industry speaker and journal contributor.
Sal also holds 28 US patents and among other honors has received a Global Technology Award from ExxonMobil Chemical Company and is an Adjunct Professor in Packaging at the University of Cincinnati.
Helen is CEO & Founder of Clement Packaging, a plant-based packaging company which is tackling plastic pollution in the consumer goods industry. Prior to pursuing entrepreneurship, Helen ran Product Development at various clean beauty brands including A-Frame celebrity incubator (Naomi Osaka's Kinlo & John Legend's LOVED01), Public Goods, and cocokind.
She holds a dual bachelor's degree in Chemistry and English Language & Literature from Columbia University where she conducted four years of synthetic nanochemistry research. In the cosmetic science industry, Helen is known for her research on the topical effects of blue light, which was presented at the 72nd SCC National Conference and won a 2019 Society of Cosmetic Chemists Award. She authored both of Clement Packaging's pending utility patents.
Helen is currently based in San Francisco, USA.
Mike Tannenbaum is a facilitator, strategist, and operations leader dedicated to accelerating our transition to a circular economy. As former Director of Sustainability Solutions and Optimization at GreenBlue (Sustainable Packaging Coalition, How2Recycle), and Director of Organizational Effectiveness at The Recycling Partnership, he excels at guiding diverse stakeholders through collaborative problem-solving on packaging sustainability challenges. Currently a fractional operations leader and Board President of Circular Philadelphia, Mike helps teams translate sustainability ambitions into operational reality.
Joshua Katcher is a Next Gen fashion materials expert, fashion designer and educator, author, and entrepreneur. His book Fashion Animals (2019) was written while teaching at Parsons School of Design. He coined the term circumfauna, published in the Dictionary of Ecological Economics (2023). He has lectured and lobbied internationally. Katcher started the first men’s fashion website focused on material innovation, The Discerning Brute (2008-2019) and then launched the first vegan, ethically-made menswear brand with a focus on Next Gen footwear, Brave GentleMan in 2010, which has been featured in Vogue, Forbes, GQ, and The Financial Times. In 2017, Katcher co-founded RIND by Dina & Joshua, an award-winning, French-style vegan cheese company with the first authentic vegan cheese cave in America.
Maurizio is currently the Innovation and Marketing Director for IML at Multi Color Corporation and spent the last 20 years in marketing and product management in the packaging industry. working with companies such as WestRock (now Smurfit Westrock), Tetra Pak, Avery Dennison, Klockner Pentaplast, and Robopac. Born in Bologna, Italy, Maurizio is dedicated to creating sustainable value for customers and supporting business growth with circular packaging solutions.
Maurizio holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry and a Master's in Marketing, with research experience at institutions including UT Austin, GA Tech, EPFL Lausanne and Monash University in Melbourne.
Optimistic packaging engineer with superb communication and problem solving skills. Well versed in private label packaging development, corporate ESG, and sustainable packaging commercialization. Passionate about sustainability and long-term solutions.
Ali Golden is TerraCycle's Global Director of Strategic Relationships, overseeing commercial, NGO, and government stakeholder engagement for the company, with a focus on recycling and reuse policy and partnerships. Prior to joining TerraCycle six years ago, she worked in corporate sustainability at companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Grant Thornton International. Ali holds a Master of Environmental Management and a BA in Environmental Studies from Yale University.
Crown Holdings, Inc. is a leading global supplier of rigid packaging products to consumer marketing companies, as well as transit and protective packaging products, equipment and services to a broad range of end markets. I am Manager – Global Sustainability for Crown Holdings, and I am based out of our office just outside of Chicago in Tinley Park, IL. I started my career at Crown as an analytical chemist in the R&D department, Crown Technology, and joined the Sustainability Team in 2021. I support the implementation of Crown’s ambitious Twentyby30 sustainability program along with various responsibilities such as sustainability reporting, supply chain engagement, and decarbonization strategies. I have an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Balaji Jayaseelan is Vice President of Sustainability at Berlin Packaging, leading the company’s global sustainability vision, strategy, and execution across diverse consumer and professional brands. He has over two decades of experience in corporate sustainability, innovation, and digital transformation, including global roles delivering multi‑million‑dollar reductions in energy and material use and launching numerous green products. Balaji also applies AI to sustainable packaging by unifying regulatory, environmental, and commercial data into decision tools that guide material choices, recyclability, and design optimization. He holds an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, an MS in Environmental Management from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology in India.
Since 2015, Martin Rathgeber has been leading and directing the US engineering team of Studio One Eleven – one of the world’s largest packaging design consultancies – in the development of innovative packaging, components, and systems. He is also a member of Berlin’s sustainability leadership team.
He has a passion for top-notch user-centered design, using sustainable materials whenever possible to get them into production and on to store shelves.
A graduate of the University of Stuttgart, Germany, Martin has over 30 years of product development experience, having joined Berlin from Radius Product Development, where he was responsible for the capabilities, productivity, and growth of the Chicago engineering team. Prior to Radius, Martin was Director of Mechanical Engineering at Herbst LaZar Bell (HLB).
In these roles, he has successfully helped a large variety of brands from start-ups to global Fortune 50 companies to launch their products into the market.
Brent Lindberg is annoying, and he knows it. With a curiosity that rivals George, he has a habit of relentlessly asking questions like a 5-year-old. And anyone who knows him can tell you he has an obnoxious appetite for the unexpected. But somehow these odd traits create a perfect storm for real innovation. This has become the culture of Fuseneo, the packaging innovation team he formed over a decade ago. Together they help brands find unexpected opportunities in packaging by combining daring creativity with serious expertise.
James is the Planning and Strategy Innovation leader at Cambridge Design Partnership. James has over 25 years of experience in the branding and packaging design industry, leading initiative for brand, design and innovation consultants, such as Landor Associates, Design Bridge and Touch.
His experience has included developing brand communications and delivering major packaging innovation for global FMCG companies across a hugely diverse set of categories with clients such as PepsiCo, Unilever, P&G, Nestle, Suntory, Mars Wrigley, Mondelez, Pernod Ricard and Natura, to name but a few.
James’ experience in navigating challenging political environments with stakeholders across all functions, has enabled his clients to overcome barriers and unlock opportunities, building bespoke, tangible innovation roadmaps to move toward a sustainable circular economy. James is a seasoned conference speaker and thought leader in his field.
Jason Bergquist is the CEO – North America at RecycleMe, the consulting division of Reclay Group International. With over 35 years of expertise, Jason has led commercial and municipal waste divisions, material recovery operations, and bottle bill redemption in Maine, New York, and California. Throughout his career, he has worked in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and brings a global perspective to recycling. He holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from John F. Kennedy University of Law and has advised on Superfund compliance, beverage container deposit law and hazardous waste management.
Based in Emerald’s Toronto office, Neil’s sector expertise is in the field of advanced materials and processes; he co-leads the sustainable packaging practice at Emerald with Fredric Petit. As a Partner, he is delighted to be involved in all phases of the investment process, helping young deep-tech start-ups become heavy-hitters in the circular economy. Neil also joins with the entire Emerald team in supporting the open innovation initiatives of some of the world’s leading corporate partners as they achieve their sustainability and profitability goals. In the Emerald Portfolio, past and present Board roles include Phase Change Energy Solutions, Tropic Biosciences, actnano, Lucintech and others.
Neil’s academic background is in advanced materials (PhD in Chemistry from McGill University & BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of King’s College (Dalhousie University)), but generally, if it has mass, occupies space, is intriguing and creates value, he is interested! Neil is a product of the global village and is happy to commiserate in English or French.
Ciaran is responsible for delivering Smithers global growth initiatives and supporting Smithers Asian client base.
Ciaran has been working for Smithers for nearly twenty years supporting the packaging, print and paper value chains with key market and technical information in the form of conferences, reports and consulting. Ciaran has worked on winning and delivering a wide range of market consultancy projects to major industry players, recent projects include a global assessment of printing and packaging growth trends and market assessment for a major new product launch for one of the world’s largest packaging converters.
Ciaran has launched and managed many international conferences in this sector including Digital Print for Packaging, SustPack, Specialty Papers and Print Futures.
Ciaran is responsible for delivering Smithers global growth initiatives and supporting Smithers Asian client base.
After 20 years of omnichannel marketing excellence, Kris joined ERM — the leading marketing communications firm focused solely on sustainability — to use his marketing powers for good. Kris leads the creative and digital departments within the agency and is ultimately responsible for ensuring the agency's work is truly effective in the marketplace for our clients. Kris works across verticals with one focus – to create a market advantage for the organizations building a sustainable future. His clients include Meta, Yeti, Papa Johns, Cotton Incorporated, EDF, Graphic Packaging and Exelon among scores of others. His passion for doing good — in the world and for his clients — is a driving force at what is now ERM Shelton. He's focused on helping organizations sell more products, drive brand preference, attract and retain the best and brightest talent, and improve investor outcomes — all because of their positive impact on people and the planet.
A well-known leader in the government affairs arena for more than 20 years, Dan has worked within the bottled water, credit card, healthcare and information management industries. He is particularly passionate about environmental, sustainability and packaging issues and has lobbied extensively in those areas at the state and federal levels.
With more than a decade of experience in climate-solutions businesses, Leslie has built and led high-impact teams across the composting and organics recycling sectors. As former Director of Sales & Marketing at Atlas Organics, a commercial composting company, she played a critical role in scaling the company from a regional operation to a multi-state leader, expanding into new markets, advancing organics diversion programs, and increasing the value and application of finished compost.
A passionate advocate for composting infrastructure, soil health, and environmental education, Leslie has served on the BPI Board of Directors, where she helped launch the first Composter & Municipalities Committee. She has also contributed to US Composting Council, the Closed Loop Partners Composting Consortium, Don't Waste Food SC, and Kiss the Ground as a trained Soil Advocate.
Leslie is based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she is an active community leader, volunteer, and dedicated mother of three.
Mr. Vitor Godoy is the Technical Service & Development Engineer in Kuraray America – PVOH Business unit, responsible for paper and packaging markets. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and master’s degree in Material Engineering, focused on polymer science, both from Federal University of Sao Carlos, Brazil. Vitor has over 10 years of technical service and customer collaborations in paper processing and coating, PVAc emulsion polymerization and textile sizing throughout Latin America. He recently relocated to the USA to expand his focus throughout the Americas.
Antoinette Smith has been at Resource Recycling Inc. since June 2024, after a decade of covering commodity plastics and supply chains, with a special focus on economic impacts. She especially enjoys translating complex concepts into layman's terms, and using data and graphics to help support a story and increase its impact. A native midwesterner, she lived for 13 years in Houston, immersed in the energy industry, and in 2024 relocated to the Milwaukee area.
Dr. Kyle Miller is a research scientist specializing in the application of machine learning, informatics, and simulation methods to materials design and optimization. He currently works at Citrine Informatics, where he contributes to multidisciplinary research programs spanning nuclear waste forms, recycled alloys, and advanced ceramics, in collaboration with industry, academia, and national laboratories. Prior to joining Citrine, Kyle conducted research at Sandia National Laboratories and Northwestern University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.
Kimberly Kovacs is the CEO of RENW. She also serves as CEO of Element6 Dynamics, an agtech innovator focused on reducing Scope 3 emissions and advancing biogenic carbon solutions through industrial hemp.
With over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, Kimberly has a reputation for developing and scaling solutions. The inaugural Forbes 50 over 50 in Investing honoree has played a founding role in seven companies, successfully raised over $120 million in equity capital and achieved multiple lucrative exits.
Her past accomplishments include co-founding Oryxe Energy, where she led the development of a bio-based additive that allowed refineries to meet clean air emission standards without costly infrastructure changes. This gained attention from the EPA and Congress, leading to work with Hillary Clinton to amend the Clean Air Act, facilitating the additive's adoption. Her efforts resulted in significant partnerships with oil companies and a $300 million acquisition offer from DuPont. Now at the helm of RENW and Element6 Dynamics, Kimberly continues to pioneer sustainable solutions that meet the needs of businesses and their customers.
Hassan Murad is the Co-Founder and CEO of Intuitive AI, focused on tackling the waste crisis and advancing a zero-waste future. Born in Pakistan, he witnessed firsthand how waste impacts communities and ecosystems, experiences that later inspired him and Co-Founder Vivek Vyas to combine robotics, AI, and sustainability into practical solutions for everyday life.
Since founding Intuitive AI in 2017, Hassan has helped build the company into a recognized leader in sustainable technology. Its flagship product, Oscar Sort, the world’s first AI Recycling Assistant, is now deployed in 20 countries, engages millions of users each year, and improves sorting accuracy by up to 96%.
Hassan has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and featured in Axios, Fast Company, and WasteDive. He also delivered the TEDx talk “3 Seconds to Zero Waste.” His work sits at the intersection of technology, human behavior, and sustainability, with a focus on solutions that are measurable, scalable, and grounded in real-world use.
Bio to come!
Ashleigh Hotz is the Director of Sales and Marketing at SmartSolve, where she leads strategic initiatives and drives customer engagement in innovative, flushable raw materials. She is the founder of Lily Jane Garden Club and founding board member of G.E.T. HOPE Veteran’s Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit offering community, hope, and healing for veterans in NW Ohio.
John Starke has a background in engineering and manufacturing, with extensive experience in industrial operations, specializing in product, production, and quality engineering. He has worked in the waste industry for several years, and as the founder of MyMatR, he set out to empower individuals and organizations to manage their waste more effectively, contributing to a more efficient disposal system. By providing solutions that collect better waste data, engage and educate depositors, and correct deposits in real-time, MyMatR seeks to improve the accuracy, accountability, and impact of waste disposal programs. Outside of work, John is a dedicated bagpiper and an active member of two pipes and drums bands.
Rebecca is the Co-founder of Better Packaging, a global leader in sustainable packaging solutions. With over a decade of experience in logistics, e-commerce, and environmental innovation, Rebecca has built Better Packaging into a trusted supplier to thousands of businesses across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond. She is a driving force behind the development of POLLAST!C®, the company’s flagship range made from ocean-bound plastic pollution, and a passionate advocate for circular design, supply chain transparency, and measurable impact. Rebecca brings a strategic, data-informed approach to sustainability and has worked with leading retailers and logistics providers to improve packaging performance while lowering environmental footprints.
Bio to come!
