Agenda

The Sustainability in Packaging US 2025 agenda is here!

Beginning in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 5, Sustainability in Packaging US 2025 will kick-off with two pre-conference workshops followed by two exciting days of general sessions on March 6 - 7. 

Add the pre-conference workshops for just $400! Access to both workshops is included in your ticket - choose onsite which sessions you sit in on. All recordings and presenations will be available after the conference if you miss a session or two!

See what will be covered at the 2025 event below:


 
Workshop One
Packaging with Purpose: Embracing Sustainability with Lasting Returns
Exploring how sustainable packaging aligns environmental goals with return on investments. Sustainability is generally seen as an investment to be compensated with cost reductions. As much the accounting approach is correct, most companies overlook how to make sustainability a revenue stream. The Triple Play on Sustainability, Growth, and Profit has been the recipe for higher and lasting Total Shareholder Returns above peers’ efforts in one or two of those dimensions - according to a McKinsey & Co. research over 2000 companies. Mondi has the competences and capabilities to support their partners on these playfields through transparency and collaboration.
 
Marco Macoratti | Head of Sustainable Packaging Solutions & Circularity for Retail brands, Mondi
How supply chains can enable packaging sustainability improvements
Join us for a dynamic session that explores how packaging supply chains can improve sustainability. Discover innovative strategies and success stories, with actionable insights about how your organization can make materials management, contract packaging, and network design choices which enhance sustainability while enabling broader brand and company goals.

Joint Speaker:
Bridget Saia, Packaging Analyst, DHL

Drew Walker | Senior Director, Packaging Operations, DHL
Sustainable Packaging in Action: A case study about aluminum's Role in the Transition of coffee capsules
Single-serve coffee capsules are popular, but sustainability remains a challenge. Learn with an off-shelf example how Constantia Flexibles is driving change with a 360-degree approach to more sustainable coffee packaging. In partnership with Cambio Roasters, we explore the shift from plastic to aluminum, balancing performance, recyclability, and coffee quality.
 
Thomas Schulz | Vice President, Group Marketing & Communications, Constantia Flexibles International GmbH
Networking Break
Workshop One Cont’d: Circular Practices and Updates on the Global Plastics Treaty
Panel: Global Plastics Treaty
Will there be progress? When can we expect agreement and implementation? What does this mean for the future of regulations for packaging materials?

Moderator: TBA

Panelists:
Amy Lestition Burke, President & CEO, Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)
Jolene Milne, Sustainability Analyst, Husky Technologies
Patrick Krieger, Senior Vice President, Sustainability, Plastics Industry Association 
Panel: Circular Practices for Packaging Design and End of Life
This panel will showcase companies who are creating sustainable packaging with considerations such as end of life, consumer insights and demand etc.

Moderator: TBA

Panelists:
Steve Marko, Sr Director R&D, Tillamook
Kelly Murosky, Sr Packaging and Sustainability Manager - Health & Wellbeing, Unilever
Thaxton Lipscomb, PMP, CPP, CPLP, Global Lead Packaging Engineer, Kimberly-Clark
James Harmer, Planning & Strategy Innovation Lead, Cambridge Design Partnership
Workshop Ends
Workshop Two
EPR, PPWR – what you need to know and how it will impact your packaging/business?
Navigating the PPWR: Implications and Opportunities for U.S. Business in the EU
This workshop will provide a focused overview of the PPWR, highlighting its core requirements and its role in driving sustainability through waste reduction, increased recycled content, and the elimination of non-recyclable packaging. It will explore the significant impact this regulatory shift will have on American businesses operating in the European Union, addressing changes to the current EPR landscape, key compliance requirements, cost implications and the opportunities for innovation in response to these changes. 
 
Filipe Vieira De Castro | Manager Recycling Intelligence, CIRCPACK by Veolia
Panel: Implementation of EPR
This panel will chat with municipalities/cities about EPR implementation- what are the biggest hurdles cities/states will need to overcome? What can companies learn from the EPR implementation in the states who have passed EPR? What does this mean for the rest of the country?

Moderator: Olivia Barker, Vice President of Public Policy & Public Affairs, 
Clear Strategy

Panelists:
Mckenna Morrigan, Strategic Advisor, Waste Prevention & Product Stewardship, Seattle Public Utilities
Neil Menezes, Vice President of Material Services, Circular Action Alliance
Darla Arians, Director of Policy and Programs, Product Stewardship Institute (PSI)
Fireside Chat: Brands Implementing EPR
EPR dominated the conversations at Sustpack US 2024. As more and more states are proposing and considering EPR legislation, challenges of implementation and what the future of EPR legislation might bring for brands is a major concern within the packaging industry.
 
Moderator: Michelle Carvell, CEO, Lorax Compliance

Panelists:
CJ Stolle, Public Policy, Amazon
Brendan Adams, Associate Director, Global Government Affairs,The Kraft Heinz Company
Networking Break
2nd Workshop Cont’d - Compostable and Bio Based Packaging
Panel Discussion: Task Force for product labeling legislative guidelines for compostable products
As compostable products like food service ware or packaging have grown more common, consumer confusion has led to contamination of recycling and organics streams alike and products designed to degrade still winding up in the trash. Some states have taken action through “truth in labeling” laws. The organizations pointed to state labeling laws passed in California, Colorado, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington as examples of policies “that inspired and incorporate some of these principles.” Packaging and composting stakeholders often worry a patchwork of policies across the U.S. makes clarity and compliance a challenge for producers, processors and consumers. The push by USCC and BPI also comes as the Federal Trade Commission considers updating the Green Guides, its non-binding guidance for environmental marketing claims. FTC and commenters have identified compostability claims as a key area in need of refining in the next update Compostable products ought to be labeled with distinguishing tinting, striping and certification logos, according to USCC and BPI’s principles. The task force believes compostability should be defined by current third-party ASTM standard specifications, or if a product is 100% wood- or fiber-based. Recommendations apply as much to compostable products as non-compostable products. The task force believes non-compostable items should be prohibited from using labeling identical to compostable products’ and misleading terminology. For instance, it proposes that non-compostable products not be allowed to be green, brown or beige
 
Moderator: Margaret Eldridge, Certification Manager, BPI

Panelists:
Renata Neri, Sr. Principal Program Lead, Packaging, Chick-Fil-A
Lynn Dyer, Chief Sustainability Officer, Pactiv Evergreen
Biomaterial packaging to replace plastic
Kelpi is a leader in sustainable biomaterials. We have developed a unique biopolymer from seaweed which can be applied as a coating to substrates, such as paper, card and fibre. The resulting packaging is recyclable, compostable and marine-safe. Kelpi, a certified B Corp, is focused on meeting the needs of large businesses in the food & drink and cosmetics & personal care sectors. We’re already working with some of the largest companies in the world to scale up production of their biodegradable coatings and deliver unique, next generation packaging solutions. We would use this session to inspire the attendees to the opportunity of seaweed-based biomaterials to replace plastic packaging.
 
Hugo Adams | CEO, Kelpi
Kuraray America’s Journey towards Renewable Feedstocks
The rate of waste generation around the world continues to increase tremendously piling up significant amount of plastic waste in landfills, rivers, and ultimately in the oceans. In addition, climate change and global warming are also becoming more and more serious concerns. To resolve these issues some of the approaches being perused and “Bio-base materials” is one of the important solutions. This presentation will focus on Kuraray America’s adoption of the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC+) system to certify biomass derived raw materials. Through compliance with its rigorous sustainability and carbon reduction criteria, Kuraray is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its chemical manufacturing processes using renewable feedstocks like bio-circular ethylene.
 
Charles Neal | General Manager - PVOH, Kuraray
From Seed to Seal: Pioneering the Future of 100% Biobased and Recyclable Pouches
Accredo Packaging, in collaboration with Presto Products, has developed the first 100% biobased, zippered pouch This innovation faced significant challenges due to the use of a single stream of resin, necessitating equipment adjustments rather than resin blend modifications. Starting with a 25% biobased pouch in 2016, Accredo reached 51% in 2020 and 70% in 2023. Now, with Presto's help, they have achieved 100% biobased content with the inclusion of a zipper. Made from sugar cane-derived resin, this sustainable packaging captures carbon from the environment and is recyclable, despite higher logistics costs.
 
Treijon Johnson | Director of Sustainability, Accredo Packaging Inc
Workshop Ends
Registration Opens
Registration Open
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Nancy Yao, Conference Producer, Smithers

Set the Stage Sponsor - Metsä Board
Session I: Sustainability, Consumers and Trends
Sustainability Campfire – 1:1 Conversation demystifying greenstalling and missed targets

Joint Speaker: Suzanne Shelton, Senior Parter, ERM Shelton

 
Jonathan Quinn | CEO, US Plastics Pact
Sustainability under the spotlight – what do consumers really want?
This presentation discusses the dynamic shift in Global consumer attitudes towards sustainable packaging based on a recent survey conducted by McKinsey & Company. Key insights reveal that while price, quality, and convenience remain top priorities, 43% of consumers consider environmental impact crucial in purchasing decisions. The survey insights signal a crucial opportunity for the packaging industry to innovate and cater to evolving preferences, balancing sustainability with cost, quality, and convenience.

Joint Speaker: Abhinav Goel, Partner, McKinsey & Company
 
Darshit Gandhi | Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
Consumers, packaging and recyclability: lessons learned from the front lines
Ask any average person anywhere around the world if recycling helps the environment and if it’s a thing we should all do and the answer is a resounding yes from virtually everyone. But then ask them how they should dispose of packaging when they’re done with it – what things go in which bin – and you see a lot of confusion and recycling stream contamination just waiting to happen. Which is probably why, increasingly, consumers don’t believe that the things they put in their recycling bin are actually getting recycled. And THAT begins to break down their opinions of brands and of consumption writ large.

But what if you could tell a recyclability story that people could believe? Could you increase faith in the recycling system? Drive brand favorability? And what about sales…could a recyclability message actually increase sales? The answer to all of this is yes! Suzanne Shelton, Senior Partner with sustainability communications agency ERM Shelton, will dive into her firm’s latest global survey data and everything learned from a 3-year campaign promoting the infinite recyclability of the steel food can to help you better craft package recyclability messaging that works.
 
Suzanne Shelton | Senior Partner, ERM Shelton
Session II: Roundtable: MRFs – Pain points, end of life, material acceptance
Moderator:
Roundtable Panel: Deep Dive on Challenges and Process with MRFs
This panel will hear from MRF's and companies that buy the bales of sorted materials from MRF's, such as PCR resin manufacturers, to get their perspectives on the industry and the importance of the packaging lifecycle. What are the leading innovations and problems to solve in the PCR flakers and pelletizers? How are technologies, such as AI, changing recycling?

Moderator:
 Natalie Betts, Assistant VP Sustainability, Recycled Materials Association (ReMA)


Panelists:
Clint Pugh, Director of Resin Sales, KW Plastics
Jeff Snyder, Senior Vice President, Recycling & Sustainability, Rumpke Waste & Recycling
Gaspard Duthilleul, COO, Greyparrot
Joe Riconosciuto, Director, Materials Marketing & Recycling, Republic Services
Networking Break and Coffee
Sponsored by RTI International

Session III: Case Studies and Real World Examples of Sustainable Practices
Transforming Packaging Waste: Incentivizing Consumer Recycling for a Greener Tomorrow
As the world grapples with the escalating environmental impact of packaging waste, consumer participation in recycling has never been more crucial. This presentation delves into strategies for incentivizing consumers to recycle packaging materials, a significant contributor to global waste. By analyzing successful initiatives and exploring the psychological and social drivers behind consumer behavior, we will uncover how effective incentives—ranging from financial rewards to convenience-driven solutions—can dramatically increase recycling rates. The discussion will highlight innovative programs from various industries, demonstrating how businesses can align consumer interests with sustainability goals. Through actionable insights and case studies, this presentation aims to equip stakeholders with the tools needed to foster a culture of responsible packaging disposal and contribute to a circular economy.
 
Philip Stanger | CEO, Olyns
Leveraging the value chain to achieve sustainability wins
Join LyondellBasell’s Circular and Low Carbon Solutions team as they explore real-world examples of successful collaboration in recycled and low-carbon packaging. This interactive case study highlights how resin suppliers, converters, and brand owners can structure successful, multi-stakeholder partnerships to move more quickly from strategy to execution and ultimately deliver more sustainability wins.

Moderator:
 Chris Schmidt, Value Proposition Strategy Manager, Circular and Low Carbon Solutions, LyondellBasell


Additional Presenters:
Nate McCrary, Director, Brand Owner Business Development, LyondellBasell
Wes Porter, Director of Business Development, Sustainability and Innovation, Berry Global
Lunch Break
Until 1:45. Sponsorsed by
ORBIS
Session IV: Improving recycling, reducing waste and managing regulatory expectations
Revolutionizing personal care packaging through pre-competitive collaboration
No one brand can tackle the personal care packaging problem alone. 120B beauty packaging units are created every year, and most cannot be recycled through traditional systems. Enter Pact.

Pact is a nonprofit collective uniting the beauty and personal care industry to reduce its packaging waste through pre-competitive collaboration. They offer the most credible, transparent takeback programs for beauty and personal care available today – and now they’ve figured out how to get their collected discarded packaging back into circular beauty packaging. Hear Tara Fothergill talk about the successes and hurdles of effectuating industry-wide change through Pact’s NewMatterTM initiative, a suite of circular solutions for the beauty and personal care industry.
 
Tara Fothergill | Brand Director, Pact Collective
Charting a Sustainable Path: Evaluating the Enabling Environment for Improvements in Medical Device Packaging Recycling
Plastic waste demands strategic interventions across the packaging value chain. Developing recyclable materials and improving waste management infrastructure are crucial, but regional socioeconomic, political, and cultural influences impact the adoption and success of these solutions. How do you identify ready regions and factors that affect success? This talk, hosted by RTI International and Medtronic, explores how political economy analysis helped evaluate the enabling environment influencing the adoption of sustainable solutions in the medical waste sector. The discussion covers leveraging such analysis for global companies’ sustainable packaging investment decisions amidst changing regulations.
  • The success of sustainable packaging solutions depends on regional socioeconomic, political and cultural influences
  • Medtronic used political economy analysis to help evaluate regions with the most potential for successfully adopting medical waste recycling solutions, considering the regulatory and political landscapes in different countries.
  • RTI International and Medtronic will discuss how political economy analysis can lead to insights that help global companies make sustainable packaging investment decisions, factoring in the rapidly evolving regulations.

Joint Speaker:
Samantha Smith, Director, Sustainability and Product Stewardship, Medtronic


 
Jamie Pero Parker | Sustainability Team Lead, Senior Innovation Advisor, RTI International
A Global Perspective on Recycling: What Could Work for the US
In the talk, "A Global Perspective on Recycling: What Could Work for the US?," we will translate proven global recycling strategies into practical solutions for the US. We will target the specific challenges that have hindered effective implementation, particularly in EPR schemes and their impact on recycling rates. The US has struggled to establish comprehensive and cohesive EPR frameworks due to fragmented state-level policies, inconsistent industry participation and strong lobbying against regulatory intervention. 

By showcasing how other countries have navigated industry pushback, balanced marketing incentives with regulatory pressures and used innovative financing mechanisms (e.g., DRS models), we aim to provide a roadmap that illustrates how similar strategies could be adapted and scaled in the US context. 

With increasing regulatory pressure and consumer demand for sustainability, businesses in the US cannot afford to ignore these opportunities. The audience will gain a clear understanding of the legislative structures that worked abroad and why aligning with these models could lead to practical, scalable and commercially viable solutions in the US.

 
Filipe Vieira De Castro | Manager Recycling Intelligence, CIRCPACK by Veolia
Do adhesives help or hinder compliance with EPR laws? Perspectives on the role of adhesives in recycle-ready packaging for Consumer Goods
New EPR laws are coming into force in 2025 and the multiple, ever-progressing design for recycling guidelines make the development of sustainable, food-safe packaging an exceedingly complex task. H.B. Fuller will explore the role of adhesives in the packaging, their behavior in the recycling process of various packaging materials and how they may be part of the solution. This may entail facilitating recycling, reducing packaging materials, redesigning packaging formats, or enabling compostable packaging. Much of the environmental impact of a package is determined during the design stage and adhesive suppliers, brought in at the early stages of packaging R&D can make the difference.
 
Elizabeth Staab | Global Packaging Sustainability Manager, H.B. Fuller
Networking Break
Sponsored by Intertek
Session V: Is refillable/reusable scalable?
Panel: Are consumers buying into reuse and refill?
Moderator: Crystal Dreisbach, CEO, Upstream

Panelists:
Heather Watkins, CRO/Co-founder, Bold Reuse
Amelia Eichel, CEP & Co-Founder, Wonderfil
Moderator:
Welcome Reception in Exhibit Area
Bold Reuse to be used for all the drinks!

Session IV: Molded Fiber, Alternative Materials & Paper Innovations
Panel: The Future of Molded Fiber Packaging
This panel will address standards, recycling, consumer education and challenges.

Moderator: Gary Robinson, Consultant, Tetonia


Panelists:
Charlie Langston, Director of Sales & Marketing, Tanbark
Ankur Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Cirkla Inc.
Fireside Chat: The Power of Collaboration and Partnerships – Working Towards Eliminating Plastic Waste with Alternative Materials
Moderator: Elizabeth Biser, President, Biser Strategies

Panelists:
Holly Kennedy, Project Advisor- Americas, The Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Emy Kane, Managing Director, Lonely Whale
Ivy Schlegel, Strategic Lead, Canopy
Session V: Innovation in foodservice packaging and labeling for packaging
Moderator:
DEGACRYL® Heat Seal Coatings for Sustainable Packaging
Evonik Industries, a specialty chemical company headquartered in Germany, produces heat seal coatings for a variety of packaging applications, including food, beverage, pharmaceutical and beyond. The DEGACRYL® HS portfolio offers solvent and water-based heat seal systems that can be used to securely seal a broad range of different substrates commonly used in the packaging industry, such as PET, PS, PP, PVC, PLA or PE. Driven by their unique chemical design and composition, DEGACRYL® HS solutions also provide additional benefits to support environmentally friendly packaging designs. DEGACRYL® HS based heat seal coatings can be applied with a very low coating weight and therefore aide in the overall recycling process due to the coated material being NIR detectable. The low coating weight coupled with its universal sealability makes DEGACRYL® HS the optimal solution for the production of mono packaging structures, like those based on PET for instance. In addition to a secure seal, barrier functionality against water or grease can be achieved by one single coating step, so additional layers can be eliminated. When applied on paper, DEGACRYL® HS does not obstruct the recyclability of the material, thus making it a perfect choice for paper-based packaging designs. The overall trend for more sustainable packaging design is clearly supported by thin heat seal coating solutions based on DEGACRYL® HS. Moreover, the wide product range meets the latest regulatory and food contact compliance requirements such as FDA Title 21 CFR § 175.300, (EU) No 10/2011, Swiss Ordinance or the GB-Standard in China.packaging R&D can make the difference.
 
Dr. Ingo Stohrer | Technical Director, Americas, Evonik
Networking Break
Sponsored by Intertek
Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Area
Bold Reuse to be used for all the drinks!
Registration Opens
Session VI: Sustainability Reporting, ESG and Certifications
Seizing the Opportunity: How Packaging Convertors Drive Environmental Impact for Brand Owners
In today’s era of heightened environmental consciousness, adopting sustainable processes for convertors has become imperative. This session explores the transformative potential of implementing sustainable processes within packaging convertors to deliver substantial environmental impacts for brand owners. Through insightful case studies, data-driven analyses, and industry best practices, this session will demonstrate the multifaceted benefits of collaboration between packaging convertors and brand owners. This session aims to uncover actionable strategies for leveraging sustainability as a competitive advantage while fostering positive environmental change across the packaging value chain.
 
Sarah Webber | Sustainable Packaging Engineer, Plastic Ingenuity
Navigating the Sustainable Future of Products and Packaging: Introducing the ISCC PLUS Certification Scheme for the Circular Economy and Bioeconomy
The circular economy and the bioeconomy continue to grow. The goal is to reduce the dependence on fossil resources, GHG emissions and to increase recycling rates. Legal requirements like climate neutrality targets, recycling quotas, plastic taxes as well as consumer preferences, company commitments and stakeholder pressure are further driving the circular economy and bioeconomy. Along the complex supply chains, chain of custody concepts like mass balancing ensure the credible connection of sustainability information and the respective materials and products. Compliance with these concepts and its verification is crucial to ensure credibility for all companies involved and also for regulators. The presentation will give insights on how mass balance certification works, where it is applied, and how certified value chains are developed. The presentation furthermore introduces how brand owners at the end of the supply chain can benefit from ISCC certified value chains by adding claims to their finished goods and/or packaging. Credible claims help to raise awareness among the consumers that the products/packaging of the products contribute to a circular economy or bioeconomy.
 
Steffen Mueller | Principal Economist, University of Illinois at Chicago
Session VII: Startups to Watch for
Waste as Wealth: Packaging as a Strategic Asset
Packaging for beverages is considered a COGS cost center to be minimized. But what if beverage containers were instead assets on your Balance Sheet, not the Income Statement? Join this session to learn how reusable containers in a circular model convert short-term variable costs into long-term investments to drive capital efficiency, generate recurring revenues, and unlock additional value from novel ways to surprise and delight consumers. packaging R&D can make the difference.
 
Manuela Zoninsein | CEO, Kadeya
Quick Break
Session VIII: Broader Impacts from the Packaging Industry
4Evergreen: The value chain approach to perfecting the circularity of fibre-based packaging
Packaging is a key enabler of the circular economy. Fibre-based packaging, in particular, is an appropriate solution in a variety of industries to protect goods on route to their final destination and it can made of 100% renewable material. In Europe Today, fibre-based packaging has a recycling rate of 82.5%. 4Evergreen was established in 2019 to further improve its circularity and raised their rate to 90% by 2030. 4Evergreen is a cross-industry alliance driven by the desire to meet some of the most pressing issues of our time. The global population is rising, resulting in increased food consumption and a greater need for packaging. To reduce pressure on natural resources, we need to focus on circularity. That's why we bring together over 110 companies and organizations from across the value chain, adopting a holistic approach. Our members include consumer goods companies, packaging producers and converters, waste management companies, non-fibre-material suppliers, technology providers, leading research institutes and start-ups. This breadth allows for us to reach consensus and implement change. Our work is structured in four technical workstreams that look at the entire life cycle of fibre-based packaging and one information workstream. They are all composed of industry experts who share best practices, prepare test programs to address unknowns and create evidence-based deliverables. All of our guidelines and protocols are developed by members with subject matter expertise, reviewed by peers, and built on a consensus involving approximately 400 delegates.packaging R&D can make the difference.
 
Scott Byrne | Director, Global Sustainability Services, Sonoco
Setting the Industry Standard for Poly Coated Paper: Data & Design Guidance for the Recyclability of Poly Coated Paper
The Poly Coated Paper Alliance (PCPA) launched in 2023 with the defined goal of collaborating toward widespread end-market acceptance for poly coated paper materials. Since the launch, the PCPA collaborated to finalize material definitions, prioritized coating types to be studied, conducted end market outreach, and focused on the data needed to move poly coated paper toward increased end market acceptance and becoming widely recycled. In the Summer of 2024, the PCPA put the data to the test in the field. This panel will discuss the findings from the PCPA sorts, RFID testing, bale audits, and discuss, in detail, the North American industry design guidance that will be released soon by the PCPA as well as the upcoming challenges and opportunities for poly coated paper.

Moderator: Scott Byrne, Global Sustainability Services, Sonoco


Panelists:
Michael Pratt, Director, Associate Manager, Sustainability, Sonoco
Shannon Moore, Director, Sustainable Packaging, Kellanova
Chris King, Senior Engineer, RRS (Resource Recycling Systems)
Scott Byrne | Director, Global Sustainability Services, Sonoco
Closing Remarks