Sustainability in Packaging US
The premier event for sustainability and packaging professionals
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March 10-12, 2026
Chicago, IL
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We welcome your interest in sharing your unique insights while positioning your company
as a leader in the sustainability sector- apply to present today! Additionally, we are looking for facilitators and solutions providers in the exhibit hall.
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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.
Imari Walker-Franklin, PhD, is a Research Scientist in RTI’s Discovery Science Division specializing in human and environmental exposure to emerging contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS. An analytical chemist, she applies advanced chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry to identify novel pollutants and metabolites in complex samples. Her work includes non-target analysis of chemicals of concern, such as those affecting the French Broad River after Hurricane Helene.
Dr. Walker-Franklin earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Duke University, focusing on polymer-associated chemicals in aquatic environments. She co-authored Plastics (MIT Essential Knowledge Series, 2023), serves on the National Academies Roundtable on Plastic Pollution, and received the 2024 Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications. Her research interests include microplastics, emerging contaminants, and non-target analysis workflows.
Annice Kim, PhD, is the Senior Director of the Center for Media Impact and Consumer Behavior Research at RTI International. She leads multidisciplinary teams investigating how marketing and regulatory environments surrounding products such as tobacco, drugs, and food shape consumer perceptions, attitudes, motivations, and behaviors. Drawing on methods ranging from social listening and policy analysis to consumer focus groups, surveys, and experimental message testing, Dr. Kim delivers timely, actionable insights that help clients anticipate emerging trends and understand how communication and regulation influence real-world consumer decision-making.
Allison Lim, PhD, is an Innovation Analyst at RTI International with expertise in polymers and materials science. She leads projects that link materials innovation with sustainability and the circular economy, guiding organizations to develop scalable solutions and anticipate challenges across the plastics and advanced materials supply chain. Earlier in her career, she conducted polymer research at the Colorado School of Mines, Sandia National Laboratories, and UC San Diego, where she worked on a range of applications ranging from radiation detection to wearable electronics.
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.
Bio to come!
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.
I've spent 35 years teaching and implementing sustainability processes across industries.
As Chief Innovation Officer at Berlin Packaging, I created and led multiple service divisions within the company. I nurtured Berlin's Studio One Eleven group from its origins as a 2-person internal service capability to an internationally recognized flagship group of over 90 with offices in Chicago, Milan, Wijchen, Los Angeles, Hadleigh, Seoul, and Osaka. The business models and practice management principles I developed and instituted have earned ISO9001:2008 certification, numerous design and innovation awards in and outside the US, and over 100 design and utility patents.
I've earned undergraduate degrees in Technical Illustration from St. Louis College, Industrial Design from Purdue University, and a dual MBA in Marketing Management and Corporate Strategy from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.
A frequent speaker at events that include HBA Global and the Spirits Packaging Summit,
My client list spans categories from food and beverage to personal care to medical consumables. It includes such firms/brands as AB InBev, Beam Suntory, The Coca-Cola Company, Gillette, Pfizer, Kimberly-Clark, SC Johnson, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Miller Brewing, Reckitt Benckiser, Colgate-Palmolive, Frito-Lay, Novartis, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Monsanto, and Baxter Healthcare.
Rose Shulman is a Sustainable Packaging Director at the LEGO Group. There she works in a strategic function, helping to set the company’s sustainable packaging ambitions and enabling the organization to deliver on their aggressive environmental sustainability goals. She has over 15 years of experience in the packaging industry at major corporations including The Hershey Company and Hasbro. Rose also serves on the Advisory Board for Sustainability in Packaging US and EU. She is active in the diversity and inclusion space and is passionate about making a positive impact on people and the planet.
Dr. Sandeep Kulkarni is the founder and President of KoolEarth Solutions Inc., a technical consulting and business development company focused on helping companies develop and commercialize new sustainable packaging solutions as well as to improve the sustainability footprint of existing packaging and to reduce/eliminate packaging waste. He is also VP, Plastics and Packaging at Ubuntoo (www.ubuntoo.com), a unique environmental solutions platform to address plastic waste, plastic litter, food waste, sustainable fashion and so on.
Sandeep has over 20 years of industry experience working for several large packaging companies, such as International Paper, Neenah Paper and Georgia Pacific. Most recently he worked for PepsiCo, in the area of sustainable beverage packaging. His diverse expertise includes recycling, bioplastics, paper based as well as molded fiber packaging. Sandeep has 7 granted patents as well as several publications in industry journals. He has also served on conference advisory boards and has delivered several invited presentations, at international conferences, on the topics of sustainability and sustainable packaging. Sandeep serves as an Adjunct Professor at The Packaging School (a spinoff from Clemson University) as well as the North Carolina State University. Recently he was elected to serve as member of the Executive Committee of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) for 3 year term (2021-2024)
35 years experience in the Household products and the food industry globally, in product, process and packaging development.
Responsibilities cover sustainability corporate goal deliverables for packaging, reporting out for Global EPR compliance, driving our How2Recycle label program and development programs to lower environmental impact.
Previous external role as Vice President of the International Microwave Power Institute.
Bio coming soon!