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:
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.
A representative voice in paper-based solutions with 20+ years’ experience in Paper & Packaging Industry, serving major Industrial, CPG Brands, Retailers and Private Labels, and E-Commerce provider. First point of contact in Mondi for Retailers and Brands on achieving Sustainability goals in packaging with flexible solutions (paper, plastic, hybrid) and circular business model. Holding a Civil Engineering Degree, MBA & Executive programs in Sales & Marketing Excellence from US Business Schools, and specialized in Business Sustainability, Net Zero, Circular Economy from the University of Cambridge. Grown in Venice (Italy), international market experience, living a multicultural family, passionate Sailor, Architect & Engineer of Sustainability in Business.
Drew Walker brings deep and robust perspective about packaging supply chains, with more than 40 years supply chain experience, 30 with DHL Supply Chain. Drew’s current role is Senior Director, Packaging Operations for DHL Supply Chain North America.
Bridget Saia brings fresh perspective as DHL’s Packaging Analyst . Bridget has worked for DHL for 2 years, where she focuses on customer insights, marketing, and customer development.
Schulz joined Constantia three years ago with rich international experience and recently took over the top responsibilities for the company’s marketing activities. Before joining Constantia Flexibles, he worked for more than seven years at Procter & Gamble in various brand management roles. Most recently, he managed all projects in the DACH region as Direct-to-Consumer & Corporate Marketing Brand Director.
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.
Filipe Vieira de Castro leads Recycling Intelligence operations at CIRCPACK, where he drives projects on targeted recycling topics and the development of the unique ReCoRe platform. With a strong international background in sustainability and specialised consulting, Filipe applies his knowledge to bridge theory with practical operations, delivering real solutions in an industry that is constantly evolving. He specialises in global collection, sorting, and recycling systems, as well as supporting systems including, EPR, DRS, and labelling, as well as the production of real recycling rates, among other areas.
Hugo Adams is the CEO of Kelpi. A world leader in sustainable biomaterials. Before Kelpi Hugo spent 27 years in the consumer goods, FMCG and retail industries in a variety of senior commercial, marketing and business development roles. He has launched, scaled and expanded brands, products and markets for The Body Shop, Kraft Foods, Dyson, Marks and Spencer and Superdry. Most recently he was the CEO of two retail businesses and throughout his career has developed and grown a passion for sustainable, ethical companies.
Hugo joined Kelpi to help save the planet and to turn the tide on plastic packaging. He has developed relationships with some of the world’s largest brands and global packaging providers and is looking forward to taking the unique material that the industry-leading scientists at Kelpi have created to market at scale in 2025.
Charles Neal is General Manager of Kuraray America’s Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH) Business Unit which includes Vinyl Acetate Monomer, Kuraray Poval™ and Elvanol™. He joined Kuraray ten years ago and was previously their La Porte Site Plant Manager from 2017 to mid-2021. Charles has 30+ years of chemical industry experience, most of it spent as a passionate agent for change. While with DuPont, he spent a decade as an operations-focused Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He is a native Houstonian, a Rice University chemical engineering alumnus, and a nuclear power veteran of the United States Navy. Charles is also both son and father in a three-generation run of proud Eagle Scouts
Treijon Johnson is currently the Director of Sustainability at Accredo Packaging. He is responsible for building upon the sustainability foundation at Accredo by refining and delivering the company’s sustainability strategy. Prior to Accredo, Treijon spent the previous 7 years developing sustainable packaging between Mars Wrigley and Unilever Global R&D.
Jonathan Quinn brings 15+ years of expertise in plastic packaging and strong advocacy for a circular economy. He is acknowledged as an authority in sustainable flexible packaging and has conducted extensive consumer insight research on the packaged goods sector and consumer perceptions of packaging materials.
Prior to his current role, Quinn served as the VP of Marketing and Sustainability for the API Group of Companies. He also led Market Development and Sustainability at Pregis and NOVA Chemicals, and held sales/business development roles at Illinois Tool Works Zip-Pak division, the COESIA Group, and Multisorb Technologies.
Quinn holds Bachelor's of Science degrees in Packaging Science and Business Management from Clemson University
and sits on the advisory board for the schools of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences. He founded and served as Past Co-Chair of the Flexible Packaging Association’s (FPA) Emerging Leadership Council, was part of the FPA’s Chairperson’s Advisory Council, and serves on the Global Board of Directors of the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA). Quinn was appointed to the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Advisory Board for Diversity and Inclusion.
He has been recognized as a “Rising Star under 35” by Plastics News, Young Leader of the Year by Canadian Plastics Industry Association’s (CPIA), a top social media influencer by Plastics News, the “40 under 40” designation from Waste360 and a leading figure by Plastics News.
~13 years of experience leading sustainability and growth transformations for large packaging & paper companies. Select projects include
Commercial transformation for a large foodservice packaging company aiming to pivot towards a more sustainable product mix focusing on strategy, key account management, pricing, organization re-design and capability building
Pricing transformation (digital enabled) for a large paper and packaging manufacturer
Organization re-design (commercial focused) for a large corrugated packaging manufacturer
Commercial diagnostic for a flexibles and rigid plastics packaging company
Sustainability strategy development for specialty chemicals manufacturer (key supplier to packaging companies)
Growth strategy for a foodservice packaging manufacturer.
Suzanne is the voice and the vision of Shelton Group. Drawing on her extensive experience in energy and the environment – and 25+ years in the marketing and advertising industry – Suzanne provides high-level strategic insights for our clients and guidance for our research and creative departments. She regularly speaks at conferences around the country, including Sustainable Brands, Fortune Brainstorm E and the International Builders’ Show, and serves as a guest columnist for publications like Fast Company, Green Builder and GreenBiz.com.
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.
Philip Stanger is the Chief Executive Officer of Olyns Inc., a company at the forefront of recycling technology and consumer packaging. With 2+ decades of leadership experience, Philip stablished himself as a visionary at the intersection of technology & environmental sustainability.
Philip's career is marked by some of the world’s most influential tech companies, including Apple, where he played a key role in product development and innovation. Additionally, he held leadership positions in various startups, where he successfully brought cutting-edge products to market and guided companies through critical stages of growth. His experience in both established tech giants and agile startups equips him with a unique perspective on driving innovation and sustainability in the recycling industry.
A passionate advocate for leveraging technology to solve global environmental challenges, Philip frequently speaks at industry conferences and contributes thought leadership on the importance of integrating sustainability into business practices. His work continues to inspire innovation in the recycling industry, with a focus on creating scalable, consumer-friendly solutions that make a positive environmental impact.
Philip holds undergraduate and graduate degrees respectively from Johns Hopkins University and Yale University.
Tara Fothergill is the Community + Brand Director at Pact Collective, a nonprofit uniting the beauty industry to reduce its packaging waste. With over 12 years of experience in communications, brand strategy, and impact, Tara specializes in guiding mission-driven businesses to create meaningful environmental and social impact that aligns with their core values.
At Pact, she focuses on fostering collaboration among the collective’s members to facilitate innovative projects like NewMatter™—a groundbreaking circular solution that transforms hard-to-recycle beauty packaging into reusable materials. Prior to Pact, Tara consulted for beauty and lifestyle brands to develop impactful brand strategies, product launches, and sustainability-focused solutions, including transitions to sustainable packaging standards and attaining certifications like B Corp.
Jamie Pero Parker, Ph.D. is the sustainability sector lead for RTI Innovation Advisor, an innovation consultancy housed within RTI International, a global not-for-profit research institute. Jamie has been with RTI Innovation Advisors for 15 years and has advised many of the world’s leading companies on circular plastics, sustainable packaging, green chemistry, and the emerging circular economy. She has also written about how sustainability changes the innovation process and has collaborated or supported various consortiums in the space.
Prior to her work at RTI International, Dr. Pero Parker was a scientist with The Clorox Company. Her published works include
- From waste to value: Business opportunities in solid waste management
- Defining sustainability and how it changes the innovation process, printed in Sustainability and eco-responsibility: Advances in the cosmetic industry
- A maturity model for sustainability in new product development
- How Sustainability Changes the Innovation Process
- Practical Insights into Open Innovation for Sustainability
Dr Pero Parker holds a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Elizabeth is the Global Packaging Sustainability Manager at H.B. Fuller. With a passion and focus on sustainable packaging solutions, new packaging design and e-commerce and extensive knowledge of the packaging industry and B2B marketing experience, Elizabeth acts as a connection between market and technology, customers and research and development.
Bio to come!
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Passionate about sustainability and the impact of packaging on the global network, Kelly Helein champions change as a Board Member for the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, Smithers Pira Sustainability in Packaging (EU/US) and Specialty Papers (EU/US), and development committee for the Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, WI. Ambitious and resourceful sales and business development professional with expertise in building new markets and securing high-value contracts.
Proven track record of leading business development and sales function in multiple industries, creating innovative product positioning and strategies, and executing projects within stringent timelines. Talented communicator, skilled in fostering relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Expert in identifying, mentoring, and leading high-performing sales and technology support teams to achieve organization goals and deliver exceptional customer experience. Focus on growing business and generating revenue.
Sarah Webber is a Sustainable Packaging Engineer at Plastic Ingenuity, a custom thermoformer headquartered near Madison, Wisconsin. Since joining Plastic Ingenuity in 2023, Sarah has been instrumental in driving PI’s mission for thermoform circularity. Her work merges technical packaging development with data-driven communication to advance sustainability initiatives for Plastic Ingenuity and its customers. Sarah graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in 2022 with a degree in Packaging Engineering. As a member of SPC’s Design Collaborative Steering Committee and IoPP’s Sustainable Technical Packaging Committee, she is passionate about implementing sustainable packaging initiatives and driving engagement from young professionals in the industry.
Dr. Mueller leads the Bioenergy and Clean Transportation Research Group at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Selected research activities focus on life cycle emissions analyses of different bioenergy and electric vehicle pathways as well as sustainability assessments of energy supply chains. Dr. Mueller has published over 40 peer reviewed papers on life cycle analysis. Steffen served on the Expert Working Group on Land Use during the establishment of the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard. In 2021and 2022, he served on the National Academies of Sciences Committee on Life Cycle Analyses of Low-Carbon Transportation Fuels and since 2013 Steffen has been a Board member of International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC). Steffen holds a PhD in Energy Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an MBA and a B.S. in Environmental Engineering.
Manuela Zoninsein is the CEO and Founder of Kadeya, the world’s first closed-loop beverage vending platform to support all types of drinks.
Previously, she worked at Palantir Technologies in business development, and as a climate correspondent for Newsweek based in Beijing.
As a serial climate entrepreneur, she has launched two businesses in the agritech space, one a data service in China, which was acquired by a partner, and one in Brazil, now that country’s largest online marketplace for smallholder farmers.
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)