SPC Advance 2017

What does Performance with Purpose mean at PepsiCo? How can internal and external partnership-based positive business initiatives deliver sustainable long-term growth while leaving a positive imprint on society and the environment? Dr. Mehmood Khan will provide a unique perspective about enabling positive business change and advancing sustainability goals through partnership. He will share PepsiCo’s journey to transform its portfolio to offer healthier options while making the food system more sustainable and communities more prosperous.

Much like sustainability as a whole, material health provides incredible opportunities to innovate and build brand loyalty through transparency. Learn how the industry is leveraging learnings from past victories with problematic chemicals, what the most important health considerations are today for paper and plastics, and different brand strategies to make material health in packaging a priority.

How the choice of paper or paperboard reflects the brand identity, conveys a sense of luxury and manages to do all that while staying true to company’s sustainability goals.

Moving from aspiration to impact: The power of collaboration leads us into the next era of design for recyclability.

In 2017, Closed Loop Foundation led a first-ever research effort to uncover existing and necessary financial investments in recycling infrastructure and the development of the circular economy in North America. In this session, the Foundation will share findings and insights from a survey of private industry, municipalities and investors. We will also look at case studies that highlight the impact of investments on (1) material flows for PCR, (2) end-market development, and (3) financial returns.

In order to meet rising expectations, companies are working harder than ever to understand and mitigate the potential risks associated with forest product supply chains. Many leaders in the sustainability space are going beyond that, and are looking for ways in which their supply chains are able to not only “do no harm,” but support and expand forest conservation and forest health. Brands, retailers and their suppliers use a variety of tools to address forest sustainability issues, including but not limited to forest certification, controlled wood risk assessments, and certified fiber sourcing. These tools have proven enormously successful. However, gaps remain, particularly in areas, such as the southeastern U.S., where individuals and families own 56% of the forested land, and where over 50% of wood fiber comes from such properties. For several reasons, engagement of this demographic in forest certification and similar sustainability programming remains relatively low. To bridge these gaps, we need tools that give a more comprehensive picture of the sustainability of forested landscapes and highlight the opportunities to create meaningful, measurable change on-the-ground. GreenBlue’s Forest Products Working Group (FPWG) and the American Forest Foundation have developed a tool – Forests In Focus – to answer these questions: how do we reach and engage family woodland owners, the majority of whom are not certified, to ensure they are connected to the resources and professionals needed to manage their forests sustainably? How can we know that on-the-ground forest management rolls up to sustainability at the landscape level? And, finally, how do we utilize the power of forest supply chains to work with forest landowners to create positive, measurable change on issues of conservation importance?

Foodservice operators in closed systems like concert venues and sports arenas have the unique ability to curate the products and packaging that are distributed to provide compostable feedstock to composters. Not only can venues empower patrons to engage in sustainability through food waste diversion via compostable packaging, but the process of collaboration between venue and compost manufacturer acts as an incubator and model for other food waste generators across the value chain. But how to jump logistic hurdles and get tens of thousands of attendees to comply? Learn from the experts that are pushing boundaries in venue operations, and their partners in compostable packaging and compost manufacturing.

CLF and Keurig will speak to how a collective investment to solve a recycling system issue can help companies achieve their corporate goals and show a meaningful business impact.  CLF will also give examples of how other companies are leveraging the fund for business success.

Paul Schutes will discuss the year-long journey of developing a recyclability guidance document. The process began with a goal of having additional data to support the How2Recycle program. The discussion will include results of testing completed as validation of the process and details of the guidance requirements. Differences between the existing Fiber Box Association repulpability test and the new RPTA guidance will be highlighted as well as general observations and learnings from the development process.

Digital packaging system designed to engage with consumers, protect the brand and allow track & trace of the product from packaging production to retail

Our population is growing. Business models are changing fast. Major retailers are putting pressure for more sustainable packaging which requires the development of new materials or smarter uses. eCommerce has totally different needs in terms of protection. Hear the story of some innovators working to build a world designed with sustainable packaging at the core.

Overview on Project Gigaton, an initiative that seeks to eliminate one gigaton of emissions – the equivalent to taking more than 211 million passenger vehicles off of U.S. roads and highways for a year – by 2030.