Conference Agenda 2023

Elba Pareja-Gallagher, recently retired from UPS, will provide tips on how you can navigate today’s perilous ESG terrain while preparing for tomorrow’s business opportunities. No matter how much or how little you know about sustainability, you will love this conversation!

The Trivium Packaging’s 2023 Buying Green Report, released in conjunction with Earth Day, shows that despite consumer prices rising substantially due to global inflation, consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for products in sustainable packaging. 82% of respondents overall would be willing to pay more for sustainable packaging, up four points from 2022, and eight points since 2021, signalling that even with a worsening economic situation, the environment remains a consumer priority. In this talk, we will share these valuable findings and opportunity. The message is clear: Sustainable packaging matters. 
Key Takeaways: 
• Understanding the evolving mindset around sustainability 
• Sustainable packaging VS. budgets, how did consumers choose during tough economic times? 
• What can brands & governing bodies do to help consumers to make more sustainable choices? 
 

State-level activity pertaining to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging has been advancing at an unprecedented pace and scale in recent years. While the EPR schemes that have been adopted thus far in four states (Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California) are in their infancy, the requirements, particulars, and timelines vary significantly. In addition, at least ten additional states are considering one or more proposed EPR laws related to packaging. The adopted laws and proposed bills include ambitious requirements related to recycling rates, source reduction, post-consumer recycled content, and elimination of chemicals of concern, which will have a significant impact on the packaging supply chain. With the breadth and volume of activity in this space, it is extremely challenging for industry to stay abreast of the latest developments. This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the current, and quickly evolving, landscape and familiarize you with some general EPR concepts.  

Ecosystem thinking has become crucial for combating climate change and meeting shifting social needs in the face of a growing human population and wasteful consumption. It entails recognizing the overall impact of the product life cycle as part of an extensive, interconnected system that includes raw materials, manufacturing processes, product conversions, consumers, and waste management based on infrastructure availability. In this presentation, various cross-sector case studies will highlight the increasing significance of product end-of-life in the sustainability dialogue, as well as how established and emerging brands and manufacturers are adopting circular design, ensuring ease of disassembly, utilizing recyclable materials, and exploring innovative ways to repurpose or upcycle product/packaging waste streams. Through proper end-of-life management, a more resource-efficient and environmentally responsible society can be achieved, enabling the transition to a circular, value-driven economy.  

Sustainability and circularity are more essential than ever as brands, packaging manufacturers, and the recycling industry address issues around waste, environmental security, social justice and energy policy. In this session, Melanie Galloway will detail evolving market needs related to circularity and plastics replacement using renewable, fiber-based packaging. Her talk will include examples and learnings from Now & Next, DS Smith’s recently re-launched, comprehensive sustainability plan, touching on the packaging industry’s ability to address corporate board ESG strategies. This session will also explore a case study in circularity involving new market applications for moisture-resistant, recyclable, wax-free coated board.

Whether it is the packaging itself, or the coating to protect the
paper/paperboard, there is a reliance on plastics and PFAS, to provide barrier, strength,
durability, and food preservation for everyday use. Advancements in chemical manufacturing
have allowed companies like Impermea Materials to develop US FDA-compliant alternatives to
extruded PE coatings with the goal of taking plastics out of the packaging. With that goal in
mind, Impermea Materials designed a number of aqueous solutions for paper & paperboard
packaging that are all PFAS-free and offer a variety of superior barrier technologies such as oil
& grease resistance (OGR), moisture vapor transmission (MVTR), adhesives, and release
coatings all while being repulpable, recyclable, and compostable. In this presentation, you will
learn about the different formulas and their applications, the ease of production integration, and
real-world customer examples.
 

While fiber-based packaging is sourced from renewable feedstock and is naturally biodegradable, without barrier coatings, they lack the functionality that plastics provide in keeping food safe, fresh and sealed. Innovation in barrier coating chemistries and technologies enable fiber-based packaging to meet functional barrier requirements, reduce landfill waste for unrecyclable plastics, and increase recyclability of the packaging. However, conventional barrier coatings made of plastic may prevent fiber-based packaging from being recyclable. New solutions under development utilize new technologies and feedstocks. Which will be the winning solutions that meet the key requirements and commercial volumes of major brand owners? The race is on to provide the holy grail of barrier solutions: renewable, recyclable, functional and affordable.

The growing development and the need for ecological biodegradable products also requires the use of new and updated analytical methods and technology. Biodegradable products like other waste can occur and biodegrade in all known environments; ground, soil, marine and water sediments. Automatic respirometry systems enable the users to simulate as close as it is possible various environments and conditions. The advantages of this technology will be presented together with the actual test results done in automatic respirometers. Applications and test results that will be discussed are: Biodegradation in water, Biodegradation in water sediment (stirred and non-stirred), Biodegradation in soil, etc. The biggest challenge in finalizing the biodegradable materials is the time frame of the certification process and the final costs of biodegradation analysis. To better understand the biological kinetics of the analysis, a mathematical model has been set-up to allow us to predict the course of biodegradation. By predicting the course of biodegradation, we could shorten the analysis time for samples and learn about their approximate degree of biodegradability. In the study, a comparison between measurements in compost and aqueous sediments was performed, where biodegradation processes take place at different speeds and under various conditions.  

Resin technology for packaging and pods that is more than biodegradable, more than industrial compostable.  Involve your customers in your sustainable solution and take advantage of evolving home compostable technologies that return packaging, pods, and other one-time-use plastics to the earth in 3 to 6 months.

Trinseo, as a specialty material supplier, invests and develops technologies and innovations to expand its sustainable product portfolio – enabling us to offer materials with less carbon footprint compared to conventional materials. In our presentation, Saliba is going to share our sustainability framework, development of the latest mechanical and chemical recycling technologies, and highlight several innovative sustainable materials. From recycling technologies and product innovations to our efforts in decarbonizing our assets and partnership with suppliers and value chain partners, we are happy to share our journey and insights. We believe every material challenge has a solution, and every material solution can be sustainable.

Mura Technology are pioneering a globally scalable technology to prevent millions of tonnes of plastic and CO2 from entering our natural environment every year, turning an $80bn lost resource of plastic waste into a valuable global commodity. Mura’s technology can recycle the ‘unrecyclable’ – plastic materials currently sent to landfill, incineration or leaked into the environment – producing from it the ingredients for new plastic, creating a circular economy and significantly reducing carbon emissions. This eliminates the need for fossil resource in the manufacture of plastic. Mura are partnering with some of the largest global companies to scale their technology process worldwide. Join Mura’s Global Head of Business Development, Oliver Borek, as he introduces HydroPRS™ and explains how Mura will deliver on their global ambitions.

• Share a high level “case study” on how Essity, the manufacturer of Tork, has reduced manufacturing emissions by choices and changes made in our operations. 
• Share Essity’s innovations/strategy and some of the “firsts” 
• Include surprising and digestible changes that can be made towards sustainability goals in manufacturing. Inspire with small changes that add up. Speak to our thought leadership ideas 

Covestro has defined multiple bold sustainability targets: the Group aims to become climate neutral and achieve net zero emissions by 2035 for scope 1 and scope 2, as well to becoming fully circular in the long term. On the path to achieving these goals, the company plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its own production (scope 1) and from external energy sources (scope 2) by 60 percent by 2030. In addition, indirect greenhouse gas emissions from upstream and downstream processes in the value chain (scope 3) will be further reduced. One strategy to do so will be to utilize alternative raw materials. Covestro believes in a whole lifecycle approach to products and thus has been working on ways to establish take back schemes as a manufacturer in order to create access to alternative raw materials. This talk will discuss this strategy and provide example programs undertaken by Covestro.

According to Our World in Data, the manufacturing industry is responsible for approximately 20% of the global climate impact from human activities. Manufacturers need to prepare for the sustainability regulations that are already being rolled out in the EU and are surely on the horizon for the United States, and the frontrunners look for ways to reduce their overall impact. All manufacturers must soon report on their ESG efforts, and need ways to estimate the impact of materials and products they buy and sell, which is the Scope 3 in climate reporting. Configure-price-quote systems, combined with life cycle assessments, has emerged as technology that makes such reporting possible for the products that manufacturers put into market as well as the supply chain that goes into making those products. It facilitates for both buyer and seller and enables ´financial grade´ environmental data to be shared. Madeleine Bergrahm, The Head of Sustainability at Tacton, will discuss the impending regulations facing the North America and EU, and how configure, price and quote technology is working to streamline these sustainability regulations into the selling of complex product and process. She’ll explain how manufacturers can meet their carbon reduction targets by showing the most environmentally sound products to their protentional customers and by this increase the adoption. This is one way to address the global impact of manufacturing, learning from B2C industries use of eco labels. 

Every manufacturer spends time, talent and treasure on developing new products, ideas, processes, and protocols that give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. What is often overlooked during this process is the element of protecting these competitive advantages, which is critical in the manufacturing space. These innovations are increasingly focused on sustainable products, processes, and solutions to compete in a marketplace that more and more demands products made with environmental considerations in mind.
As the global manufacturing industry evolves, the intersection of intellectual property and innovations related to sustainability has become increasingly important for manufacturers. In this session, attendees will walk away with practical tips and strategies for developing a personalized plan that identifies, protects, and leverages their companies’ “green” intellectual property.

Aligning with sustainability/ESG goals and measuring impact Integrating into current supply chains and supply chain diversification

The United Soybean Board is committed to bringing insight to companies fulfilling sustainability and 
supply chain goals while improving products utilizing U.S. Soy. Renewable by nature, soybean derivatives are economical, consistent in quality, and a reliable material used in thousands of products. In recent years, U.S. manufacturing has faced a disruption in supply logistics. Companies are rethinking their material supply sources for the future. Soybeans have relatively stable production volumes year to year regardless of weather and have vast growing acreage and crushing facilities. This translates to shorter domestic supply chain—reduced transportation and lower 
carbon footprint.
 
U.S. Soy is used as a raw material in a diverse group of applications including polymers, lubricants, wood adhesives, surfactants, and infrastructure markets. However, are these soy-based products commercially available and do they perform?

The capabilities of AI in product design are allowing engineers to explore more options than ever before. Leveraged correctly, these options can have dramatic effects on material selection, material usage, and overall manufacturing efficiency. Combining these optimized designs with further predictive analytics through manufacturing process simulation allows insights that can drive significant reductions in energy usage and manufacturing times contributing to critical sustainability goals and allow manufacturers to meet their carbon reduction targets. In this presentation we will explore how these technologies can bring insights into these processes to maximize product performance and drive both embodied and operational carbon reduction results.  

Consumer demand, regulations, financial investors and employees are driving businesses towards more sustainable practices. As a Product Developer or Manufacturer, you have a big responsibility but also the opportunity to make the biggest impact on Product Sustainability. However, making the right decisions to lower product carbon footprint is not intuitive, and balancing product performance, profitability and sustainability is a big challenge. This session will cover some of the practices and initiatives you can implement in your design phase, along with some real-life case studies of how, with the right tools at your fingertips, you can design and manufacture, greener products that your customers will love. Avoid paralysis by analysis and start making data-driven decisions at the product design stage, to lower carbon emissions by automated evaluation of cost and carbon.  

Regulations, extreme weather and a rising corporate demand are directly impacting the price volatility of renewable energy solutions. Understanding how to structure your company’s energy procurement in the short and long-term is necessary to reduce energy consumption, lower utility costs, and enhance overall operational efficiency, hence improving profitability and operational performance. By hedging price risks, you can secure stable revenue streams, and mitigate potential financial losses caused by market fluctuations.

 

In this session, Strive by STX, the climate action arm of STX Group, will explain the financial tools and strategies to mitigate the uncertainty associated with fluctuating energy prices.

Industrial decarbonization requires novel approaches to utilizing and managing your facility's energy needs. Machine Learning and Al can be utilized to dynamically save energy. This innovative approach may be the future of energy management for industrial processes. Learn novel methodologies to manage energy and decarbonize from Industry Leading Experts. 

Sustainability and Circularity are two critical concepts driving economic, industrial, and societal change worldwide, and the electrical infrastructure sector is feeling real pressure to adapt, change and improve. Intensifying urban growth, regulatory changes, effective asset management, the drive for integrating renewable generation and battery storage, bottom line financial pressure, and improving human and environmental conditions, are all factors that influence decisions made by utilities, substation designers and transformer manufacturers. Against this background, there is a growing recognition of the role to be played by modern, ester-based transformer insulating liquids. Synthetic and Natural esters have become an established alternative that enable cost and carbon savings in substation designs due to being less flammable and readily biodegradable, while also delivering operational flexibility and the potential to extend asset life. But there are important distinctions to be made, and questions to be asked, about the ester liquid landscape, not least about what happens at end of use? This presentation will answer such questions and more, while clearly delineating a case for embedding newly developed MIDEL ester liquids as a key element in delivering a truly sustainable and safer future for people and the places where they live.