1:30 pm - 1:50 pm Opening Remarks
Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
1:50 pm - 2:35 pm Keynote | The Science of Collective Hope: A Strategic Approach
In her keynote at SPC Impact 2024, Molly Kawahata—former climate advisor to the Obama White House and founder of Systemic Impact Strategies—shared her personal journey of harnessing hope as a strategy to address the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. Molly is returning to the SPC Advance stage again to dive deeper into the intricacies of collective hope—rooted in goals, agency and pathways—offering tactical, actionable steps for implementation. Companies embracing collective hope can achieve remarkable progress, driving public engagement and transforming consumer behavior around sustainability issues.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Molly Kawahata, Strategist, Advocate, and former Climate Advisor at the Obama White House and Founder of Systemic Impact Strategies
2:35 pm - 3:05 pm Keynote | Leading in a Time of Transformation
Science tells us that wholesale transformation of society is urgent—and that later is too late when it comes to climate action. Alongside solutions like exponential expansion of clean energy and market-shifting movement of capital, we need the most critical infrastructure of all: people. To change “everything, everywhere, all at once” depends on everyone. Melding research, insights, and a framework for wayfinding, Dr. Wilkinson sheds light on how we shape our roles as leaders—and the roles of our organizations—in bridging between the world as it is and the world as it could be.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, Climate Strategist and Co-Founder of the All We Can Save Project
3:50 pm - 4:20 pm Fireside Chat | Advancing Systemic Change by Empowering Rising Leaders
The Obama Foundation has a mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. This mission comes to life through their Global Programs, including the Obama Scholars and Leaders Programs, with a goal of equipping and motivating its members to make change. In this fireside chat, Lilach Shafir, Director of the Leaders Program at the Obama Foundation, and Lily Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Demi Composting will share the foundation's work around climate, and how leadership training can have an immediate and positive impact in entrepreneurship and community-drive sustainability efforts, that advance better systems.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speakers: Lilach Shafir, Director Global Programs, Obama Foundation and Lily Wang, CEO, Demi, and Alumni, Obama Leadership Network Alumni
4:20 pm - 4:30 pm Main Stage Talk | Systems Innovation: Redefining Chicago’s View on Waste
Delta Institute was challenged by the City of Chicago to come up with a new approach to setting goals and prioritize strategies to improve material recovery and increase the recycling rate. Delta staff engaged on a rigorous analysis and applied different methodologies for tackling this challenge. This talk will highlight the processes that Delta utilized, as well as what happened during process and since the plan was finished
Speaker: Bill Schleizer, CEO, Delta Institute
4:30 pm - 4:40 pm Main Stage Talk | Cultivating Local Circular Economies
Plant Chicago is a place-based nonprofit on the southwest side of Chicago. Their programs and activities include education, food access, waste diversion, small business and local economic support. This session will explore some on the ground lessons when working on circular economies at the hyper local level.
Speaker: Jonathan Pereira, Executive Director, Plant Chicago
4:40 pm - 4:50 pm Main Stage Talk | Reuse in Action: How to Maximize Return Rates
REUSO is a software system focused on maximizing reuse, starting in the food and beverage space. REUSO has launched their solution in breweries, coffee shops, and museum/zoo campuses; they plan to expand their impact with corporate campuses and universities next. This session will explore the pain points and successes that come with launching reusable systems, as well as best practices to increase adoption among employees and the public.
Speaker: Eva Bugg, Co-Founder and CEO, REUSO
4:50 pm - 5:00 pm Joint Q&A
1:30 pm - 1:40 pm Opening Remarks
Olga Kachook, SPC Director, GreenBlue
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Keynote | On The Move: How Climate Migration Will Reshape America
There is no place in America that won't be affected by climate change. And large numbers of Americans are beginning to migrate. Research suggests that up to half of all Americans, 160 million people, will face diminishing environmental quality that is in line with past climate-driven migrations. We'll discuss what that transformation means for America -- its costs, its opportunities, the places that will grow and the cultural and political shift that might ensue.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Abrahm Lustgarten, Reporter ProPublica and Author of “On the Move”
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm Fireside Chat | Sustainable Horizons: How We Can Forge a Stronger Link Between Decarbonization and Packaging
In this discussion, Dave Ford will dive into a range of current initiatives being pioneered by OPLN, some of which are their resources on reuse/refill for retailers and the Global Plastics Treaty. Through Dave's insights and perspective, we'll gain a deeper understanding of OPLN's ongoing expeditions, the latest on the the UK and Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, and the evolving discourse around climate issues as a whole. All in all, this session will help to uncover how we can forge a stronger link between decarbonization and packaging goals/recovery.
Moderator: Tom Pollock, Director of Strategic Partnerships
Speaker: Dave Ford, Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN)
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm Main Stage Talk | Talk Title: Less Packaging, More Smiles
Learn how Amazon customers, operators, and Selling Partners are finding savings – both packaging and dollars – by shipping in product packaging.
Speaker: Kayla Fenton, Senior Manager Technical Product Management - Sustainable Packaging, Amazon
3:30 pm - 3:40 pm Main Stage Talk | Making Packaging Disappear with Seaweed
Pierre Paslier is one of the cofounders of Notpla, a London-based sustainable packaging innovator working to restore the health of our planet. Using natural, renewable resources, they created alternative solutions for many single-use plastic packaging items used in our everyday lives. Notpla's materials - made from seaweed and plants - have already displaced 7.3 million items of single-use plastic from entering the environment. They're proud to have been awarded Prince William's Earthshot Prize - recognised as the Nobel Prize for environmental achievements - for their impact in tackling waste at scale across the world. Come and find out more of how they are making single-use packaging disappear!
Speaker: Pierre Paslier, Co-CEO, Notpla
3:40 pm - 3:50 pm Main Stage Talk | Seaweed Packaging is Setting Sail – But How to Scale?
Momentum towards biobased solutions is only building. Alternative sources for packaging including grasses, mycelium, shrimp shells, coffee grounds, bamboo, agricultural waste and beyond all have immense potential. Among them, seaweed stands out thanks to its low carbon footprint, ecological benefits, widespread availability, and inherent performance characteristics. However, questions linger: What are the best potential use cases for seaweed in packaging? How will seaweed-based biomaterials scale? And how can brands, manufacturers, and distributors foster innovation and adoption? Join Julia Marsh, CEO & Co-founder of Sway, as she sheds light on Sway's collaborative efforts with industry leaders to bring seaweed packaging into the mainstream.
Speaker: Julia Marsh, Co-Founder and CEO, Sway
3:50 pm - 4:10pm Fireside Chat | Redefining Biobased Packaging through Ocean-based Feedstocks
Ocean-based feedstocks grow or are found around the world, can be harvested without depletion, grow rapidly without requiring land, freshwater, or synthetic fertilizers, and don’t pose problems as microplastics during disposal. In this session, we will explore how seaweed has the potential to be harvested and modified for a versatile range of packaging applications and where the innovations in the space are headed next.
Moderator: Olga Kachook, SPC Director, GreenBlue
Speakers: Julia Marsh, Co-Founder and CEO, Sway & Pierre Paslier, Co-CEO, Notpla
4:10 pm - 4:30 pm Main Stage Talk | Opening Up the Silos
Shellworks is a materials science and packaging solution startup that is helping brands eliminate plastic from their offering without compromising on performance. Our vision is to eliminate plastic pollution, however, it takes a great deal of resilience to innovate in this industry and this talk hopes to outline the resilience it has required but also aim to educate and reduce the future barriers to solve this issue effectively through more collaboration.
Speaker: Amir Afshar, Co-Founder, Shellworks
4:30 pm - 4:40 pm Main Stage Collaboration Talk | From Package to Practice: The Science of Sustainable Reuse in Cold Chain
Success in reuse is more than the design of a single package. It requires setting-up and operating an entire separate supply chain and business model. Predicting success is impossible without simulating key operating parameters. Life Cycle Assessment provides critical insights into making the reusable system work. Join us as we explore how an innovative cold chain reuse system benefited from this approach.
Speakers: Prashant Jagtap, President, Trayak and David Webber, Senior Global Marketing Manager, Cold Chain Technologies
4:40 pm - 4:50 pm Main Stage Collaboration Talk | Collaborating to Create Demand Among New End Markets
End-market producers play a critical role in a successful recycling value chain. But what happens when you max out the existing demand? You innovate. Before 2017, food and beverage cartons had typically been recycled into household paper products in North America. But Jan Rayman, CEO of the Upcycling Group, recognized that carton materials offer unique qualities that could serve other purposes. Around the same time, the Carton Council of North America was looking for ways to increase the number of end markets and to find new end markets that could recycle the entire carton. The need and the idea came together, and a new, sustainable building material was developed. Today, the concept has been replicated around the world and has opened up end markets for even more types of materials.
Speakers: Jason Pelz, VP, Sustainability for U.S., Canada, Central America and the Caribbean, Tetra Pak and David Phillips, Vice President of Business Development, North America, Upcycling Group
4:50 pm - 5:00 pm Main Stage Collaboration Talk | How Connected Packaging and Consumer-Friendly Graphics can Educate Consumers and Increase Recycling Behavior
Are pizza boxes recyclable? Are pizza boxes accepted in your local recycling program? Do you recycle your pizza boxes? The answer to all three questions should be “yes”, but that is not always the case. Join the conversation as we discuss how ‘on the box’ messaging and connected packaging brings awareness, educates and motivates consumers to recycle pizza boxes improving packaging circularity. We will also highlight the benefits of using connected packaging for educational purposes and provide recommendations for future research and practice.
Speakers: Emily True, Senior Global Sustainability Manager, Pizza Hut & Lisa Bowles, Sr. Segment Marketing Manager, Smurfit WestRock
5:00 pm - 5:05 pm Closing Remarks for the day
Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Sponsored by Tetra Pak
9:00 am - 9:10 am Opening Remarks
Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
9:10 am- 9:30 am Main Stage Talk + Interview | Nature-Based Solutions on Indigenous Land
Historically, the pressure for tribal nations and tribal member landowners to develop income from their land took the form of natural resource extraction such as minerals, oil, natural gas, timber, pastures, and water. These activities primarily benefited corporations off the reservation and often conflicted with the tribal nation’s ability to retain a healthy environment as well as decision-making control over their land.
As new economic opportunities emerge in response to climate change, tribal land which may have been underutilized has become more valuable. It is critical that tribal nations not let their natural resource assets benefit others before it benefits their communities. Formed by the Indian Land Tenure Foundation (ILTF) and the Intertribal Agriculture Council (IAC), NICC is a tribally led non-profit program that helps tribal nations and indigenous communities take advantage of nature-based solutions to enter into environmental commodities markets through the development of carbon sequestration projects.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Bryan Van Stippen, Program Director, National Indian Carbon Coalition
9:30 am - 10: 15 am Keynote | Zero Waste Creative: We are each our own little Earth
This keynote is about a story that needs to be told: how, through our journeys of burnout and depletion, we discovered that the future of design is not in AI and tech but in the human hearts of us creative makers. By recovering our own humanity, we uncovered the unexplored parallel concept between the finite resources of 'spaceship Earth' and the finite resources in our humanity as creativity-filled beings. And now, joining forces in our Zero Waste Creatives personal project, we're on a relentless mission to spread this idea to as many people as possible so they can see what we saw, too. This is not just a 'feel good' talk. It's a reality check with a practical and optimistic perspective, highlighting that inside these unexplored parallels is a brand new view of sustainability: Zero Waste Creativity. This new concept, an evolution of design thinking, expands our definition of empathy-driven creativity to a regenerative force within humans creating work, not a performance coming at their expense and burnout.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speakers: Zero Waste Creatives platform co-creators Brandi Parker, founder of Parker Brands, and Fe Amarante, founder and principal of Experimenta
Sponsored by Tetra Pak
10:50 am - 11:15 am Main Stage Talk and Interview | Making the Business Case for ESG Goals Implementation
Sustainability initiatives and ESG goals deployment need buy-in from all parts of the organization. How do we budget to meet our sustainable packaging goals? How do we factor in all the financials and supply chain variables and costs that will affect how goals will be achieved? In this presentation, Jessica Wollmunt from EY will share best practices for communicating and gaining buy-in with the finance function to support implementation of sustainable packaging goals and broader sustainability goals.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Jessica Wollmuth, Principal - Americas Deputy Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst and Young LLP
11:15 am - 11:25 am Main Stage Talk | Collaboration in Storytelling and Consumer Engagement
This joint presentation will discuss how The Guardian US and Procter & Gamble partnered to create a highly successful video campaign that garnered over one million views and resulted in a substantial increase in brand consideration and awareness for Procter & Gamble’s Cascade brand. The partnership is an example of successful branding that helped "bridge the gap" between sustainability and the consumer perspective, resonating with consumers and inspiring them to take action.
The focus will be on lessons around crafting relatable narratives that both educate and entertain, communication techniques that cut through the noise to drive positive change, and the difference that authentic trustworthy partner voices can make.
Speakers: Alexis Schwartz, Executive Director - Head of Purpose Partnerships, Guardian News & Media
Assile Beydoun, Sustainability Communications Director, Procter & Gamble
11:25 - 11:35 am Main Stage Collaboration Talk | A Trailblazing Partnership: Pushing Data Upstream for Sustainability Goals
The dynamic partnership between Walmart and Aura is a bold endeavor aimed at minimizing the environmental impact through packaging by leveraging upstream data collection. Walmart's unwavering commitment to sustainable packaging, exemplified by pioneering initiatives like the Gigaton program, drives this collaboration. Aura’s program streamlines processes, engages suppliers, and informs decision-making on packaging materials, contributing to Walmart's bottom line and environmental sustainability. The live data at item level allows Walmart to integrate sustainability everyday into its operations. This partnership is crucial for accelerating the adoption of circular packaging, aligning with both companies' core purposes of improving lives and reducing environmental impact.
Speakers: Gillian Garside-Wight, Consulting Director, Aura & Cheryl Lam, Director, Private Brands Sustainability Initiatives, Walmart
11:35 - 11:45 am Main Stage Talk | Sustainability & Your Innovation Roadmap: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
As consumer demand for sustainable packaging grows and EPR laws take effect in the US, brands must rethink the role of packaging in new product launches. In this talk, Lisa-Marie Assenza, CEO of Impacked - the leading online marketplace for primary packaging in North America - will share insights derived from analyzing hundreds of product innovations at shelf, supplier offerings showcased at trade shows across the globe, and online search data from Impacked to reveal the macro trends, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of new product development and packaging sustainability. This talk will highlight in-market examples of CPG brands and packaging suppliers tackling primary packaging waste through innovative design, and share strategies to incorporate sustainability into your innovation roadmap.
Speaker: Lisa-Marie Assenza, CEO, Impacked
11:45 am - 12:00 pm Closing Remarks
Speaker: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
1:30 pm - 1:50 pm Opening Remarks
Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
1:50 pm - 2:35 pm Keynote | The Science of Collective Hope: A Strategic Approach
In her keynote at SPC Impact 2024, Molly Kawahata—former climate advisor to the Obama White House and founder of Systemic Impact Strategies—shared her personal journey of harnessing hope as a strategy to address the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. Molly is returning to the SPC Advance stage again to dive deeper into the intricacies of collective hope—rooted in goals, agency and pathways—offering tactical, actionable steps for implementation. Companies embracing collective hope can achieve remarkable progress, driving public engagement and transforming consumer behavior around sustainability issues.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Molly Kawahata, Strategist, Advocate, and former Climate Advisor at the Obama White House and Founder of Systemic Impact Strategies
2:35 pm - 3:05 pm Keynote | Leading in a Time of Transformation
Science tells us that wholesale transformation of society is urgent—and that later is too late when it comes to climate action. Alongside solutions like exponential expansion of clean energy and market-shifting movement of capital, we need the most critical infrastructure of all: people. To change “everything, everywhere, all at once” depends on everyone. Melding research, insights, and a framework for wayfinding, Dr. Wilkinson sheds light on how we shape our roles as leaders—and the roles of our organizations—in bridging between the world as it is and the world as it could be.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Dr. Katharine Wilkinson, Climate Strategist and Co-Founder of the All We Can Save Project
3:50 pm - 4:20 pm Fireside Chat | Advancing Systemic Change by Empowering Rising Leaders
The Obama Foundation has a mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. This mission comes to life through their Global Programs, including the Obama Scholars and Leaders Programs, with a goal of equipping and motivating its members to make change. In this fireside chat, Lilach Shafir, Director of the Leaders Program at the Obama Foundation, and Lily Wang, Co-Founder & CEO of Demi Composting will share the foundation's work around climate, and how leadership training can have an immediate and positive impact in entrepreneurship and community-drive sustainability efforts, that advance better systems.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speakers: Lilach Shafir, Director Global Programs, Obama Foundation and Lily Wang, CEO, Demi, and Alumni, Obama Leadership Network Alumni
4:20 pm - 4:30 pm Main Stage Talk | Systems Innovation: Redefining Chicago’s View on Waste
Delta Institute was challenged by the City of Chicago to come up with a new approach to setting goals and prioritize strategies to improve material recovery and increase the recycling rate. Delta staff engaged on a rigorous analysis and applied different methodologies for tackling this challenge. This talk will highlight the processes that Delta utilized, as well as what happened during process and since the plan was finished
Speaker: Bill Schleizer, CEO, Delta Institute
4:30 pm - 4:40 pm Main Stage Talk | Cultivating Local Circular Economies
Plant Chicago is a place-based nonprofit on the southwest side of Chicago. Their programs and activities include education, food access, waste diversion, small business and local economic support. This session will explore some on the ground lessons when working on circular economies at the hyper local level.
Speaker: Jonathan Pereira, Executive Director, Plant Chicago
4:40 pm - 4:50 pm Main Stage Talk | Reuse in Action: How to Maximize Return Rates
REUSO is a software system focused on maximizing reuse, starting in the food and beverage space. REUSO has launched their solution in breweries, coffee shops, and museum/zoo campuses; they plan to expand their impact with corporate campuses and universities next. This session will explore the pain points and successes that come with launching reusable systems, as well as best practices to increase adoption among employees and the public.
Speaker: Eva Bugg, Co-Founder and CEO, REUSO
4:50 pm - 5:00 pm Joint Q&A
1:30 pm - 1:40 pm Opening Remarks
Olga Kachook, SPC Director, GreenBlue
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm Keynote | On The Move: How Climate Migration Will Reshape America
There is no place in America that won't be affected by climate change. And large numbers of Americans are beginning to migrate. Research suggests that up to half of all Americans, 160 million people, will face diminishing environmental quality that is in line with past climate-driven migrations. We'll discuss what that transformation means for America -- its costs, its opportunities, the places that will grow and the cultural and political shift that might ensue.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Abrahm Lustgarten, Reporter ProPublica and Author of “On the Move”
2:10 pm - 2:30 pm Fireside Chat | Sustainable Horizons: How We Can Forge a Stronger Link Between Decarbonization and Packaging
In this discussion, Dave Ford will dive into a range of current initiatives being pioneered by OPLN, some of which are their resources on reuse/refill for retailers and the Global Plastics Treaty. Through Dave's insights and perspective, we'll gain a deeper understanding of OPLN's ongoing expeditions, the latest on the the UK and Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, and the evolving discourse around climate issues as a whole. All in all, this session will help to uncover how we can forge a stronger link between decarbonization and packaging goals/recovery.
Moderator: Tom Pollock, Director of Strategic Partnerships
Speaker: Dave Ford, Ocean Plastics Leadership Network (OPLN)
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm Main Stage Talk | Talk Title: Less Packaging, More Smiles
Learn how Amazon customers, operators, and Selling Partners are finding savings – both packaging and dollars – by shipping in product packaging.
Speaker: Kayla Fenton, Senior Manager Technical Product Management - Sustainable Packaging, Amazon
Sponsored by Tetra Pak
10:50 am - 11:15 am Main Stage Talk and Interview | Making the Business Case for ESG Goals Implementation
Sustainability initiatives and ESG goals deployment need buy-in from all parts of the organization. How do we budget to meet our sustainable packaging goals? How do we factor in all the financials and supply chain variables and costs that will affect how goals will be achieved? In this presentation, Jessica Wollmunt from EY will share best practices for communicating and gaining buy-in with the finance function to support implementation of sustainable packaging goals and broader sustainability goals.
Moderator: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
Speaker: Jessica Wollmuth, Principal - Americas Deputy Leader, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, Ernst and Young LLP
11:15 am - 11:25 am Main Stage Talk | Collaboration in Storytelling and Consumer Engagement
This joint presentation will discuss how The Guardian US and Procter & Gamble partnered to create a highly successful video campaign that garnered over one million views and resulted in a substantial increase in brand consideration and awareness for Procter & Gamble’s Cascade brand. The partnership is an example of successful branding that helped "bridge the gap" between sustainability and the consumer perspective, resonating with consumers and inspiring them to take action.
The focus will be on lessons around crafting relatable narratives that both educate and entertain, communication techniques that cut through the noise to drive positive change, and the difference that authentic trustworthy partner voices can make.
Speakers: Alexis Schwartz, Executive Director - Head of Purpose Partnerships, Guardian News & Media
Assile Beydoun, Sustainability Communications Director, Procter & Gamble
11:25 - 11:35 am Main Stage Collaboration Talk | A Trailblazing Partnership: Pushing Data Upstream for Sustainability Goals
The dynamic partnership between Walmart and Aura is a bold endeavor aimed at minimizing the environmental impact through packaging by leveraging upstream data collection. Walmart's unwavering commitment to sustainable packaging, exemplified by pioneering initiatives like the Gigaton program, drives this collaboration. Aura’s program streamlines processes, engages suppliers, and informs decision-making on packaging materials, contributing to Walmart's bottom line and environmental sustainability. The live data at item level allows Walmart to integrate sustainability everyday into its operations. This partnership is crucial for accelerating the adoption of circular packaging, aligning with both companies' core purposes of improving lives and reducing environmental impact.
Speakers: Gillian Garside-Wight, Consulting Director, Aura & Cheryl Lam, Director, Private Brands Sustainability Initiatives, Walmart
11:35 - 11:45 am Main Stage Talk | Sustainability & Your Innovation Roadmap: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities
As consumer demand for sustainable packaging grows and EPR laws take effect in the US, brands must rethink the role of packaging in new product launches. In this talk, Lisa-Marie Assenza, CEO of Impacked - the leading online marketplace for primary packaging in North America - will share insights derived from analyzing hundreds of product innovations at shelf, supplier offerings showcased at trade shows across the globe, and online search data from Impacked to reveal the macro trends, challenges, and opportunities at the intersection of new product development and packaging sustainability. This talk will highlight in-market examples of CPG brands and packaging suppliers tackling primary packaging waste through innovative design, and share strategies to incorporate sustainability into your innovation roadmap.
Speaker: Lisa-Marie Assenza, CEO, Impacked
11:45 am - 12:00 pm Closing Remarks
Speaker: Paul Nowak, Executive Director, GreenBlue
