Agenda

8:30 AM
Tour: LRS Chicago
Get a firsthand look at the LRS Chicago recycling operations to see how automation is transforming recycling efficiency and packaging circularity.
 
 
 
 
 
10:30 AM
Tour: Groot Industries MRF – Elk Grove Village
Get a firsthand look at Groot’s MRF recycling operations to see how automation is transforming recycling efficiency and packaging circularity.
 
 
 
 
 
12:00 PM
Go On a Braindate
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Teylers
 
 
 
 
Registration
Check in, grab your badge, and get ready for an incredible event experience!
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
1:00 PM
Welcome Address
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Matt Reynolds
 
 
1:15 PM
Closing the Loop: Recycling Resources Designed to Change Consumer Behavior
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Walter Willis, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO)
Christina Seibert, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Juliet Mathey, Recycling Education & Outreach Specialist, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Matt McGurn, Area Director, Recycling Operations, WM
Walter Willis Christina Seibert Juliet Mathey Matt McGurn
 
 
2:00 PM
Recycling Innovation at P&G: Lazrmark, FlexLoop, Dissolution
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Teo Medellin, Director, Global Corporate Packaging Sustainability, Procter & Gamble
Teo Medellin
 
 
2:30 PM
Critical EPR Developments Shaping the U.S. Landscape: What You Need To Know
 
Louvre 1
Jason Bergquist, CEO - North America, RecycleMe
Jason Bergquist
 
 
From Waste to Wow: Breakthrough Packaging Innovation
 
Louvre 2
Jennifer Pleva, Associate Director of Brand Strategy
Ronald de Vlam, Head, Holistic Design, WovenWorks
Jennifer Pleva Ronald de Vlam
 
 
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 3
 
 
 
 
3:00 PM
Networking Break / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
3:45 PM
From Tailgates to Touchdowns: How One Stadium Closed the Loop on Plastic Waste
 
Louvre 1
Erik Johnson, Product Director, Churchill
Christian Bruey, Director, Communications, Gov`t Relations, PureCycle Technologies
Erik Johnson Christian Bruey
 
 
Navigating the Next Phase of Recycled Plastics Markets: Aligning Supply, Policy, and Brand Demand
 
Louvre 2
Corbin Olson, Senior Analyst, ICIS
Corbin Olson
ICIS
 
Packaging on Purpose: Unsealing the intentional decision to create a custom package to match Sambazon’s sustainability mission
 
Louvre 3
Brent Lindberg, Head of Curiosity, Fuseneo
Travis Baumgardner, Sambazon
Brent Lindberg Travis Baumgardner
 
 
4:30 PM
Small Format, Big Challenges: Pathways to Progress
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Kenneth Laverdure, Fellow, Sustainablity And Material Science, Estee Lauder Companies
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Sarah Pamplanos Santos, Senior Project Director, Closed Loop Partners
Scott DeFife, President, Glass Packaging Institute
Kenneth Laverdure Matt Reynolds Sarah Pamplanos Santos Scott DeFife
 
 
5:15 PM
Networking Reception
 
Louvre 1
 
 
 
 
7:00 AM
Registration
 
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
7:30 AM
Networking Breakfast / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
8:30 AM
From Policy to Practice: Making EPR Compliance Work
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
John Hite, Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, The Recycling Partnership
John Hite
 
 
9:15 AM
Paperization + Source Reduction: The Pursuit of Cost Parity
 
Louvre 2
Jon Hursey, Senior Business and Innovation Director, Ecologic Brands / Jabil Packaging Solutions
Jon Hursey
 
 
How Do You Actually Deliver Lower-Impact Flexible Packaging?
 
Louvre 1
Chris Schmidt, Sr. Circularity Commercial Strategy Manager, LyondellBasell
Chris Schmidt
 
 
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 3
 
 
 
 
9:45 AM
Networking Break / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
10:30 AM
Flexible Film Recycling: From Pilot to Scale
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Patrick Keenan, Sustainable Packaging R&D, General Mills
Jeffrey Snyder, SVP Recycling & Sustainability, Rumpke
Teo Medellin, Director, Global Corporate Packaging Sustainability, Procter & Gamble
Raj Bagaria, Managing Director, GDB Circular
Patrick Keenan Jeffrey Snyder Teo Medellin Raj Bagaria
 
 
11:30 AM
Rethinking Recycling: Turning Packaging Waste Challenges into Competitive Advantage
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Tom Szaky, Founder & CEO, TerraCycle
Tom Szaky
 
 
12:00 PM
Networking Lunch / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
1:00 PM
From Packaging Data to EPR Decisions: A Practical Case Study
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Charlotte Ashcraft, Senior Manager of Packaging and Graphics Development, Just Born Quality Confections
Charlotte Ashcraft
 
 
1:15 PM
Packaging Sustainability in Private Labels – Innovating through Influence and Collaboration
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Mike Roxas, Packaging Engineering Manager, Private Brands, Ahold Delhaize USA
Mike Roxas
 
 
1:30 PM
Paperization in Practice: Balancing Performance and Recyclability
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Eric Bell, Principal Packaging Scientist, Nestlé
Brent Lindberg, Head of Curiosity, Fuseneo
Kerri Clark, VP of Packaging R&D, Mars Inc.
Joey Giacomini, Packaging Design Engineer Lead, Google
Eric Bell Brent Lindberg Kerri Clark Joey Giacomini
 
 
2:45 PM
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 2
 
 
 
 
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 3
 
 
 
 
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 1
 
 
 
 
3:15 PM
Networking Break / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
4:00 PM
Rigid Plastics at a Crossroads: PCR Mandates vs. Food Safety
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Suzanne Shelton, Senior Partner, ERM Shelton
Mike Roxas, Packaging Engineering Manager, Private Brands, Ahold Delhaize USA
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Edward Kosior, CEO, Nextek Ltd
Suzanne Shelton Mike Roxas Matt Reynolds Edward Kosior
 
 
4:45 PM
From Misalignment to Momentum: Advancing Sustainability Across OEM–CPG Partnerships
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Rebecca Marquez, Director, Custom Research, PMMI
Rebecca Marquez
 
 
5:15 PM
Networking Reception
 
Louvre 1
 
 
 
 
7:00 AM
Registration
 
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
7:30 AM
Networking Breakfast / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
8:30 AM
Designing Packaging for the Modern MRF
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Jeffrey Snyder, SVP Recycling & Sustainability, Rumpke
Matt McGurn, Area Director, Recycling Operations, WM
Mark Neitzey, Director of Sales, Van Dyk Recycling Solutions
Jeffrey Snyder Matt McGurn Mark Neitzey
 
 
9:15 AM
New Materials Gaining Traction in Recyclable Packaging
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Paul Jenkins, CEO, ThePackHub
Paul Jenkins
 
 
9:30 AM
Prepping for Policy: Illinois’s Data-Driven Approach to Packaging EPR
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Christina Seibert, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Christina Seibert
 
 
10:00 AM
Breaking the Barrier: Bringing Food-Grade Recycled PP to Market Across the Americas
 
Louvre 1
Edward Kosior, CEO, Nextek Ltd
Edward Kosior
 
 
Compostable packaging for CPG brands: When it makes sense—and how to evaluate a switch
 
Louvre 3
Alex Truelove, Senior Policy Director, BPI
Alex Truelove
 
 
What EU PPWR and UK Regulation Means for the Future of Packaging Innovation – and Why the US Should Pay Attention
 
Louvre 2
Paul Jenkins, CEO, ThePackHub
Paul Jenkins
 
 
10:30 AM
Networking Break / Braindate & Meetings
During designated networking windows, choose how you connect. Join a Braindate, schedule 1:1 meetings with sponsors, exhibitors, or peers, or take part in an informal roundtable discussion—whatever best supports your goals.
Grand Foyer / Teylers
 
 
 
 
11:00 AM
Consumer Research: The Role of Packaging Recyclability in Purchase Intent
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Myles Cohen, Founder, Circular Ventures, LLC
Myles Cohen
 
 
11:45 AM
Closing Remarks
 
Guggenheim Ballroom
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Matt Reynolds
 
 
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