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.
 
 
 
 
 
11:30 AM
Networking Lunch
 
Guggenheim 1
 
 
 
 
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.
Guggenheim 1
 
 
 
 
Registration
Check in, grab your badge, and get ready for an incredible event experience!
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
1:00 PM
Welcome Address
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Matt Reynolds
 
 
1:15 PM
Closing the Loop: Recycling Resources Designed to Change Consumer Behavior
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Juliet Mathey, Recycling Education & Outreach Specialist, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
Matt McGurn, Area Director, Recycling Operations, WM
Christina Seibert, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Walter Willis, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO)
Juliet Mathey Matt McGurn Christina Seibert Walter Willis
 
 
2:00 PM
Recycling Innovation at P&G: Lazrmark, FlexLoop, Dissolution
 
Guggenheim 2-3
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
Ronald de Vlam, Head of Holistic Design, WovenWorks
Jen Pleva, Associate, Director Strategy, WovenWorks
Ronald de Vlam Jen Pleva
 
 
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
Christian Bruey, Director, Sustainability & External Affairs, PureCycle Technologies
Erik Johnson, Product Director, Churchill
Christian Bruey Erik Johnson
 
 
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
Travis Baumgardner, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Office, SAMBAZON
Brent Lindberg, Head of Curiosity, Fuseneo
Travis Baumgardner Brent Lindberg
 
 
4:30 PM
Small Format, Big Challenges: Pathways to Progress
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Scott DeFife, President, Glass Packaging Institute
Kenneth Laverdure, Fellow, Sustainability And Material Science, Estee Lauder Companies
Sarah Pamplanos Santos, Senior Project Director, Closed Loop Partners
Matt Reynolds Scott DeFife Kenneth Laverdure Sarah Pamplanos Santos
 
 
5:15 PM
Networking Reception
 
Grand Foyer
 
 
 
 
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.
Guggenheim 1
 
 
 
 
Registration
 
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
8:30 AM
From Policy to Practice: Making EPR Compliance Work
 
Guggenheim 2-3
John Hite, Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, The Recycling Partnership
John Hite
 
 
9:15 AM
Breakout Session
 
Louvre 3
 
 
 
 
How Do You Actually Deliver Lower-Impact Flexible Packaging?
 
Louvre 1
Chris Schmidt, Commercial strategy, LYB
Chris Schmidt
 
 
Paperization + Source Reduction: The Pursuit of Cost Parity
 
Louvre 2
Jon Hursey, Senior Business and Innovation Director, Ecologic Brands / Jabil Packaging Solutions
Jon Hursey
 
 
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
John Nygaard, Director of Quality and Technical Services, Glenroy, Inc.
Raj Bagaria, Managing Director, GDB Circular
Patrick Keenan, Sustainable Packaging R&D, General Mills
Teo Medellin, Director, Global Corporate Packaging Sustainability, Procter & Gamble
John Nygaard Raj Bagaria Patrick Keenan Teo Medellin
 
 
11:30 AM
Rethinking Recycling: Turning Packaging Waste Challenges into Competitive Advantage
 
Guggenheim 2-3
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.
Guggenheim 1
 
 
 
 
1:00 PM
From Packaging Data to EPR Decisions: A Practical Case Study
 
Guggenheim 2-3
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 2-3
Mike Roxas, Packaging Engineering Manager, Own Brands, Ahold Delhaize USA
Mike Roxas
 
 
1:30 PM
Paperization in Practice: Balancing Performance and Recyclability
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Brent Lindberg, Head of Curiosity, Fuseneo
Eric Bell, Principal Packaging Scientist, Nestlé
Kerri Clark, VP of Packaging R&D, Mars Inc.
Joey Giacomini, Packaging Design Engineer Lead, Google
Brent Lindberg Eric Bell Kerri Clark Joey Giacomini
 
 
2:30 PM
Advancing Sustainable Material Science to Elevate Brand Packaging Experiences
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Gayatri Keskar Ph.D., Global Packaging Materials Science Leader, Kenvue
Gayatri Keskar Ph.D.
 
 
2:45 PM
Navigating EPR: A Fireside Chat for CPGs
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Darla Arians, Director of Policy & Programs, Product Stewardship Institute, Inc. (PSI)
John Hite, Senior Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, The Recycling Partnership
Darla Arians John Hite
 
 
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 2-3
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Molly Campbell, Manager, Packaging Sustainability, The Campbell’s Company
Edward Kosior, CEO, NEXTEK LTD
Mike Roxas, Packaging Engineering Manager, Own Brands, Ahold Delhaize USA
Suzanne Shelton, Senior Partner, ERM Shelton
Matt Reynolds Molly Campbell Edward Kosior Mike Roxas Suzanne Shelton
 
 
4:45 PM
From Misalignment to Momentum: Advancing Sustainability Across OEM–CPG Partnerships
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Rebecca Marquez, Director, Custom Research, PMMI
Rebecca Marquez
 
 
5:15 PM
Networking Reception
 
Grand Foyer
 
 
 
 
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.
Guggenheim 1
 
 
 
 
Registration
 
Guggenheim Alcoves
 
 
 
 
8:30 AM
Designing Packaging for the Modern MRF
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Matt McGurn, Area Director, Recycling Operations, WM
Mark Neitzey, Director of Sales, Van Dyk Recycling Solutions
Matt Reynolds Matt McGurn Mark Neitzey
 
 
9:15 AM
New Materials Gaining Traction in Recyclable Packaging
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Paul Jenkins, CEO, ThePackHub
Paul Jenkins
 
 
9:30 AM
Prepping for Policy: Illinois’s Data-Driven Approach to Packaging EPR
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Christina Seibert, Executive Director, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC)
Christina Seibert
 
 
10:00 AM
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
 
 
Breaking the Barrier: Bringing Food-Grade Recycled PP to Market Across the Americas
 
Louvre 1
Edward Kosior, CEO, NEXTEK LTD
Edward Kosior
 
 
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 2-3
Myles Cohen, Founder, Circular Ventures, LLC
Lanie Shapiro, Founder, TouchPoll Surveys
Myles Cohen Lanie Shapiro
 
 
11:45 AM
Closing Remarks
 
Guggenheim 2-3
Matt Reynolds, Chief Editor, Packaging World
Matt Reynolds
 
 
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