P&G and Worldwise Inc. execs weigh in on sustainable packaging issues

With only a few weeks remaining until the Sustainability in Packaging 2011 conference, scheduled speakers from Procter & Gamble and Worldwise Inc. provided insights into their conference presentations and the future of the industry.

Now in its fifth year, Sustainability in Packaging 2011, produced by Pira International, in association with Packaging Digest and Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, will bring together nearly 300 packaging professionals to discuss all aspects of sustainability, from materials, design, supply chain challenges, marketing messages, consumer demand and other drivers of sustainable innovation to strategic vision of how sustainability fits with a company's overall image and where to go next.

Alan Blake, associate director, corporate packaging development sustainability from Procter & Gamble, shared his insight on renewable materials and how to handle U.S. recycling, end of life and waste issues. "P&G advocates an integrated waste management approach that is environmentally sustainable, affordable and socially acceptable," says Blake. "This means leveraging collection and sorting to take advantage of the waste management infrastructure to get most value—through recycling, biological treatment and thermal treatment—generating valuable secondary materials such as recyclate, compost and energy while minimizing residual material going to landfill."

Aaron Lamstein, executive chairman of Worldwise Inc., talks about his company's partnership with Walmart. "We proposed the program to senior leadership at Walmart, and they immediately understood the value—both environmental and economic—and encouraged us to work with them to figure out how to make it happen," says Lamstein.

When asked what he's looking forward to at Sustainability in Packaging 2011 Lamstein adds "we are always trying to 'raise the sustainability bar' in our products and packaging—so we're looking forward to learning about the latest innovations and opportunities in sustainable materials. We hope to leave the conference with a few really good ideas that we can utilize to help keep our products and packaging on the cutting edge."

Sustainability in Packaging 2011 will be held Feb. 22-24, 2011, in Orlando, Florida. Presentations will be delivered by the most knowledgeable speakers in the industry including Frederic Jouin of Danone Dairy, Eric Abraham of REI, Marilyn Baker from The Coca-Cola Co., Stephanie Martins of Coty Inc., Tom Venegas of Clif Bar & Co., Dr. Carol Casarino from DuPont and many others.

For more information about Sustainability in Packaging 2011 or to attend, visit www.sustainability-in-packaging.com. To view the complete interviews with Blake and Lamstein, visit www.sustainability-in-packaging.com/speakerinterviews.aspx.

Source: Pira International

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