Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum USA
The two-day forum will bring together 100+ industry leaders and sustainability experts from across the packaging value chain. We’ll discuss the link between R&D and commercial solutions, looking at material innovation, emerging technologies and regulatory drivers. 

Delegates will gain tangible insights into how sustainable packaging innovation and circularity drive efficiency in operations, strengthen business resilience, and build brand value.


Innovation and technology 

An in-depth look at how R&D drives commercial value through material innovation, new product development, data and emerging technologies. 

Circular packaging systems 

How business can adopt circular design principles, integrate reuse and refill concepts, and incorporate circularity into new and existing business models.

Regulation and incentives 

Navigate material risk: What EPR, the Global Plastics Treaty, and the host of evolving local legislation will mean for business.

Brand value and consumer engagement  

Solutions that work for people, the environment and business reality:  How brands can effectively engage consumers to drive real behaviour change 

2024 Speakers

Jun Wang

Colgate-Palmolive

Director, Global Packaging Innovation

Kathy Cacciola

Google

Global Sustainability Lead, Food Program

Tom Szaky

TerraCycle

CEO

Alexandra Lanphier

Ulta Beauty

Senior Manager, Conscious Beauty

Dacie Meng

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Policy Director, North America

Andrew Beck

Hu Kitchen

Director of Procurement

David Lickstein

Kenvue

Global Head, Packaging Innovation, Sustainability, and Experience

Heidi Graham

Opella

Packaging Innovation Lead, North America

View all speakers

Agenda highlights

  • The commercial case: How to drive growth and brand value through packaging sustainability 
  • Upcoming, enforced and revoked legislation: The impact on business operations, planning and packaging strategy 
  • Numbers that inform strategy: A look into the costs, the benefits and the ROI of sustainable packaging 
  • Material choice framework: Balancing availability, sustainability, functionality and cost 
  • Design for circularity: Rethinking materials and processes 
  • Consumer experience: How to enhance convenience, loyalty and brand value 
  • The packaging fix: How to connect packaging innovation with climate action 
  • Reality check: Is ‘recyclability’ enough to drive progress? 
  • Smart packaging and traceability: The opportunities, potential and limitations 
  • Data driven decisions: How to navigate trade-offs and conflicting data points  
  • Reuse and refill: Unpacking challenges, solutions and implementation that make sense for business AND consumers 
  • The business of innovation: How leading brands are turning breakthroughs in R&D into market-ready solutions 
  • The future of plastics: Rethinking value, waste and work in the circular transition 
  • Emerging markets: Challenges and opportunities in post-consumer recycled 
  • Open innovation: Is cross-industry collaboration really the key for commercial success? 
View full agenda

Why attend?

Discover best practices from industry leaders and get in-depth guidance on how to effectively implement policies

Meet & network with an influential audience of key stakeholders, including NGOs, business, government and supply chain actors

Benchmark company performance amongst a room of your peers and discover where you should be focusing efforts

What to expect:

Solutions, solutions, solutions
Throughout the agenda we’ll place a major focus on the successful partnerships and the solutions that exist. Get best practice from leading brands and understand what is really driving sustainable packaging. Our networking area hosts an Innovation Zone, where you can engage with innovative packaging solutions that are shaping the trajectory of change in the industry.

Roundtables
These roundtable discussions are focused workshops where industry leaders come together to craft practical solutions. The sessions aim to drive innovation and collaborative problem-solving within the packaging sector, addressing a range of sustainability challenges head-on.
No scripts, no PowerPoints, no media
At our conferences, we don't use PowerPoints, videos, or scripts. And they aren’t simply a PR platform. Instead, we focus on the debate taking place in the room. We operate behind-closed-doors to ensure open and honest discussion about what is working and what isn’t.

More networking, more connections
With increased schmoosing time and better networking options, we’re ensuring there’s the opportunity to make the connections that matter and build the partnerships that can really make a difference.
Excellent event! I really liked the way the event was organized around discussion panels. It was a good opportunity to learn about current challenges in the space of packaging and plastics, but more importantly getting to know what lays ahead of us in the evolving legislation landscape.
Jose Espinoza-Rubin / Senior global category manager packaging at Givaudan
I truly loved every aspect of it. It was completely different to other conferences I have attended with an unprecedented level of interaction and participation. I very much enjoyed both the panel discussions and the roundtables, which were very interactive and informative. Having such a diverse group of attendees with sometimes wildly different viewpoints and agendas, it is with this group of people we must find the plastic packaging and plastic waste solutions of the future.
Dr Jarno Weemers / Senior application development scientist at Synthomer
Really good discussions with concrete examples, best practices, and ways for companies to take this important work forward. Thanks for another excellent event!
Christine Goulay / Founder of Sustainabelle Advisory Services
I got more out of this event than any other packaging conference I've attended. The format was engaging (great discussion and diversity of opinion), the participants were passionate and articulate and from all corners of industry, including: Policy makers, NGOs, material suppliers, converters, retailers, brands and investors. Made some great connections across the spectrum of packaging. 
Heidi Graham / Packaging innovation lead, North America, Opella
I had a great time discussing the impacts of upcoming and developing legislation of plastic and packaging and probably could’ve gone on forever, thanks to the brilliant panellists I had the pleasure to join.
Laura Schacht / Head of sustainability and external affairs EECM-Benelux at Suntory Beverage & Food Europe
Lots of fruitful discussions and so many engaged professionals working to shape a sustainable future for packaging
Martin Clemesha / Technical advocacy lead at Braskem

What’s different about this forum?

Innovation Forum is:
  • Candid: Entirely off-the-record discussion that enables open and honest disclosure from speakers and genuine participation from the audience.
  • Practical: A clear focus on the practical and actionable guidance that can drive change throughout industries and supply chains.
  • Focused: We provide enough time, resources and expertise to the issues that really matter. We don’t skate the surface, but get to the crux of the issues to provide in-depth, constructive discussion.
Innovation Forum is NOT:
  • A PR platform: Enthusiastic speakers are NOT given free rein to fill a session presenting their companies, allowing no time to actually get to the crux of the issues.
  • A talking shop: This is NOT an opportunity for a group people in a room to simply agree with everything said, regardless of outcomes.
  • All promise, no delivery: We will NOT promise what we can’t deliver. The issues covered are complex. They won’t be solved at a two-day conference. But we will help deliver progress through in-depth, constructive and practical advice around specific issues.

Who attends

Mondelēz International
Mars
Amazon
HP
WWF
H&M
The Coca-Cola Company
PepsiCo
Vodafone
Walgreens Boots Alliance
Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Procter & Gamble
Tetra Pak
GSK
Walmart
PwC Belgium BV
WRAP
World Economic Forum
Papkot
Reckitt
Kraft Heinz
Henkel
Lululemon
Greenbiz
Planet Tracker
Tosca Packaging
Eastman
IGD
The Recycling Partnership
Alliance to End Plastic Waste
Quantis
Avery Dennison
Danone
Lidl
ALDI
The HEINEKEN Company
Greenpeace
Mattel
rePurpose Global
TerraCycle
Google
Canopy
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Closed Loop Partners
Oatly
American Forest & Paper Association
Chick-fil-A
Hu Kitchen
Kenvue
Sanofi Consumer Healthcare
Colgate-Palmolive
Campbell's

The venue


The Study at University of Chicago

1227 E 60th Street

Chicago, IL
60637
United States

More details

Supported by

View all sponsors

Stay updated and get full details on the conference

Get in touch

For any questions on the conference, please contact:

Lia Da Giau
Project Manager
[email protected]

Sponsorship

For more information and to inquire, please contact:

Gabriela Cuison
Business Development Manager
[email protected] 

Sign up

Registration for the Sustainable Packaging Innovation Forum is currently open.
To sign up, you can do so online here, or get in touch directly for details of group discounts.

Join us for

  • In-depth guidance from industry leaders on how to effectively implement policies.
  • Networking with key stakeholders, including NGOs, business, government and supply chain actors.
  • An entirely off-the-record discussion that encourages open and honest disclosure from speakers and genuine participation from the audience

Download brochure

Attending
Speaking
Sponsoring
Marketing Partnership

Sign up to our newsletter

Apparel and textiles
Plastics and packaging
Food and agriculture
Scope 3 and climate
Responsible sourcing and ethical trade
Landscapes and commodity sourcing