Sustainable packaging: protecting products and the planet

Professor Jas Pal Badyal FRS, Professor of Chemistry, Durham University

Jas Pal Badyal was awarded BA (1985) and PhD (1988) degrees from Cambridge University; where he subsequently held a King’s College Fellowship and the Oppenheimer Fellowship. In 1989 he moved to Durham University to take up a lectureship and was promoted to Full Professor in 1996.   

He is internationally recognized for his pioneering research on the functionalization of solid surfaces and deposition of functional nanolayers. Jas Pal has invented a wide range of novel surfaces for technological and societal applications. These have been underpinned by the investigation of fundamental mechanisms and scale-up. Examples include: antibacterial, fog harvesting, catalysis, non-fouling, optochiral switches, filtration, biochips, super-repellency, and nano-actuation. 

Peter Hargreaves, Partnership Business Development Director, The Alexir Partnership

Peter was originally in the mining industry and in his 20’s had the opportunity to work in some very remote countries including spending time working with an exploration team on the west coast of Greenland 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Even in the early 1980’s the glaciers were retreating and plastic waste could be seen on the shoreline, however, no one really understood at that time why the glaciers were retreating or were unduly concerned.

Peter joined the packaging industry over 35 years ago and has primarily worked for converters of solid carton board producing printed packaging initially for the healthcare sector and for more than 20 years supplying into the food industry. Whilst carton board has very good environmental credentials, the ongoing requirements (and legislation) for sustainability and recyclability continues to put pressure on both the board mills and finishers as well as the converters to make sure that they continue to offer carton board packaging that meets the requirements of the 21st century.

David Christian, Founder and CEO, Evo & Co

David Christian is founder and CEO of Evo & Co, which has three different brands under it: Evoware, Evoworld and Rethink Campaign. Evo & Co's vision is to create a world without plastic pollution by providing a one-stop solution for single used plastic alternatives.

On return to Indonesia after his studies in Canada, he was surprised by how bad the environmental condition in Jakarta was and moved to create something to address this issue. Now with Evo & Co, he aspires to give a positive impact, not only for the environment but also society. 

Outside Evo & Co, he is also a co-founder and chairman of Terra BePro, a social enterprise that focuses on an environmental management system. In 2020, David was featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Indonesia and Asia. With this position he hopes to inspire and engage other people to be more sustainable.

Rhea Mazumdar Singhal, Founder & CEO, Ecoware

Rhea Mazumdar Singhal is the Founder and CEO of Ecoware, India’s first and largest sustainable packaging company. By founding Ecoware, Rhea created a new packaging paradigm in India that recognized a natural, eco-friendly and easily affordable alternative to commoditised single-use plastics. Rhea was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar, the country’s highest civilian honor for women by the President of India. Rhea is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, an Asia 21 Young Leader of the Asia Society and an Impact Hero 2021 of the Earth Company. Rhea is the chairperson of the northern region of the Indian Women Network and an invited member to two national industry committees promoting clean air and women empowerment.

Rhea is a global thought leader on climate change and inclusive growth. Rhea has spoken at many prestigious forums such as Dreamforce (Salesforce Inc.), The Good Day (Engie) and Global Investor Conference (Motilal Oswal). One of Rhea’s passions is to engage actively with the student community and present Ecoware as a profitable and scalable business with a triple bottom line. Rhea has been invited as a mentor, judge and role model to several leading universities such as Ashoka, Shiv Nadar, University of Delhi and the Indian Institute of Technology at Mumbai and Mandi.

Prior to founding Ecoware, Rhea was a senior sales executive at Pfizer Inc. Rhea has studied at the University of Bristol, Oxford and Harvard University.

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, CoCEO and Founder, Notpla, Senior Lecturer, Kingston University

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is a Designer, Architect and Inventor. Rodrigo received his architectural from the ETSAM, Technical University of Madrid, previously he studied at Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University (India) and Industrial Design at Pontificia Universidad Católica (Chile). He did postgraduate studies at Umeå Institute of Design, Imperial College of London and Royal College of Art. His works have been shown in different artistic centres such as the Cite de l'Architecture of Paris and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. As a senior lecturer, he has collaborated with different universities and institutions as Cornell University, CEPT, Imperial College, Royal College of Art or Kingston University.

Dr Sebastian Kernbaum, Founder & CTO, saperatec

Sebastian studied mechanical engineering at Technical University Berlin. During this time, he started to work at a collaborative research center "disassembly factories", where he developed his interest for recycling and environmental technologies. In the same research group, he was awarded a PhD in the field of electronics waste remanufacturing in 2008. After 2 years of consultancy work, he founded saperatec GmbH end of 2010, where he took over several roles during the company foundation. Today he is CTO and responsible for technological developments. 

Solveiga Pakštaitė, Founder & Director, Mimica

Solveiga studied Industrial Design & Technology at Brunel University London. She invented the concept of Mimica Touch for her final project, wanting to make expiry dates inclusive to visually impaired people, before realising that expiry dates also drive large amounts of food waste.

Before starting Mimica she worked as a human-centred design researcher, trends forecaster and a UX consultant.

As the concept of Mimica Touch was getting awards, supermarkets and food companies started to reach out to her. This market demand created an exciting opportunity. Therefore, she brought on industry experts and founded Mimica. 

Solveiga is responsible for all company outreach and partnership creation with customers, partners and investors. Her background as an industrial designer means that she brings together creative problem solving with technical analysis while always keeping in mind the marketability of solutions.

In 2017, she was named MIT Technology Review’s Inventor of the Year.

In addition to being Mimica’s Founder and Director, she consults on sustainability and packaging innovation for global brands and is a visiting lecturer in social entrepreneurship at UCL.

Dr Stuart Wagland, Senior Lecturer in Energy & Environmental Chemistry, Cranfield University

Dr Wagland is a Senior Lecturer in Energy and Environmental Chemistry and Deputy Director of Research, based in the Centre for Climate and Environmental Protection at Cranfield University. His extensive research in enhanced landfill mining has been funded through the EPSRC (doctoral training programme) and EU Horizon 2020 projects, including SMART GROUND and the NEW MINE Marie Curie training network. The current REGENERATIS project, funded by Interreg North-West Europe, European Regional Development Fund, explores the recovery of metals from past metallurgical sites and deposits. Dr Wagland coordinates the UK Enhanced Landfill Mining Network (https://elfm-network.co.uk/).

Professor Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials & Society, UCL

Mark Miodownik is the UCL Professor of Materials & Society. He received his PhD in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than twenty years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark is a multi-award winning author and regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting.

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez, CoCEO and Founder, Notpla, Senior Lecturer, Kingston University

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez is a Designer, Architect and Inventor. Rodrigo received his architectural from the ETSAM, Technical University of Madrid, previously he studied at Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University (India) and Industrial Design at Pontificia Universidad Católica (Chile). He did postgraduate studies at Umeå Institute of Design, Imperial College of London and Royal College of Art. His works have been shown in different artistic centres such as the Cite de l'Architecture of Paris and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. As a senior lecturer, he has collaborated with different universities and institutions as Cornell University, CEPT, Imperial College, Royal College of Art or Kingston University.

Professor Mark Miodownik, Professor of Materials & Society, UCL

Mark Miodownik is the UCL Professor of Materials & Society. He received his PhD in turbine jet engine alloys from Oxford University, and has worked as a materials engineer in the USA, Ireland and the UK. For more than twenty years he has championed materials science research that links to the arts and humanities, medicine, and society. This culminated in the establishment of the UCL Institute of Making, where he is a director and runs the research programme. Mark is a multi-award winning author and regularly presents BBC TV and radio programmes on materials science and engineering. In 2014 he was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2018 he was awarded an MBE for services to materials science, engineering and broadcasting.

Matthew S. Seidner, Senior Advisor, McKinsey & Company

Matthew Seidner is a Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company based in Chicago.

Matthew is a leader in the paper and packaging practice and focuses on the paper, plastics, glass, and metal packaging segments. His previous experience includes COO and Chief Client Service Officer for The IMAGINE Group LLC, COO and SVP of Mergers & Acquisitions for Orura Visual, and 12 years in Deloitte’s investment banking group advising clients on global acquisition, divestitures, private company sales, and strategic initiatives.

Leveraging his expertise and prior experience as a senior executive in the packaging industry, Matthew advises clients on strategy, operations, procurement, M&A, and due diligence.

Claire Shrewsbury, Director Insights & Innovation, WRAP

Claire is Director of Insights & Innovation at WRAP, in which role she is responsible for WRAP’s policy and insights work, technical support for local authorities and grant management across the UK. The teams support Defra in its implementation of the Resources & Waste Strategy and similar support programmes for the devolved governments in Wales and Northern Ireland. Claire joined WRAP in 2008 and was previously a consultant with AEA Technology.