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From Plastic to Progress: ICPG's Journey Towards Sustainable Packaging
73 Plays1 year ago
🌍 Plastic waste is a pressing issue that demands our attention. In our latest episode, we sat down with the experts from ICPG to discuss sustainable packaging solutions and the fight against plastic waste. Join us as we explore the challenges facing the industry, consumer demands for sustainability, and the innovative solutions ICPG is bringing to the table.
💡 ICPG is at the forefront of driving revolutionary change in the packaging industry. With a broad portfolio of materials and a commitment to replacing harmful substances with eco-friendly alternatives, they are leading the charge towards a more sustainable future.
🌱 We also dive into ICPG's brand story, marketing strategies, and how they educate consumers about the benefits of sustainable packaging. Understanding your 'why' is crucial, and ICPG is dedicated to spreading awareness and making a positive impact.
🎧 Tune in to the full episode to learn more about ICPG's innovative packaging solutions and their forward-thinking approach to sustainability. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation!
👉 Subscribe to Green New Perspective podcast for more engaging discussions on sustainability and the fight against climate change. Your support means the world to us. Let's keep the conversation going!
🌍 SUSTAINABILITY PODCAST CREATED BY NEW PERSPECTIVE
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This podcast is proudly sponsored by New Perspective Marketing, a dynamic growth marketing agency in Boston, MA, celebrating 20 years in business. We help sustainably focused B2B organizations grow their brands and scale up revenue. If you or your organization is looking to grow, visit npws.com for more info.
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Transcript
Introduction to Sustainability Podcast
00:00:06
Speaker
Hello, you're watching another episode of Green New Perspective, a podcast dedicated to sustainability, where we talk with guests from climate tech, nature tech, agri tech space, and learn about the innovations happening within these fields in order to fight climate change.
Plastic Waste and Brand Responsibilities
00:00:22
Speaker
The theme of today's episode is plastic waste. So with the issue of plastic waste gaining increasing attention, causing bans on items like bags and straws, and making consumers more aware,
00:00:33
Speaker
Major brands are finding themselves compelled to take a deeper dive into the entire life cycle of their products, especially what happens after consumers are done with them.
Recyclable Packaging Solutions by ICPG
00:00:43
Speaker
So joining us today are representatives from ICPG, an industry leader at the forefront of driving a revolutionary change through the development of more advanced packaging solutions. Joining me today are Jonathan Cage, director of business development, Michael Moran, commercial director and Natalie McVarish.
00:01:03
Speaker
the Director of Marketing at ICPG. So together we will dwell within the crucial importance of recyclable packaging and we will try to provide you with insights into the company's forward thinking approach to sustainability. So stay with us and learn more about their innovative packaging solutions.
Sustainability Challenges in Food Packaging
00:01:29
Speaker
Welcome to great respective podcast. It's lovely to have you here. Thank you so much for having us. It's a pleasure to be here. It is. Thank you. So, Mike, to kick off our conversation, can you please explain the most pressing issues facing the recyclable food packaging industry? Well, I think it's sustainability. Our clients, which are mostly CPGs and major global converters,
00:01:56
Speaker
for packaging have made some significant commitments to get into a recycle packaging position with their primary food packages. And at ICPG, we're really knowledgeable. We have a tremendous amount of experience understanding the products, the applications, and the processing techniques used in packaging food products.
00:02:22
Speaker
and we're focused on creating sustainable packaging solutions primarily that are recyclable in our waste stream in the United States.
Consumer Influence on Packaging Sustainability
00:02:36
Speaker
Yeah, and jumping off that, I think particularly in the last 5-10 years, there's been a tremendous amount of consumer pressure on these companies to improve the sustainability of their single-use packaging. Plastic waste is a very visible form of waste, and so I think it kind of sticks out in consumers' minds a lot.
00:02:56
Speaker
And, you know, within the past few years, there's been bans on certain kinds of packaging formats and plastic products, you know, plastic bags, straws, you know, things of that nature. And so brands have been under a lot of pressure to make sure that they're really thinking about the end of life of these solutions. So what happens to them after they leave the consumers homes and diverting that from landfill so that there's more of a circular kind of economy for these plastic packaging solutions?
00:03:27
Speaker
So Jonathan, can you tell us what ICBG provides to your customers within the food packaging sector? I certainly can, yes. So we're kind of in a unique position. We're really material agnostic in many respects.
00:03:43
Speaker
We produce polypropylene, polyesters, PETs, arpets, polyethylenes, polystyrene, and then also EVOH in multiple configurations. What we're able to do is we're really able to offer a really broad portfolio of materials
00:04:02
Speaker
to our packaging customers and CPGs in the format of thermoformed products and then also materials that we produce for Formful Seal applications, for Horizontal Formful Seal applications. And so, for instance, one of the things that we've been able to do to kind of dovetail off of what Natalie and Mike are saying is that we take a look at the process, we take a look at the application, and then what we're able to do with some of our new innovations that we'd like to talk to you about a little bit later
00:04:32
Speaker
is really design those solutions and design for sustainability. So for instance, if we're looking at where polystyrene is today, that's under tremendous pressure to be replaced. And there's not a lot of solutions out there. Well, what we've been able to do as a company
00:04:48
Speaker
given our broad portfolio, given our innovations, is really design those solutions so that they provide true sustainability and also a lot of economic value to our customers as well.
00:05:05
Speaker
And in what way have you helped companies to upgrade their packaging solutions?
Innovations in Polystyrene Replacement by ICPG
00:05:12
Speaker
Sure. So for instance, one of the biggest challenges that's been out there for many years is the replacement of polystyrene. It's become under fire because of Prop 65, et cetera. And in a number of countries, they're really trying to get out of styrene.
00:05:27
Speaker
So what we have developed is actually a solution that we'll talk about a little bit later in the podcast that has been able to effectively replace polystyrene for Formful Seal applications such as multi-packs for yogurt, dips in sources, and things like that that are really challenging. Polystyrene has been an amazing material
00:05:48
Speaker
but because of the pressure it's under and also to meet a lot of the sustainability goals from the CPGs, they've been looking for a solution for many years and haven't been able to do that. Well, with our expertise, our understanding of process, applications, performance, what we've been able to do is take a traditional polypropylene and modify it to make a new polypropylene
00:06:14
Speaker
that becomes a lot more sustainable. It's designed for recyclability, has no additives or compounds. So it becomes a really true solution to an economically viable solution rather than investing a lot on the equipment side for converting machines or adding capabilities to machines. And so we've been able to provide that just as an example to the industry. And so that's a really, really unique development.
00:06:43
Speaker
And Natalie, can you tell us some examples of successful collaborations that you have with some of the companies and transform their food packaging?
00:06:58
Speaker
Right. So we're working with companies across the globe. We have trials going on in six continents at this point, I think, which is really impressive for a new organization that just launched in 2020. So that just kind of shows you the need for a solution like this.
00:07:15
Speaker
You know, Jonathan kind of touched on, you know, that this is an economically viable solution. I mean, the quest for sustainability for these companies is not a new thing. This is something that, you know, Mike and Jonathan have worked in the industry for, I don't want to age you guys, but a decade and they had a lot of experience.
00:07:33
Speaker
Yeah, they have a lot of expertise working with these companies. And this Move Out of Polystyrene initiative is something that they started working on with some of these organizations a very long time ago. And it's just something that's eluded the industry. So it's really just a combination of our solution combined with the application knowledge that's allowed us to be very successful because we understand what these challenges are. And so
00:07:59
Speaker
Not only is it a sustainable product, but it satisfies some key concerns that companies have from a business perspective regarding cost and then equipment utilization. These organizations have all of this equipment. Talk about ways to come in there with a solution that basically asks the company to trash all of this equipment infrastructure that they have.
00:08:22
Speaker
That's just not realistic. So our solution works on existing equipment. And, you know, I think a couple of the applications that Jonathan has mentioned, which, you know, they can they can expand a little bit more on that. But yogurt multi packs, you know, that those are those multi packs that snap.
00:08:39
Speaker
One of the ways regarding packaging function that our material really stands out is it keeps that snap. It allows them to maintain that same product function and feel at the consumer level. Condiments, single-serve condiments are also an area where we've had a lot of development and interest. Then some shelf-stable food products. An example there is baby food or applesauce cups, things of that nature.
00:09:08
Speaker
Would you guys like to dig into that a little bit more? Sure. I think you're right on target. It's interesting because to Natalie's point, when we started the development, and again, Mike and I have been doing this for 15-plus years in addition to the rest of our tenure in packaging.
00:09:28
Speaker
But what's unique about it is that a lot of the ... You take a large CPG today that's producing yogurt globally. They may have 100, 150 machines that they're stuck, or they have to make significant capital investment to the tune of maybe a million plus euros to modify a machine. Well, you multiply that by 50, 100 lines and
Polypropylene Solutions and Industry Demand
00:09:50
Speaker
you're really looking at some significant capital.
00:09:53
Speaker
Well, what we were able to do with our development was take a really great material, polypropylene, that is just so recyclable. And we adapted it to make a new polypropylene with our partners and to our production process.
00:10:10
Speaker
to be able to replicate a lot of the performance criteria of these types of packages. Mostly unformed, full sealed, but we're also finding that we can do other applications in Thermoform products as well. So like Natalie said, you know, yogurts, creamers,
00:10:29
Speaker
baby food, applesauce, you know, etc. that can now utilize a material that's got such a wide performance capability from basically freezer to microwave and we've adapted it so that it can actually replace that polystyrene.
00:10:47
Speaker
No, great. And it's fully, fully recyclable, right? Fully recyclable. No additives, no compounds. You know, we don't add anything to it. It's got beautiful organileptics, but taste and odor, you know, it meets all of the regulations. And again, here polypropylene is
00:11:03
Speaker
To me, it's really such a huge upcoming material with new production capacity coming on stream and it gives the solution, more sustainable solution to the CPGs and the brand owners.
00:11:19
Speaker
I think an important thing to consider when talking about recyclability is when you consider the recycling infrastructure, particularly here in the US, volume plays a really big part in that. These recycling systems need to have
00:11:34
Speaker
a large volume of this material in order to make it, you know, viable for recycling and, you know, going through the municipalities. And polypropylene is used in a lot of different applications already. You know, Jonathan mentioned thermoform products, you know, versus FormfilSeal, which is kind of where we've carved out our niche.
00:11:54
Speaker
A lot of thermoform products today are already made in polypropylene. We're building on that existing volume that's already there. In terms of recyclability, that definitely helps from that perspective because we know that there's an existing market for it and we're not just developing some niche product that isn't going to really go anywhere when push comes to shove at the recycling level.
00:12:21
Speaker
Yeah, actually, it works in both directions. You need to have a large supply of material to be recycled. But you have to have a growing demand material. Right now, the material that we are targeting to replace polystyrene, polystyrene demand, it continues to shrink. And it has over the last 15 years. And there's no real
00:12:49
Speaker
new investment going into producing more polystyrene resin, while as Jonathan alluded to, there's incredible amount of investment going on to produce additional polypropyl.
Brand Development and Market Positioning
00:13:04
Speaker
Okay, so as you know, Green New Perspective is a sub-brand of New Perspective, which is a marketing agency. So we want to hear more about your brand story. So can you tell me about the early stages of ICPG's brand identity and what were you looking to create? Jonathan, can you tell me?
00:13:26
Speaker
Well, I can't. Actually, it started about five years ago. Mike was really the one that started driving the new brand, which was our ICPG. What he was really focused on was really creating some synergies and expanding our product portfolio.
00:13:47
Speaker
So not only from the impact legacy business where we were producing polypropylene, some polystyrenes and a number of other materials, but he also then expanded and really, really drove the ability for us to produce multi-layer structures and multi-material structures. And then that capability then dovetailed into our development that started about four, four and a half years ago on our XPP platform.
00:14:12
Speaker
So it's been a really exciting, not only a brand development, but a product innovation, and then really driving as a solutions provider. That's really what drove the ICPG group with heavy focus on food. Mike, myself, and a couple of our other cohorts within the company have been in food packaging our entire careers. So that really was sort of a natural extension
00:14:36
Speaker
of all of the work that we have done in the past and then to bring it, you know, sort of up to date with the ICPG brand and the development and now our new capabilities. And Mike, can you tell me more about the challenges you're based on the way? You know, I think the biggest challenge that we came, that presented itself to us was that we were unknown. We are a brand new organization with a lot of experience in the industry.
00:15:06
Speaker
But nobody knew who we were. So speaking of branding, it was really important for us to develop a brand strategy, a go-remarket strategy, in addition to doing all the other things that you have to do when you're in growth mode. And that is hiring all your staff, developing your team,
00:15:31
Speaker
created the infrastructure in the manufacturing environment, getting all the equipment. I mean, those were normal challenges, but we needed to develop a credible position, let people educate people as to who we are and what we do, just to create opportunities. So for us, it was overcoming that unknown quality.
00:15:57
Speaker
I mean, thinking back, one of the ways we wanted to do that too was with our brand voice. We wanted to kind of be, establish ourselves as approachable experts, you know, as kind of the way that we always thought about it. So, you know, like even just going back to the look and feel of the website and, you know, the messaging on that and then, you know, just how we approach conversations with customers.
00:16:21
Speaker
We're, we're here to solve your challenges. We know, we know what we're talking about, but we like always kind of try to do it and like, you know, add a little levity to it. So, yeah, it's probably to be collaborative. Exactly. Collaborative. And approachable. I like for the view is approachable. Yeah. We definitely are that. So Natalie, what specific marketing initiatives have you implemented to raise brand awareness?
00:16:50
Speaker
Yeah, so I mean, once we identified our niche within the industry, which as Jonathan talked about, you know, kind of with the development of this new innovation, we really kind of honed in on this niche for PS replacement and form fill CL. We knew exactly who we wanted to target. We had the benefit of our team's experience and, you know, intimate knowledge of the applications that these organizations were working on because they had worked on them before.
00:17:17
Speaker
So we knew exactly who we were going to target, but not only that, we knew the pain points and challenges that these CPGs had experienced over the years regarding these PS replacement initiatives. So I think to start, it wasn't so much about finding who we were targeting, but how we were going to reach them. And so we kind of used a combination of inbound and outbound marketing techniques. But through that, we were always very precise about who we were targeting and who we were speaking to.
00:17:44
Speaker
For our perspective, the mass marketing techniques never really worked so well.
Marketing Strategies for Awareness and Engagement
00:17:51
Speaker
We always needed to figure out what's the best way to get to that exact person. We've had a lot of success on LinkedIn through LinkedIn advertising campaigns, account-based marketing, email marketing, and then we attend
00:18:07
Speaker
We're very selective about what trade shows we attend. So a lot of the trade shows will be like smaller, like, but very specific, specifically focused on dairy, for example, you know, there's going to be like two hundred, two hundred, three hundred people there. But at least 50 percent of them are going to be interested in, you know, what what you're what you're bringing. So and then outside of that, as I said, our main goal was brand recognition. You know, we are entering a very mature market where our competitors names were very well known.
00:18:36
Speaker
But they were also kind of complacent. You know, they're like, everybody knows us. Everybody uses us. They don't they don't have another choice. We were coming in as a new guy and we had to stand out, which means that we sometimes had to be a little bit bold and direct with our messaging. And I think sometimes I would kind of come out with some of these things that Mike and Jonathan were a little bit like, oh, I don't know. Are we ready to say that? And I'm just like, we're going to say it. What do we have to say? Can you give me an example? I mean, I think I think
00:19:07
Speaker
It's just all about like how you're positioning the product. You know, I was I was not afraid to just come out and say the ways that we were better than polystyrene and just say it, you know, because whereas a lot of, you know, other messaging, I'd say would kind of dance around that. I just came out and said it. We're we're a replacement for polystyrene and we're better than it. And that's why this is why.
00:19:34
Speaker
Well, I wanted to ask you, you mentioned that you're doing education because well, you're in the innovation space, which is really normal. Every guest that we have on this podcast mentioned that they had to do the education because people don't know what their product is about. So how do you do it? What do you do to educate not just your potential clients, but also the customers, consumers?
00:20:03
Speaker
Right. Well, I would say, yeah, that's that's an interesting question because definitely when we were initially approaching companies with this product, they would just come out and say, like, no, we don't believe you. There's no way that you can actually do what you're saying it's doing because polypropylene, as we mentioned, was not new. This was its whole own new category of polypropylene, though. And we did have to kind of work to overcome that. But I I would say that.
00:20:33
Speaker
We just tried to, from a marketing perspective, make sure that we were always putting this messaging in front of people to the point where they couldn't help themselves, but reach out and find more. And then once we kind of broke through that barrier, the product really speaks for itself. It really does do exactly what we say it's going to do, which helps too. You know, we're not just, you know, snake all the salesmen over here.
00:20:59
Speaker
So let's talk about one of the things we one of the things we did is it's partnered with and work with machine company. Technology platform developers and we created samples. Of
00:21:16
Speaker
what our customers would use our material for. So not only did we make the raw material, the XPP, but we made the cups. And that's not what we do professionally. But we developed very good working samples that showed that XPP could have snapped, could be formed, could be sealed against. And that took us a long way, providing credibility and opportunities
00:21:47
Speaker
of crypto managed in your podcast as well. Yes, podcasts and the packaging podcast. And then Mike and I were on the road a lot. We presented at many conferences. We traveled throughout Europe. And so the word really got out there. And it was always amazing. You'd say, for instance, you mentioned about the podcast.
00:22:13
Speaker
We had a couple of big customers, big dairy producers in the US, that came by our booth at the Sustainable Packaging Conference and said, I just listened to your podcast and here we are, and you have your product and you have samples. Let's start the dialogue.
00:22:31
Speaker
And that to me in itself is proof of not only the interest from their perspective, but also the effectiveness of everything that we put together and everything that Natalie's been driving from an awareness perspective in marketing.
00:22:47
Speaker
No, that's great. That's great to hear. People love podcasts. It turns all that way. So let's talk about active trends and consumer demands. So you already mentioned that consumer preferences play a vital role in shaping industries. So what are some of the current trends and demands within the food packaging sector?
00:23:07
Speaker
Well, sustainability is front and center. I think it's vital for the planet. It's vital for us as humans. As Natalie had mentioned, packaging gets seen because it's so visible.
00:23:22
Speaker
But in reality, what do we need to do from that perspective? And I think that there's a lot of confusion within educating consumers about what's more sustainable, what's the LCA on glass, what's the LCA on a PE-coated paper cup.
00:23:41
Speaker
et cetera. And so those points of education, I think that the consumer really wants to know, they have instant access to information. And so trying to combine that with the systems to collect, to recycle, to repurpose and reuse is critical. And I think that there's just a huge demand there from the consumer, from our customers, to be able to deliver on
00:24:10
Speaker
you know, what those needs, wants and desires are. And it's a challenge. You know, the infrastructure is very complicated. We're members of the US Plastics Pact. We, you know, we have a number of other coalitions that, you know, are fantastic out there and everybody's trying to get it. And we're going to get it. You know, the industry is getting and making tremendous progress.
00:24:30
Speaker
Um, and so, you know, that's a, that's one of, to me, the most critical trends, you know, within the industry right now is tackling sustainability so we can reduce waste and we can, you know, repurpose and reuse, which again, you know, sort of drives us back to polypropylene, which can just keep using it. As long as we can get it, as long as we get, you can recycle it, we'll take it.
00:24:52
Speaker
Yeah, I mean you asked about education before, you know, and I kind of like answered that question from the perspective of us educating our direct customers. There's also a lot to be done regarding consumer education, you know, that end-use consumer, the shopper.
00:25:08
Speaker
And I think that's kind of part of what we're trying to do with our podcast. But industry-wide, the whole industry is trying to kind of drive more education and awareness about what is the role of these packaging solutions? What benefits do they deliver? We're about to release an episode on our podcast about food waste and the role that packaging can play in combating food waste, which is actually I think the average consumer doesn't know food waste.
00:25:36
Speaker
has a lot of very significant environmental consequences. So when you consider we're trying to get rid of packaging, but yet it could have a negative impact elsewhere, it's just kind of digging into ways to communicate that to the consumer. I think it's going to be really important in kind of balancing this trend towards improved sustainability, but then doing it in such a way that it is actually helping.
00:26:05
Speaker
We have an episode, podcast episode about food waste with CEO of Renewal Meal. They're doing food upcycling. Yeah, really interesting. Yeah, it's a very complex topic and kind of like we were so excited to record it because, you know, given the kind of negative perception regarding packaging, we were like, this is something where we can really help or we could really make a difference, you know, with properly designed packaging that's, you know, that's designed in a thoughtful way.
00:26:35
Speaker
Um, so yeah, education is, is definitely, um, an area where the industry is very focused on. I like to take a little detour and move in a slightly different direction.
Commitment to Recycled Materials and Technology
00:26:48
Speaker
The industry trend that I really think it's, um, most important at the moment is this, um, a commitment to using post-consumer recycled materials and as much packaging as possible.
00:27:03
Speaker
and created a real high value recycled product street. Such investment has gone into chemical recycling, advanced recycling, and improved mechanical recycling. We see industry competitors and partners putting in their own facilities to get the PCR recycle stream that they need to produce
00:27:30
Speaker
more impactful, sustainable packaging machines. Mike, can you give us any news regarding ICPG or the barrier food packaging sector? We continue to work with organizations like PureCycle and some of the recyclers themselves on qualifying our materials.
00:27:58
Speaker
getting certification or pre-certification on the recyclability of those materials, and getting PCR feedstock so that we can incorporate it into our product development process. And Natalie, how have you achieved or currently achieving growth, and what strategies have you implemented to generate this Toronto pipeline?
00:28:23
Speaker
Yeah, so within our organization, larger organization, which includes impact plastics, we're currently going through an expansion. We just added on to our facility down in North Carolina and we're looking at putting in new equipment and machinery that's going to expand our capacity both on the ICPG side with food packaging and then on the impact side for medical packaging.
00:28:45
Speaker
In addition, we're always working on our R&D team, their wheels are always turning, working on new innovations for our product portfolio, always with an eye geared towards what are some of these industry challenges that are just going unnoticed or going untreated and how can we help there.
00:29:08
Speaker
But then we also have another product coming out too, which Jonathan can talk a little bit about. Yeah, she was going to kind of do that as an extension. And so to your point, what are we doing in barrier packaging with our XPP development? And again, we started this journey about four years ago. What we have now since been able to do is actually move into more barrier
00:29:33
Speaker
applications. Initially, when we developed our XPP solution, we already identified that we were getting 90% improvement in OTR and MVTR oxygen transmission and moisture vapor transmission rates over traditional polypropylenes, which provides a certain amount of extended shelf life and barrier protection.
00:29:53
Speaker
But then what we did is we said, okay, well, now let's take this, let's take this to the next level. And at the time, EVOH was on allocation. It was shutting customers down. It was getting very expensive. And we were like, okay, so what can we do to now take our XDP and enhance it and improve the barrier?
00:30:14
Speaker
And we did that, we achieved that with our Reba product, which is really a unique development. I mean, we pulled from some other different extrusion processes and then combined it with our capabilities and our XPP resin to develop a true barrier material, like a mono material, but barrier
00:30:34
Speaker
structure which sort of then what we found since that is sort of it really hits a great medium barrier requirement so for modified atmosphere for you know refrigerated products that need some extended shelf life etc but it gives it gives our brand owners the ability to actually naturally extend the shelf life of their products or even you know some product replacements as well where they can or extensions you know where they can go into other products
00:31:02
Speaker
And then ultimately, if indeed there is a requirement for a high barrier, say for like hot fill or aseptic and things like that, but need 12 to plus months shelf life, then we can incorporate the EVOH into those as well. So basically we created this foundation of XDP products, and then we've elevated it to now be able to run on the phone for SEO platforms with additional barrier protection and performance.
00:31:29
Speaker
And we're also looking at developing a licensing program for these products because ultimately, we're a small fish in a very big ocean in terms of when you consider the supply needs of the food packaging industry.
Launch of Reba Product and Future Prospects
00:31:45
Speaker
And we're looking at ways, these are all patent pending products that we're looking at ways to license this extrusion technology to other companies so that we can just continue to scale these solutions and promote improved sustainability across the globe.
00:32:00
Speaker
And what else are you most excited about in terms of upcoming projects, innovations? I mean, I think the launch of our Reba product is really the big one that we have coming on. As Jonathan mentioned, that this opens kind of a whole new door of possibilities in terms of what kind of applications that our solutions will really have that perfect fit in.
00:32:24
Speaker
He mentioned kind of modified atmosphere that's like, you know, meat trays and deli products and those kind of solutions and which is a very, you know, big portion of the market. So I think we're really excited to finally, you know, try to, to, to, we're doing some, like, vitalizing some experiments regarding that. And so we're excited to see those kind of come full circle so that we can really start helping that market segment.
00:32:51
Speaker
We're close to the end of our conversation. Mike, I wanted to ask you, since you've been in the industry for 15 years, as you said, and with ICPG, you've overcome challenges and achieved significant breakthroughs.
Guiding Principles for Sustainable Solutions
00:33:10
Speaker
Can you offer a piece of advice for a founder, CEO, or executive?
00:33:15
Speaker
who's new in this industry and is just beginning this journey and facing similar types of challenges that you mentioned before. Sure. For me, especially the way we operate at ICPG is to really understand why we do what we do. Everything for us starts with why and when we maneuver through our developments, our process, our portfolio,
00:33:44
Speaker
We're always guided by the why. So I'm listening to anybody that's moving into a sustainable solution, whether it's packaging or other things, is to really understand why you're doing it. Is it for community? Is it for environment? Is it for cost savings? All of those are valid. And it could be a combination of all of those things.
00:34:13
Speaker
but understand and guide your actions by the why. That's my advice. Well, thank you. I hope our audience is going to appreciate your advice. But before we wrap up, Natalie, can you tell our audience where they can get in touch with you or maybe listen to
Conclusion and Contact Information
00:34:33
Speaker
your podcast? We're going to link everything below, but just in case, mention it here as well.
00:34:39
Speaker
Yeah, definitely. So you can listen to us talk, you know, dig into all of these issues more on our podcast, The Crazy About Packaging Podcast, which you can find on all major podcast platforms and then also at our website, which is icpg.co. And then we're also on LinkedIn at ICPG and Instagram at icpgco. And we have a blog as well, the Industry Insights blog on ICPG, which, you know, I think if you're somebody
00:35:08
Speaker
who finds these topics really interesting or is really interesting in learning more about packaging sustainability. We have a few great articles on our blog as well. Well, thank you. Thank you all once again for being guests on Greening Perspective podcast, and I wish you all the best in your future journey developing great packaging solutions.
00:35:31
Speaker
Yep. Hopefully soon on a shelf near you. There we go. Thank you so much.
00:35:44
Speaker
And there you have it people, our chat with the ICPG crew has come to an end. It's been really fun for me and I hope you will appreciate this opportunity to learn about the changing game of plastic waste and the impact of recycled packaging. Thanks to the veterans from the industry, Jonathan, Michael and Natalie. Before we sign off, I'd like to encourage you all to get in on the action. Drop a comment below to share your thoughts on today's discussion about plastic waste, recycle packaging
00:36:14
Speaker
and sustainability overall. And if you haven't already, make sure to hit that subscribe button so you never miss out on our future conversation. Your engagement and support means the world to us. So until next time, keep the conversation going. Bye.