About This Webinar
The SPC and other organizations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Association of Plastics Recyclers have had position statements against the use of biodegradability additives for over five years now. Yet in recent years, there has been an increase in products claiming to have new biodegradability properties such as “bio-assimilation”. What are these new claims, and should they be trusted? How do you screen claims to “perform the smell test” on whether these products really are different from older versions of biodegradable additives? Learn from academic and legal experts and companies navigating these claims.
Presenters
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    Alyssa Harben
    Project Manager SPC, GreenBlue
    Dr. Alyssa Harben joined GreenBlue in June 2021. Originally from California, she has spent 6 years in East Lansing, Michigan researching and teaching packaging science as a graduate student. She has a PhD and MS in Packaging from Michigan State University’s School of Packaging, and a BS in Business Administration from California Polytechnic State University of San Luis Obispo. During her time in graduate school, she developed a passion for consumer packaging and labeling research using applied psychology methods and is excited to continue to study packaging and labeling as a researcher at GreenBlue. In 2013, Alyssa decided to pursue packaging after visiting the Museum of Brands in London, England, and seeing how prevalent and impactful packaging, branding, and labeling are in our daily lives. Alyssa’s favorite thing about the packaging field is that the prevalence of packaging makes it a field where seemingly small changes can have large, meaningful impacts on the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys visiting museums, knitting, reading, hiking and running, and watching the birds out her window with her cat.
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    Rob Flores
    VP Sustainability, Berry Global
    Robert Flores is the Vice President of Sustainability at Berry Global. Flores is leading the Company’s efforts to achieve their ambitious Impact 2025 sustainability strategy. This strategy includes 100% of the fast-moving consumer goods packaging Berry produces to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable and have an average of 10% recycled content as well as reducing Scope 1+2 greenhouse gas emissions by 25% versus a 2016 baseline. Flores works with many other global sustainability leaders as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation New Plastics Economy working group and as an advisor to the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Flores is also the Chairman of the Flexible Film Recycling Group and a member of the PLASTICS Sustainability Advisory Board. As a long-time recycling advocate, Flores has been an active member of the Association of Plastic Recyclers since 2009, and has subsequently worked with several other local, national, and global organizations to foster recycling adoption and access.
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    Dr. Ramani Narayan
    Distinguished Professor, Michigan State University
    Ramani Narayan is University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University -- the highest honor that MSU bestows on a faculty member. He is an elected Fellow of the U.S. National Academy of Inventors; Fellow, ASTM & ASTM award of merit -- the highest award given by the society to an individual member. He has been awarded the Governors (State of Michigan) University Award for commercialization excellence; Michigan Green Chemistry Award for developing biodegradable packaging and insulation foams; He has 200+ refereed publications, 30 issued patents, and graduated 20 Ph. D and 25 Masters students. He is a successful faculty entrepreneur and commercialized several biobased and compostable product technologies
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    Dr. Rafael Auras
    Professor School of Packaging, Michigan State University
    Rafael Auras is Professor with the School of Packaging at Michigan State University (MSU). He leads a research group of graduate and undergraduate students interested in mass transfer in polymers, biodegradable polymers, life cycle assessment, and sustainable packaging systems. He has conducted research projects for Fortune 500 companies and government sponsored research projects. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences. He has coauthored more than 150 publications. Rafael graduated with a B.Sc. in chemical engineering from the FCEQyN, Misiones, Argentina, an M.Sc. in Materials Science and Technology from the UNSAM, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and a Ph.D. in packaging from MSU, East Lansing, MI, U.S.
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