The knowledge you need to make effective decisions
regarding the sustainable value and impact of packaging.
About SPRING
Sustainable Packaging Research, Information, and Networking Group
Who We Are
Our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) regularly "check in" and are available to answer your questions, comment on our posts, and review materials that are sent to us. You can click on their names to review their LinkedIn work histories, degrees, areas of expertise, publications, etc. We are always looking for experts! Please provide names and career histories to Bob Lilienfeld.
Some of our experts are precluded from being listed as SMEs for legal reasons. We are grateful for their personal, pro bono interest and participation. They're included below as Personal Contributors.
Our Advisory Board manages day-to-day activities, facilitates and moderates discussions, and provides relevant input in fields where a Board Member has specific expertise.
Advisory Board
Bob Lilienfeld - Sustainability
Dr. Claire Sand - Food Packaging
Tony Kingsbury - Polymer Science
Dr. Tom Brady - Plastic Packaging
Peter Banfield - Packaging
Chris Lynn - Packaging
Subject Matter Experts
Polymer Science/Plastics
BioPolymers
Dr. Ramani Narayan
Materials Science
Dr. Mario Grimau
Sustainable Plastic and Paper Films
Mechanical Recycling Operations & Policy
Chaz Miller Myles Cohen Dr. Calvin Lakhan Dr. Tom Brady
Municipal Solid Waste Management
Chemical Recycling
Dr. Mario Grimau Dr. Calvin Lakhan
Life Cycle Analysis
Food Waste
Plastics Processing & Rheology
Environmental Law & Policy
Chemicals of Concern
Supply Chain Packaging
Bob Kayser
Policy and Public Affairs
Personal Contributors
Personal contributors have significant expertise in their respective fields and work with us strictly on a pro bono basis.
Their participation is of a personal nature, and does not necessarily reflect the position of their employers.
Patent Examiner, Chemical Engineering at USPTO
Research Scientist, Braskem America
Sustainability Manager, Adidas
Associate Director, Sustainable Packaging, Anthesis Group
Waste Diversion Business Manager, Waste Management
Global Packaging Sustainability Manager, Colgate-Palmolive
Staff Packaging Engineer, Edwards Lifesciences
How We Work
We strive to always be thoughtful, honest, understanding, global in scope, and value-neutral.
There are no "one size fits all" solutions to sustainability issues. While problems may be global, solutions may need to be local, based on a variety of factors including infrastructures in place, economic conditions, political considerations, and societal norms.
We welcome all participants and treat them with respect.
Any poster who is disrespectful of others will have that post removed and will be removed from the network following a second incident.
We respect your right to post politically related statements on your own network.
SPRING is not interested in your politics and does not allow postings of an overtly political nature.
We do not accept advertising or donations of any kind.
Our SMEs are available for consulting and review work, and any financial arrangement must be worked out with them individually and reported to SPRING to ensure that future conflicts of interest are avoided.
We reserve the right to peer review submitted studies.
Our audience trusts us to provide scientifically accurate information with findings, conclusions, and recommended actions that are supported by the appropriate data.
Always review the LinkedIn credentials of those who post.
And remember that expertise, by definition, is limited. A football coach may be a sports expert, but that doesn't make them a packaging expert. Similarly, if discussing climate change, experts in the field of climatology or meteorology would normally have more credibility than biologists or chemical engineers. (Of course, degrees held, schools attended, employment history, and papers published all can make a difference.)
We ask that you please keep your posts and replies on-topic (sustainable packaging).
However, we gladly accept job and consulting postings in the packaging field.