https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/packaging-shipping-fulfillment-us/applications/sealing-recycled-corrugate/ Connect with Cory Connect with Cory on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-connors/ I'm here to help you make your packaging more sustainable! Reach out today and I'll get back to you asap. This podcast is an independent production and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2022.
Jul 13
26 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Bethelhem Dejene to discuss her journey from observing waste at an Ethiopian fruit and vegetable market to founding Zafree Papers, an award-winning startup manufacturing tree-free virgin pulp from banana farm waste. Bethelhem shares how she iterated through multiple business models before discovering the potential of banana fiber, how Zafree partners with converters to supply sustainable packaging materials, and what it meant to become the first African ...
Jul 12
17 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Adam Brundage from Nike to discuss the company's wide-ranging sustainability efforts. Adam shares his unconventional path into sustainability beginning with a degree in meteorology and atmospheric science and how that led him to learning about life-cycle assessments, discovering greenhouse gas analysis, and pursuing a decade-long career at one of the world's most iconic brands. Key Topics Discussed: Adam's background in meteorology and atmospheric scienc...
Jul 5
24 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Danielle Goad to discuss her journey at Specright, her recent move to London to lead the EMEA division, and the growing importance of packaging data management in the age of PPWR. Danielle shares how Specright helps companies build a foundational data infrastructure to navigate complex regulations, reduce reporting burdens, and drive sustainable innovation. She and Cory also reflect on the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Utrecht and what to expect at thi...
Jun 28
25 min
In this episode, Cory Connors reconnects with his friend Mitch Rovito from Burton Snowboards following a tour of Burton's Vermont facility. Mitch shares his unique origin story — writing a mock cover letter to Burton as an 18-year-old packaging student at RIT — and how that dream became reality. The conversation explores Burton's deep-rooted culture of curiosity and sustainability under founder Jake Burton's legacy and current owner Donna Carpenter, the organic partnership between Burton and ...
Jun 21
33 min
In this special live episode recorded at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee during the Sustainable Packaging Coalition Impact Event, Cory Connors shares the stage with Olga Kachook to present the Third Annual Sustainable Packaging Trends Report for 2025–2026. Olga walks through the four key trends shaping the industry and dives deeper into each one in conversation with Cory, covering everything from EPR maturity to innovation in healthcare packaging. Key Topics Discu...
Jun 14
24 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Dana Voges to discuss her remarkable journey from growing up visiting landfills on Take Your Kid to Work Day in Colorado, to leading reusable packaging innovation in Germany. Dana shares how SEA ME and their open pool system Zerooo are building a scalable, brand-agnostic reuse infrastructure for cosmetics and personal care — and what the rest of the world can learn from Germany's deposit return system. Key Topics Discussed: Dana's unique background: from...
Jun 7
29 min
In this episode, Cory Connors sits down with Sydney Grier, Packaging Lead at Mill, to explore how the company is tackling one of the most overlooked environmental problems: household food waste. Sydney shares her journey from studying environmental management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to becoming a packaging engineer, and how she ended up joining Mill — then operating in stealth mode as Chewy Labs. Together, Cory and Sydney discuss how Mill's food recycler works, why composting beats landfi...
May 31
19 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Kyle Pischel and Jake Wyns to discuss the Atlantic Packaging Solutions Center — what it is, how it came to be, and the innovative work happening inside it every day. Kyle shares his background in packaging, from studying at Michigan State to working on Coca-Cola's packaging innovations team before joining Atlantic. Jake recounts his decade at Atlantic, beginning with a deep dive into stretch film and evolving into unit load stability and e-commerce packa...
May 24
26 min
In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Predrag Ozmo to discuss the sustainability story behind Ball Corporation — the world's largest aluminum packaging manufacturer, producing more than 100 billion cans per year. Predrag shares his background growing up in Serbia and his early career at MiTeCo, a hazardous waste management company specializing in chemical, pharmaceutical, and PCB waste, before moving to Inos Balkan (part of the Greek Anamet group), a metal recycling company, and then j...
May 17
32 min
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