Interview with Stephanie von Vultee Oliva

Transcript

Sheldon Young
Welcome to the No Footprints podcast, brought to you by Alfa Laval. I’m Sheldon Young.

Jason Moreau
And I’m Jason Moreau.

Sheldon Young
And we’re here to talk about impact and to share the efforts and people behind making sustainability real. Here we are again, Jason. It is a glorious, glorious Friday, since we’re recording this.

Jason Moreau
It is. Yes. After, I would say, a few busy weeks for us. Yeah.

Sheldon Young
We’ve been busy.

Jason Moreau
And a few busy weeks ahead. So, yes.

Sheldon Young
Yes. Yes. Big things.

Next week is Climate Week coming up. Super excited. Yep.

Very excited. I am. And it’s amazing how we’re going to be doing a couple, three episodes here, at least, on Climate Week stuff, between the interviews we have there and all that.

So, a lot of content coming. But just, you know, we’ll be talking about, in the next episode, we do around the preparations it took to do Climate Week. You can go.

I think you can go and just kind of do it. But if you want to really get the most of it, I think a decent amount of diving in will yield some fun stuff. Yeah.

I agree. Absolutely. Very good.

So, Jason, what do you have in your sustainability to kick us off? What’s the sustainability topic of the week?

Jason Moreau
Well, more just a recognition, I guess. I just learned that our company is actually one of the top 250 companies in the world for sustainability, according to Sustainability Magazine. I know.

That’s pretty exciting. I mean, they kind of know about sustainability. It’s in the name.

So, no. It’s in the name.

Sheldon Young
More so.

Jason Moreau
More so a, I mean, we obviously talk a lot on, you know, on this podcast with how we help other people, how other people are on their journeys. And I just kind of really wanted to acknowledge, you know, the efforts of all the people in our company who make our sustainability journey real and who are working really hard on that. I don’t think manufacturing is the easiest industry with its supply lines and requirements and everything else like that to make sustainability a focus and to make the types of, I think, moves and changes we’ve made.

So, no, I just wanted to recognize that. I mean, we kind of keep it pretty low-key here in terms of our own company, but I mean, I think that’s a pretty big deal. And you know, also, you know, it’s great that we’re recognized, but we’re in the middle of the pack.

Sheldon Young
Right? Exactly. Yeah.

I think that’s a good call out, Jason. I think, you know, again, we try to make, the purpose of this podcast is about sustainability and how people all around make it real, right? And you know, we try to keep, you know, not make it a billboard for Alfa Laval, but, you know, this is a proud moment, I think, for us as a company.

You know, kudos to all the people that make it happen, you know, our CSO and Gelsing and the gang up there that are really doing the hard work in Central to drive our sustainability agenda. It’s a proud moment. I was like, I actually get an email from someone I work with in another industry and say, hey, congratulations.

And I’m like, yeah, that felt good. You know, it was a nice feeling.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. It feels great. I mean, it feels great to sort of recognize all you’ve accomplished and to also look and go, oh, still some work ahead, right?

Like, which is the whole, it’s where everybody is, right? One or bust, right? Yep.

Sheldon Young
Oh, dear. Yeah, that’s a great one, Jason. Thanks for that, calling that one out.

I picked this story this time around Arizona. Arizona is building three facilities that are going to be taking wastewater and actually making it to potable water quality. Wow.

Yeah. Yeah. Which is a big shift.

Usually it doesn’t happen, right? Some of it, a couple of ways you’re doing it, there’s two or three different technologies. I’m not going to dive into it, but it’s a, you know, one of the plants is going to be working with a local brewery.

It’s kind of like, I’m going to call it a first step. Okay. We’re going to take this super clarified wastewater and make beer from it.

Will you drink that? Right. And, and kind of ease them into the process.

But some, one of the plants at least is going direct to like, okay, look, this is potable quality water. We’re going to put it through this rigorous process and it’s going to be potable. And they’ll put it through the drinking water plant regardless, just to get one more final polished kind of thing.

But the stuff they do to it is pretty, pretty intense in terms of the treatment aspect of it. So it’s a little bit of a shift that that’s not normally what happens. Right.

So I’m curious, you know, from your perspective, like how would you feel about that? If, if, if the local water plant said, Hey, we’re going to be taking wastewater sewage water, we’re going to super, super treat it better than any quality water you’ve ever seen. It’s going to be super treated.

And they’re actually add minerals back in because you’ve taken even the minerals out. And now it’s going to be drinking water. What are your thoughts on that?

Jason Moreau
It’s a, it’s going to be a long, hard sell.

Sheldon Young
You think so?

Jason Moreau
Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, it’s a, you’re going to have to educate people on the process on, you know, all of the things rightly so that they would be concerned about as to, you know, their own safety process, everything else like that. But I think also just the larger context of why would you even do this?

Right. So I’m guessing Arizona, uh, it’s in a, you know, water challenged part of the U S right. Like, um, and so yeah, all of that.

Uh, so hopefully they have some, um, very bright marketing communications people on it who, you know, aren’t just going to have like a three month campaign. Like this is going to be a, you know, a campaign where you need to long-term educate people around the why and why it’s safe and why now, and, you know, allow them to join that journey. Right.

Because I think if you haven’t been on that sustainability, uh, that, that sort of sustainability journey up until that point, this seems like a, Whoa, like this is pretty kind of drastic. So you kind of need, you need to catch people up if they’re joining in the middle of the story, I guess. And then once they’re there with you in the middle of the story, we’re going on this journey together.

So that’s, that’s going to be the challenge ahead. I think it’s, um, I think it’s a really amazing, brave new step. One that we have the technology to do it, but, um, that’s going to be an interesting end.

I would love to see some data on that sort of the before and after in terms of just people’s and their, um, you know, whether, whether they’re, they’re now convinced, right. And they’re okay with it. I think it’ll be really, really interesting to see how that develops.

Sheldon Young
It will be. I mean, you’ve got a few years. I mean, the first, I think the first of these plants, uh, I’m just going from the article I read the 2029 to 2033, they’ll become operational.

Uh, so they get some time. Right. Uh, and again, you’re, you’re, you’re a spot on it.

It is about water resilience. So it’s a water stress area. Uh, the river there is one that is one of the most water stressed, I think around if my memory serves me correct.

And, um, you know, they’re just, okay, look, we need to do something to, to think for the future here where Arizona, there’s some of those cities in Arizona are growing. People are moving there for the, the, uh, you know, the dry warm weather. And so, you know, they have to supply it with, with a, with a supply of water.

That’s going to be accurate and, uh, they’re accurate, they’re available and, and readily there and not super expensive because again, if scarcity happens, what happens, the price will go up. And so they’re, they’re, they’re building for the future around it. It’s an interesting, um, experiment, I guess, not the right word, but it’s cause it’s a commitment at this point.

Uh, it’s an interesting move and I’m interested to see how it turns out with, I’m long with you there. I think, look, we have to start getting smart. Uh, you know, water is not to become less scarce as the population grows.

So they have to try new technologies and again, they’re only, they’re going to, they’re doing this to the utmost of safety standards, right? When you read what they’re doing, it’s like, it is really kind of, uh, more than you’d even think they would do it. It’s, it’s, there’s a, it’s a multi-step process and, uh, you know, they’re not going to allow something into the water table and water system that is not going to be safe.

Uh, but I’m, I’m excited to see how it turns out, but I thought it was an interesting story because, uh, you know, that’s a definite, interesting advancement in sustainability that I think is worth talking about. Yeah. Super interesting.

Yeah. All right. Well, let’s get to our guests.

Jason, what do you say? It’s about time. Yeah.

It’s about time. Yeah. We had fun talking there.

So, uh, Stephanie was a really interesting guest. I, I loved, again, this is a different one for us again, uh, because we’re diving into the world of plastic. When you say sustainability in plastic, you go, huh?

How does that work? Well, to me, it’s really important to acknowledge that, you know, in a perfect world, uh, yeah, you wouldn’t have a need for plastic or whatever. That’s not, we’re not a perfect world, right?

It’s a, it’s a thing that’s used extensively in our society. What was really interesting was how someone’s looking at it and say, okay, look, we’re not going to get too perfect overnight. So let’s get better.

Let’s find ways to minimize waste, utilize recycling and find ways to move in the right direction. And, and, uh, I love, uh, working with, with, uh, folks that are taking those steps and moving us in the right direction.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. Yep.

Sheldon Young
A hundred percent. All right. Let’s get to it.

Let’s listen. Welcome to no footprints. Today’s guest is Stephanie von Volte Oliva.

She’s a director of sustainability at priority plastics, where she leads green light, a company wide program that makes sustainable packaging more practical and measurable. She helps teams tackle challenges like using recycled materials, improving recyclability and meeting environmental regulations. Stephanie combines her background in marketing sustainability training from Cornell University.

And she’s passionate about turning big sustainability goals into real achievable actions. Her focus is on helping manufacturers brands and engineers take meaningful steps towards a more circular eco-friendly packaging system. She believes that even small progress can make a big impact.

And it’s my pleasure to welcome her to the No Footprints podcast. Hello.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Hello.

Sheldon Young
Yeah. Thanks for joining us.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Happy to be here.

Sheldon Young
Excellent. So first question, just basically tell us a little bit about yourself. You know, our guests don’t know most of the people that come on here, so just tell us about your journey and how you got here and how sustainability became part of what you do.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Sure, sure. So, uh, sustainability and kind of being smart about our decisions, um, and purchasing and saving has always been something that’s just kind of ingrained in me. Uh, and my background is in manufacturing and marketing.

And, um, so I started to get an interest in sustainability probably about 10 or 15 years ago when I worked for a company, um, that did building products and they started looking at sustainability initiatives. And I learned about the complexities that it takes, um, for a large manufacturer to start considering these things. So then fast forward, continuing on a manufacturing trajectory.

Um, I am now here at Priority Plastics and it’s plastic. Right, right. We were going to get to that.

Sheldon Young
Did you go backwards?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
No. So, um, about seven years ago, I joined Priority Plastics and I’ll never forget because the day I joined, it was in April of 2018 and, um, National Geographic published Planet or Plastic. And I signed my offer letter and was super excited about the opportunity and, and still am, but that was sitting back with me like, well, what, what?

You know? And so then trained in plastic, got more into what that means and started to see that, you know, it’s important for in a manufacturing process, um, that you continue to run your machines and be efficient and things like that. So lots of plastic.

So, um, fast forward then a couple more years and maybe two years, pandemic came and that obviously, uh, took a lot of, um, focus off of anything sustainable just so that we could all be, um, clean and all the things that we needed to, to do that. So, um, I was asked to be a part of this sustainability steering committee and it was super exciting to really look at our manufacturing facilities and try to understand what it was that we needed to do to be, um, sustainable. And what was great was that we were already doing things in the right direction.

So it wasn’t like we were just starting from scratch. Um, and at the same time, once you learn about what sustainability really means, truly what to do and how to do it, then you, um, you can see all the different opportunities. And so that’s, that’s kind of got us to where we are today.

So I I’d say just one of the biggest things that, um, I’ve learned in this journey is that, um, there’s a lot of good people, uh, working to solve this problem and, um, and that it’s not just plastic, you know, it is, and, and, and that makes it a really interesting, interesting industry to be in right now because a, you can, um, solve the problem or at least contribute to solving the problem. Um, and then you’re also in the know of the reality of, of, of what’s going on within the industry.

Sheldon Young
Yeah. So priority plastics. So you, you, you kind of started right out with it.

Okay. It’s plastic. That’s all, you know, that’s some of those words like, Oh my goodness, how does this tie sustainability?

So tell me something about priority plastics and the way there may be a little different than say your typical plastics company that may have, um, you know, other connotations, I guess.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Sure. Sure. So what we do packaging in a, a several different areas and, uh, food and beverage is one of them as well as, um, neutral powders and canisters and wipes as well as, um, uh, chemicals and, um, hazardous materials.

So there’s several different areas where we focus on, um, what product we offer. So, um, we’re a midsize company, which makes us very nimble and able to work with our partners. And I think that’s one of the key things that does make us different because again, what I’ve learned is that, uh, larger, um, companies have larger clients and, um, often take up a lot of machine time.

And it’s a lot of the midsize companies, just like us that, um, are looking for machine time and also to be able to go to market with something that is, uh, possibly sustainable or post-consumer resins. And they won’t, uh, because of their quantities and things like that, they won’t be able to get that, um, time. Whereas also we can work with them, get their product design where they need it to be.

And oftentimes it’s simplifying the product. And that’s where I think we’ve gotten ourselves as, um, people into, uh, the issue. Mono material simplicity is what’s going to be most recyclable, at least right now.

And that’s what we offer. So we offer like a simple milk jug, right? We don’t make milk jugs, but if you think about it, it’s plastic, the gallon ones.

And it’s one, it’s one plastic material. And that’s the most recycled, um, material HDPE. And it’s simple, one material, it gets recycled.

So that’s something that we offer. Now, a lot of brands have gotten to the point where they have mixed materials, right? So it’s not just plastic anymore.

It’s plastic with paper or plastic with metals or plastic. Um, and so then, then that’s where the issue becomes, can it be recyclable anymore? Because now you’ve mixed materials and that’s the glory of plastics that you don’t see in glass or aluminum or paper.

But plastics, you can almost blend them all together. And then you have this really unique package, um, and, uh, which is great to stand out on shelf, but it’s not so great when it comes to recycling. So that’s something, um, again, we offer monomaterial, um, and we offer packaging that can be used on shelf and we’re nimble.

We can, we can, um, work with somebody if they’re in a package that isn’t, um, recyclable to help them, um, shift. And it’s slow, it’s a slow process.

Jason Moreau
That kind of, um, leads to one of the questions I had in terms of like decision-making. Because I think when you sit where you do in the supply chain, you’re kind of in this unique role to both lead, like you were talking about, and offer solutions maybe that your clients didn’t think about, but also you need to be responsive to this is what people are buying. And so I was just wondering if you could talk about like, how do you, how do you think through the dynamics of that push-pull, right?

Like being ahead and offering like good solutions to customers that they maybe didn’t think about that are more sustainable versus, you know, needing to, needing to kind of not get too far ahead of the curve. How do you, how do you strike that balance? How do you think about that?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Yes. Um, that is the challenge. I think it, I think it really comes down to where the consumer is ready to put their dollars.

And I heard one of your podcasts, you guys talked about that. And there’s lots of studies out there on it. And, um, you’re spot on.

Um, it’s a chicken and an egg cycle. And, uh, we can go to market and we do go to market with a post-consumer product. And, um, it seems that people would be wanting it because it makes sense.

It reduces waste and it’s circular. However, um, there’s still, it’s more, a little bit more expensive or, um, it’s, uh, the brands aren’t ready to make the shift because, um, their supply lines aren’t ready to be able to handle a shift in the packaging. And so, however, with that said, I believe that because there’s so much awareness around it now, more than, you know, ever over probably the last 10 years.

Um, what happened, right, is everyone was like, oh my gosh, look at this problem. We have a plastic island in the middle of the ocean. And, um, and then the companies started to get on board and sustainability got even more, um, attention.

And the companies were like, I got this. I’m going to do this. I’m going to do that.

I’m going to do the other thing. And then fast forward, they’re like, well, we can’t really do all that, but we can do this. And, um, and then they get bad, they get heat on it.

And it’s, I think that’s unfair because they’ve done a lot to understand that, oops, we certainly hoped we could do this. And I don’t think it was necessarily to bamboozle, but to say that we tried and we looked and it’s an investment, right, to make all these shifts and changes. So that’s where we are right now.

And so there’s lots of great organizations that are working to solve this problem, and yet it’s never fast enough for the consumer. And it’s really the consumer that probably has the most impact on the change. And right now with plastic being the bad guy in the room, it’s not plastic necessarily that’s the issue, right?

It’s the waste and the management of the plastic that’s the issue. And so there’s lots of bits, pieces, and parts that have to come and that are coming together. So offering a monomaterial, it being simple, you can put it in the recycling bin, that’s the clearest, simplest form, right?

But that doesn’t necessarily let brands stand out on a shelf.

Sheldon Young
Interesting. Yeah. So it sounds like you’re probably trying to play a niche here a little bit where you’re trying to offer the more sustainable solutions and you’re able to do that.

You’re also playing that tug of war of, hey, how do I – I’m sure for them it’s more of a marketing thing, right? It’s like how do they stand out and look, hey, look at me. I’m a product over here.

I got multicolors, all that fun stuff. What, I guess, is the type of customer that will look at what you’re offering and say, yes, I think that’s worth doing because it’s more sustainable? What’s the – I guess kind of what are the characteristics that you see in a customer that probably someone you’re going to target that will kind of align towards that value proposition?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
So a company that is sustainably minded and has goals beyond just reducing their plastics footprint, reducing your plastic footprint is important. And certainly you would say, well, as a plastic manufacturer, why do you want to sell to somebody who’s trying to reduce their plastic footprint? Well, A, it depends on the size of the company, again.

If it’s a midsize player that – it’s like the plastic straw versus the paper straw. If they’re like, we’re going to reduce – we’re going to change our plastic straw and then you react to something and you go paper and then it melts in your mouth every time and then people get a bad opinion of it, you know, it’s working with a customer that knows that, A, the packaging is important for many reasons, especially around food waste and cleanliness and quality and things like that. And then helping them understand that, okay, so now you can use post-consumer resins, which is technically less plastic in that it’s not virgin plastic.

You’re not making new. You are using what was out there and now collected and cleaned and washed and it gets all its certifications and we have access to that and we’ll make a product for you. So when a company has sustainability goals, those are the ones that we want to partner with so that we can help them meet their goals because the more vendors and suppliers they use that have similar alignments with sustainability, they can reach their goals as well.

And so then it’s a win-win for both of us. And lightweighting is another. So don’t get rid of the plastics.

Lightweight. See what you can do to really reduce the amount that’s necessary.

Sheldon Young
Yeah. Right. Interesting.

Yeah. Yeah. I’ve seen that with water bottle caps.

That’s a weird one. I’ve seen it on. I haven’t noticed like they used to have like a normal, like a normal cap on them.

Like, you know, that’s a podcast. I’m holding up my fingers, you know, about an inch high cap. But now they’re like, you know, like maybe a quarter inch.

Yeah. Yeah. That’s like a just barely on there.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
That’s it. And it’s those shifts that seem so small that make actually a big difference. I bet that had, you know, thousands of pounds of resin reduction just from the amount of water bottles that are produced, which I don’t have all those numbers.

But it’s a lot. Yeah. And so we do corrugate to package our products in that we ship out.

And so we were do we reduce the amount of corrugate down by inches. Right. And that was a huge savings for us.

And that’s that’s the other thing that I think that people can forget about is sustainability isn’t just about the environment, which, yes, it is. And also it’s also about running your operations more efficiently, saving money and being smart. Also, while helping the environment.

Sheldon Young
So, yeah. Yeah. You hit the nail on the head with that one, Stephanie.

I mean, my mantra is when I talk to customers, our customers, it is like, look, it’s not a trade off. It’s a yes. And right.

It is a you get to have a more sustainable process and it’s more productive oftentimes and it’s more profitable if you do if you do it right. Right. Right.

Of course, you can just do something for the sake of sustainability. And that’s fine, too. If something’s really important and it’s really something you stand behind all the power, but it’s a much easier sell internally and externally, frankly, when you’re able to do it with a good business result.

And, you know, if people are doing it right, they’re looking at that and because there’s lots of opportunity to do it with a good business. No question. Thank you.

Yeah. You got me talking there. That hits right home for me in terms of the way I think about it.

Good stuff. Yeah. So.

So talk to me about what green light is and specifically at that priority. I want to learn about that. And it was the thing that you’re kind of leading there.

What does it mean and how does it make sustainability real for people?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Sure. So our brand logo is green for priority plastics. And so green lights and green light means go right and go sustainable was kind of how we branded our sustainability initiatives within the company.

So it’s not necessarily a product. It’s not necessarily a service. It’s everything.

Anything that has to do with our sustainability initiatives, helping customers, reducing the amount of packaging, getting a product to market. All of that is the green light platform or program. And it has three pillars to it.

There’s the corporate sustainability initiatives. There is our product development piece of it. And then there’s operationally.

What do we do? So sustainability within our corporate focus is all around. How do we treat our people and what are we doing to make our communities better or volunteering or we have a vision at priority plastics to rally in service of people so that we grow together and enrich lives.

And the idea is that the happier you are as an employee and the more voice you have, the more satisfied you are with your job and therefore lots of good things can come out of that. So really making it a good place to work as well as doing just doing right by our people in our communities. By product, it’s offering, of course, that seems to be what most people focus on is, yes, we offer products that have post-consumer resins.

We also lightweight. We can use bio resins, which are kind of have their own reputation in the market for recyclability. And then operationally, that’s another area as a manufacturer where we want to focus on being efficient.

Purchasing when we do purchase equipment, that it’s the equipment that can be sustainable, less energy, less water and last. And just really focusing on all the different aspects of the manufacturing process so that we can be less water, less energy, less electricity, all of that so that we can meet our goals.

Jason Moreau
I was kind of curious. So I wanted to rewind to something you said where, like, when you started, there were already good things happening. Right.

But maybe not as thought out or organized. Right. And that’s that was your role to sort of bring that together and focus that effort and energy.

And we talk a lot about where people start in their sustainability journey and then taking those first few steps and how it’s important to sort of find that momentum, find allies. So I was just wondering if you could speak a little bit to, you know, what were some of the good things that you did that you felt like really got you to where you are now and set you up for success in terms of, you know, having that sort of company-wide focus on sustainability? And maybe what were some of the pitfalls, right?

Like if I could go back and redo it, I’d maybe do this bit differently because I just I love hearing how people sort of navigate that journey. I think it’s important to share with people listening.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Great. So, yeah. So in the beginning, so we were three companies that have come together.

Right. And so I mentioned our three different product lines. And so with that comes some culture, depending on where you are within the country.

And so when I first started, it was all around working with each one of the plants and identifying what was important to each one of the plants and what they were doing well. And that was fascinating in itself, just depending on the region of the country and where some things were recycling is available. And then in other areas where it’s just flat out not available.

And that’s something we see across our country. So it was nice to see that we as a company, Priority Plastics, were making investments in all electric equipment. And again, reducing when we had to change equipment.

We recently purchased a chiller and it’s a very water efficient chiller because that’s what cools our machines. And and then lighting, you know, and so I’m like, huh, because we’re plastics. I feel like we’re probably under a bigger microscope for scrutiny and we weren’t telling our story enough.

And so that was the pleasant side of seeing, you know, we were doing things in the right direction and we weren’t necessarily talking about it enough. There’s always opportunity for more. There’s always opportunity for growth.

And that is, you know, what we’re going to be focusing on moving forward. We’re relatively new to this because of our size. You know, we don’t, we are lean.

And so we now are measuring, you know, what gets measured gets managed. And that was probably the biggest aha that was, yes, we’re all doing things great. Like you’re doing a good here and then this one over here is doing good that way and this way.

So creating all of the measurement tools, that was a big part of with EcoVadis. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with that organization.

Sheldon Young
Absolutely. Yeah.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
They’re out there. And so.

Sheldon Young
The silver, the gold, the platinum. Yeah.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
That’s it. And so, you know, we got a rating. We weren’t the highest.

We weren’t the lowest. And yet we know that there is improvement. And even in that, we’re not shy to say we recognize that.

And and then every year we can improve. So as far as big ahas for what I wouldn’t do, I don’t know yet because we’re still relatively new. I feel like we’ve gotten.

I like to think of things outside the box when I think about opportunities of what we could do. Like there’s a bee farmer that could put bees on our campus, right, on our manufacturing facility. And that to me is wonderful.

Right. And so those are things that when I think about what can we do if we offsets, I guess, what what could we do that might be a little nontraditional and that have a big impact? And so we’re still looking.

We’re still growing. We’re still deciding on what it is that we’re going to be where we put our focus.

Sheldon Young
Aren’t we all? Yeah.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Yeah.

Sheldon Young
No, I mean, this has been really interesting to listen to for me, because you obviously have with this your process. Basically, you’ve created kind of a path for someone to say, you know, how do I become more sustainable? Again, this podcast is about making sustainability real.

That’s how you kind of do it. And you’ve taken the steps within your own organization to also move and walk the walk. Right.

And so both of those things are important to me. If I’m a plastic, I’m a consumer of plastics and I need plastic for to do whatever I’m making, you know, packaging. What are the I guess if you could give a couple pieces of advice, maybe two or three, what’s the best way for them to start?

And that journey, what should they be looking at? What should they be asking themselves before or as they go into that? I want to be more sustainable in my use of plastic.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
So we’re a B2B company. So we utilize you know, we work with brands and customers that purchase our packaging and then they fill it with their stuff. Yep.

So what we want them to consider is. Firstly, is how complex is their product, like I said earlier, do you have a lot of different mixed materials to to work with that you need? And maybe currently you do and we can offer a mono material.

So so then comes, well, how are you going to label it and how are you going to put it on your shelf to get attention? What are all the fitments that you will be utilizing on that product? And the Association of Plastic Recyclers are out there and the U.S. Plastics Pact are two, two big associations that I really pay close attention to because they offer a lot of advice as to what to look for and how what makes a product recyclable. So we work with our brands and our customers to help them identify what’s what is recyclable, what isn’t recyclable. And so really, it comes back down to that mono material and the light weighting and paying attention. Can we reduce anything?

Can we remove anything? Is there anything that we can help you with? Or even how the package is packaged to ship?

Are we being smart? Are we utilizing the right, you know, materials and being as efficient as we can when it gets loaded onto the truck? If it’s lightweight, it’ll reduce the amount of gas that’s needed to get it from point A to point B.

And these are all things, especially from a smaller to midsize company, unless you’re completely focused on sustainability, right? Are things that you might miss or you might not consider that do all have an impact all the way down the value chain?

Sheldon Young
Yeah, absolutely. I think I mean, look, I work with a lot of companies myself, but it’s like even the big ones miss stuff like that, you know, because they’re people have a lot to do. Right.

And they’re focused on the problem that’s in their face. And so that’s what they’re focused on and aiming at. Yes.

I mean, I’m hearing like, you know, think about your product complexity. You’ll have someone to work through the impact of your entire decision cycle, right? You know, do I need that cap?

Do I need that color even? Right. But the color is huge.

Absolutely.

Jason Moreau
So who tends to get most in their feels when you say good idea, but not the most sustainable solution? Is it the marketers? Is it the product designers?

I have a guess who probably digs in their heels when you offer alternative solutions, but like obviously no names, but I need you to spill some tea here and tell like who on average really just tends to be like, oh, but why can’t we do that?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
I think you know this too. And it’s funny because it’s within my background, which was the marketers.

Sheldon Young
Oh, I knew it.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
I knew it.

Sheldon Young
Jason, you’re the problem. We knew you were the problem.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
And not, but it’s also the sustainability messaging now that is, you know, when they see that now, so put your messaging on pack. We’re running a campaign that for green light, that is be PCR isn’t perfect. It’s better.

And where the, I’m sorry, what’s PCR? Post-consumer resin. So the stuff that you put in your recycling bin, no worries, isn’t perfect.

It’s better. And it’s not perfect because yes, it is not virgin. And so there’s things that, you know, when you reuse something, it, it, it loses something else for lack of a better technical term.

So then, however, the, the materials that we do get obviously certified and you can show a brand can show its sustainability through the slight discoloration of the product. So then the consumer comes back in. Now, I think the consumer is more willing than ever to purchase brown paper towels, especially in the younger generations, right?

Or the simpler packaging. And so if you can say we’re proud and, and recyclable and recycled, right? So we’re trying to really make it so that brands don’t feel they have to make everything pristine white and, or pristine this or pristine that.

And that I think consumers are more willing to accept a product that was smart rather than just is going to take advantage of the environment or, you know, not just go into landfill.

Sheldon Young
So, yeah. Yeah. Great point.

I think, yeah, I think you’re right. I think if you, if you, you see a lot of survey data out there, it’s like people want to make good choices, right? And honestly, it’s about how do you educate them and share what their, what the impact of that choice is, right?

I think that’s honestly where it all, wherever we’ll meet the road. No pun intended, I guess with plastic will meet the road. No, but I mean, it’s like, you know, if I know if I’m looking at two products and okay, this one may be more colorful or whatever, but this one says right on it, you know, 30% less environmental impact.

I mean, that’s a greenwashing type term, but you know what I mean? If you can quantify that impact into something real, you know, that could sway someone, I think. And honestly, I think there’s a value proposition to be made for someone with their deciding on how to put their product out there.

How do I take this good thing that, you know, is good for the company because it’s probably going to cost me a different amount, but it’s also good for sustainability. And how do I tell that story? It’s a little more, it’s a challenging challenge for marketers, I think, but it’s a good challenge when if they do it well, I think the outcome is going to be great for us.

And so I’m excited to see the new wave of, of marketers that that’s automatically how they think as opposed to have to be brought to the water to drink it, right?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Yeah, it is. I think the educating the consumer whom we don’t impact directly. And so a lot on LinkedIn, I talk about the importance of the consumer in the buying decision and what impact they have because a lot of them don’t recognize that they do have more power than they do.

Secondly, is the misconception of, of it being a plastic issue versus a waste issue. And I love that old campaign from the 70s that was like, give a hoot, don’t pollute. And that’s really what it is, is, and is it’s, we’re going back to that and recycling is real and it, it diverts a lot of, of plastics and trash from the landfill.

Again, the challenge is, is when you mix a bunch of stuff in plastic, the plastic is the one that doesn’t get as recycled as it should. And so the mono materials, the mono layers and all that, again, is, is so, so if a consumer can, when they’re walking down the grocery aisle and then can pay attention to the simplification of products and value that a brand is making that decision. If it’s not too cost, if it’s not $5 more, you know, then the cost comes into it.

But if they can start making those decisions, then I think you’ll start to see more progress.

Sheldon Young
Absolutely. So that brings us kind of to the end. Any last things you want to make sure the consumers are aware or the consumers, the listeners are aware of before we, before we close?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Well, I keep, keep sustainability and at top of mind. I just, it’s, you know, be curious is probably, and don’t wait for someone to talk to you about it. Start being proactive from our customers, you know, to, to even the people that are buying.

Just be curious and start to look at really paying attention to, to how things are packaged. Some people don’t even look at the packaging anymore, right? Maybe they, you know, just start looking at it, be more curious and then collaboration.

Don’t just throw your arms up in the air and say, it’s, this isn’t going to work, right? Be collaborative and reach out and talk and share. And what can we do to, to be smarter because we’re all in it and no one wants to be, you know, floating around in waste.

And so the more that we can simply be curious and do the right things and make smarter decisions, I think is, is really going to move the needle bit by bit by bit.

Sheldon Young
Great, great advice. Great advice. And if someone wants to get a hold or learn more about you and, or Priority Plastics, what do they do?

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
They can go to our website at priorityplastics.com. That has an S at the end, priorityplastics.com. We have a contact form there.

They can fill it out. And one of our questions on there is recycling important to you, yes or no? Absolutely.

And so, and we’ve done a fair amount on that survey. And what’s interesting just to close this out is that when we first started it, it was not as much important and we’ve been doing it for, I want to say almost about a year now and it has now shifted. Nice.

Sheldon Young
Nice.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Yeah. So it’s about 78%. It is important and then the rest not so important.

So I’m glad to see that shift. Yeah. And those are not consumers.

Those are brands and people that would buy the packaging. So we are seeing a shift.

Sheldon Young
I like it. Excellente. Well, Stephanie, thank you so much for joining us on No Footprints Podcast.

It is much appreciated and looking forward to keeping in touch and learning more about as your journey continues.

Stephanie von Vultee Oliva
Thank you. Thank you very much.

Jason Moreau
Well, that was certainly interesting. I thought it was a really fun conversation. I really enjoyed speaking with her.

Sheldon Young
Yeah. I think, you know, when you think of plastic or, you know, obviously sustainability is not the first word that comes to mind, but it was interesting to me like what makes plastics more sustainable versus, you know, how do you think about plastic sustainability? I always think, okay, just use less of it.

That’s an answer. Well, yes, sort of, but also it’s about the types of plastic you use and the trade-offs that come with it. And we have to think about if you are using a plastic and want to be more sustainable, what goes into that process?

You know, the monomaterial, the post-consumer resins, all that stuff. Do you want multicolors? You know, it’s fantastic if you want multicolors, but guess what?

You make it really hard to recycle.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. Sometimes when I’m listening or reading material about sustainability, I’m trying to sort of derive like general principles about this stuff, you know, just for my own like, I don’t know, little bank of cheat sheets or whatever. And I sort of put this under the category of simplifying because I think it’s interesting.

Generally, I think people, when they first encounter any sort of problem or something, like their first thought is, well, we need to do something. And in that sort of thought process, it’s additive. It’s what we need to do something different else.

And it usually defaults to being additive. And so I thought it was really interesting that her advice from a sustainability, it’s like, just simplify, right? Like, does it need to be, yeah, mixed material?

Can it be monomaterial? Does it have to be color? Can it be, you know, is it okay to see sort of those like duller colors of a, you know, the post-recycled resin or whatever?

And so I just, I thought that was just really generally good advice, like just to like, you know, when you encounter a problem, maybe, maybe a better choice is to just like remove and strip away versus like trying to like add more stuff or add more steps to the process.

Sheldon Young
It’s interesting, again, because there’s this conflict, right? Of, again, it all boils down to how educated is your consumer about impact and do they care? No, frankly, will they pay for that?

Will they care for that kind of thing, right? And, you know, you and I have seen all kinds of different data sets on this and, you know, it’s like, yeah, I will pay more, but did you pay more? Right.

You know, I think people’s attitudes have gravitated to like, oh, that looks more like natural recyclable paper or whatever.

Jason Moreau
Right.

Sheldon Young
Not that bleach paper isn’t recyclable, but you know what I mean? Yes. It’s about perceptions and how do you look at something and say, oh, I understand that’s more sustainable, so I’m going to pay for it.

And I think it’s a tricky one. And, you know, I’ll just go back to the obvious premise that marketing is evil. I’m just kidding.

Yeah.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. Causes a lot of pain.

Sheldon Young
Causes a lot of problems.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. I asked that question like any good attorney fully knowing how she was going to answer. And I was, I was okay.

Right. I was okay taking the hit on that.

Sheldon Young
No, no. And again, I think it’s, the marketers have a job to do. They have a job to get product sold.

Right. Now, how do, you know, how can we also enlist the power of marketing to tell the story of sustainability and so that they can still sell? Because you can, right?

Right, exactly. the right amount of time, you can get, you can reach someone and they’ll understand that if you’re targeting the right audience in the right way, that, okay, I get why this isn’t super poppy, bright orange or whatever it is, right? Or I get why it’s, um, you know, one type of one color thing and not something that’s more flashy because it’s more sustainable and I’m okay with that.

I’m good with that. I’m actually preferring that. Um, it’s just, it’s a, it’s a marketing lift that I think has to be kind of brought to the table.

Jason Moreau
I, yeah, I agree. I think, um, to your story that you shared about like the, uh, the Arizona water project, right? Like I think it’s important to really clearly communicate to people the why behind what you’re doing something.

Right. And when you do that and you’ve shown that you’ve, you’ve thought about things and you’re approaching it in a thoughtful way, and this is why you’re making a change. Um, I think most people are on board with that.

And so I thought it was interesting because Stephanie mentioned that, you know, consumers by and large will want the most sustainable things, right? Like they want all these things sustainable. And so companies, you know, a few years ago, we’re like, yes, of course, we’re going to make all these sustainability commitments.

And then they dove into it and it’s like, oh, but wait, like our production line can’t even use the, you know, the, what the, the, uh, post-consumer resins or it can’t write like, and it’s like, oh, it’s hard. Right? Like it’s not easy.

Right. Yeah. The intent is there, but to actually make it happen.

And to meet those expectations is sometimes a much longer, more involved process. Um, and so I think it’s really then important to communicate that to your customers, to your consumers and go like, look, we’re not backing away from the commitment, but like, this is more of a journey than we thought. And I think most people are willing if you’re transparent about that type of stuff to go on that journey with you.

Yeah.

Sheldon Young
I think you’re, that’s a really great point. We could go a long time on this. So maybe we, I want to, let’s comment on it.

I think we, we, we banked that. I think it’s a big conversation. We maybe even touched on it some before it’s around the, uh, you know, you can make a commitment.

It’s almost like you’re punished for making a commitment too early in the process. Right. And, uh, if you, if you make a big, bold commitment, I think that’s fantastic.

And then look at, Oh, wow. Holy smokes. There’s no way that’s going to happen after I dug into the problem.

Like, Oh my gosh, I can’t do that. So I got, I got to back down from it. And then, you know, you can’t, we can’t be so much like, Oh no, you’re giving up.

Right. And, and, and, you know, as long as they aren’t doing it as an excuse to back out of the whole thing, I think adjusting expectations is part of the process. And, you know, you could say, I still believe in that goal.

It’s just going to take me longer. And here’s why. And they have that dialogue with, you know, the, uh, your stakeholders and say, look, we set bold goals so we could drive at them.

We got into those goals and say, Oh gosh, I can’t really make that. How do I figure things out? And then, so they got to step back and readjust and, and have a new plan.

And so I think, um, it’s, it’s, it’s really important to, to understand intent and, uh, you know, what happens during the execution phase of, of, of a project.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. And I mean, I, I don’t think you can do all the planning again. I mean, I, I can only equate this to the stuff in my own life, but like, right.

Whether it’s a home improvement project, whether it’s like, you’re trying to fix something on your car, like you can, you can do all the preparation and planning ahead of time, get all the material you can get all the, like, I’ve watched all the YouTube videos. And then, yeah, you, you open up the wall, you take down the drywall and it’s like, Oh, that wasn’t in the video. I guess I’m going to have to pivot here and like going back to home Depot.

All right. Yeah.

Sheldon Young
That’s a great way to put it. Uh, yeah. So anyways, I thought Stephanie did a really great job having that conversation around, around how they approach it.

And, and, you know, it’s, it’s, I feel good about that. I feel good about hearing how they’re, they’re, uh, going at it from a plastic point of view. And, uh, I’m happy that there are companies that are, that are making the effort to move us incrementally towards a, uh, a less impactful plastic world.

Jason Moreau
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, two takeaways there.

It’s like, you know, you would rather have, you know, people like Stephanie and her organization who are willing to sort of go on the journey and tackle the problem than the opposite. Right. And, and not only in terms of their own company, but then, you know, making those good recommendations that are more sustainable to the customers that come to them and want help with their packaging.

Um, but then the other bit is that it’s, I mean, if a plastic company can do it, I mean, not to sort of bottom line it this way, but if a plastic company can embrace sustainability and go on that journey, there’s very little excuse for anybody else. You know what I mean? Like you can start wherever you are and every day, try and get a little bit better.

Just a little bit better. Yeah. Yeah.

And she, she used the line, I think it was for their marketing campaign, um, around the post consumer resins, you know, it’s not perfect. It’s better. And I, I just perfect encapsulation of not just what they’re trying to do, but I think like all of us in terms of our sustainability journey.

Sheldon Young
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Great, great, great, great pull on that one, Jason.

I think it’s a great, good way to sum that up. All right. So if you want to connect with Stephanie, again, you can find her on LinkedIn.

Um, it’s Stephanie Von Volte Oliva and, uh, her company is Priority Plastics and the website is Priority Plastics with an S at the end.com. Uh, yeah. Appreciated having, having her on.

Absolutely. All right. All right.

Well, Jason, my friend, let’s wrap this up. If you, again, if you like this podcast, if you have ideas, you can make sure you like, subscribe, share it with your friends. Tell people what you liked and let us know what you thought.

You can reach us at, uh, nofootprints.podcast@alfalaval.com. Alfa Laval spelled A-L-F-A-L-A-V-A-L. Uh, give us, uh, ideas for guests topics.

We’ll take them all. So, uh, thanks for joining us and, uh, we’ll see you next time. Next time.

Our guests come from many industries and companies, as we’re talking about how the world makes sustainability real. Our company, Alfa Laval, is a global supplier of process solutions. So it’s very possible that the organizations our guests are with may use Alfa Laval or even our competitors’ products.

This does not mean that we, the hosts or Alfa Laval, are endorsing any of the company’s guests or the specific ideas that we discuss.