Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE

Christopher outlines the bold opportunity for the future of sustainability and the Retail Brands Industry.

Robert Zuehlke Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, WAKEFERN

Robert Zuehlke, Wakefern Food Corp. Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, will present the sustainability vision at Wakefern Own Brands

Tatiana Ryfer, Head of Branding & Visual Identity at CARREFOUR

Glenn Pfeifer, Design & Packaging Manager, WAKEFERN

Christopher Durham
President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE

Paul Woodard, Senior Director, ORACLE RETAIL

Join this session to hear how retailers can adopt and validate ethical and sustainable supply chain practices to best position environmentally-friendly products.

Abby Ayers, Head of Retail & Factory Partnerships, FAIR TRADE USA

Retail Brands are national brands, and consumer expectations of our brands are higher than ever. The challenge for retailers is meeting expanded customer expectations: providing the highest quality product, which does no harm or drives actual impact at the best price. Hear why retailers are leading the way in creating brands with purpose and how you can too.

Clemence Schmid, Commercial Executive Vice President, LOOP

Clemence Schmid EVP of Loop discusses retail, private brand and their partnerships to eliminate the idea of waste with products that are built to last.

Maria Dubuc, President, MBD

Have you ever picked up a package and wondered, can I recycle this? Or how do I recycle this? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. Enter How2Recycle – an easy standardized labeling system. Join Maria Dubuc from MBD, who will help you empower shoppers and provide transparency for Retail Brands.

Sarah Nichols, Director of Sustainable Maine, NRCM

On July 12, 2021, Maine became the first U.S state to pass an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law requiring big corporations and manufacturers to help pay for the cost of recycling their wasteful packaging, much of it plastic. Sarah K. Nichols, NRCM Sustainable Maine Director will give attendees a look inside the program, its origins and its benefits.

Christopher Durham, President, VELOCITY INSTITUTE

A look at 2022 and new Velocity Institute benefits

Sarah Paskell, Senior Director, Private Brands, Packaging Design and Sustainability – WALMART

Cheryl Lam, Sustainability Packaging Leader, Private Brands – WALMART

Tahir Taj, President International, DAYMON

Join Tahir as he explores consumers’ top sustainability priorities through the key pillars of environment, society, and economy and what this means for Private Brands. In this session, they will share how Private Brands can improve their sustainability initiatives and messaging —answering beyond consumers’ needs and considering these key pillars.

Paul Earnshaw, Sr Packaging Manager, TESCO

Ivo Petroff, Senior Category Manager, Walmart Canada

Solange Ackrill, VP Marketing & Corporate Strategy, Club Coffee

Cher Mereweather, President & CEO, Provision Coalition Inc.

Brenda Seto, Products of Change Canada Ambassador, North America Team

An interactive panel of diverse industry experts share unique perspectives to leverage sustainability & consumer relevance for Retail Brands.

Matt Thorsen, Director, store brands packaging, CVS Health

Neema Pourian, Director of engineering, Marks

How CVS Health partnered with Marks to successfully implement the How2Recycle program across store brand items in less than a year

Juli Lassow, Owner & Principal, JHL SOLUTIONS

Converting to a Circular Economy operating system provides retailers with the opportunity to deliver meaningful results in the pursuit of a more sustainable business. In a COVID response world, demand for more sustainably sourced products and business models has only increased. And the resources and capabilities to deliver on these results have never been more plentiful. Retailers and their partners who provide clear, compelling commitments and results in supporting a more sustainable world will build loyalty and drive sales.

Retailers are increasingly looking to private brands to attract customers and develop deep bonds with them. Getting past generic “greenwashing” sustainability commitments is essential in building this trust. Retailers will need private label partners positioned to accelerate them on this sustainable journey, and the Circular Economy is quickly becoming the most impactful way to achieve this goal.

Sabine Louet Feisser, Managing partner, YELLOW DRESS RETAIL

Lessons learned from retailers around Europe. How retail brands can be a part of the solution instead of the problem.

Cara Mercil, Director of Sustainability, GIANT EAGLE

Join us as we navigate sustainability through the lens of private brands and discuss the importance of being authentic to your brand during the journey.