(images of chemical coatings formulation and testing)
GFX: regulatory expertise, quality control, formulation, technical service, innovation, research, coating chats presented by Sherwin Williams Packaging Coatings
Mauricio [00:00:15] Hello and welcome back to Coating Chats with Sherwin Williams Packaging Coatings. My name is Mauricio Lizarraga Bussey and I am a global beverage marketing manager here at Sherwin. I am excited to host today's episode and discuss our sustainability by design program with Kellie Hedberg. Kellie has been with Sherwin Williams for three years and is a global beverage marketing manager. Her impressive career spans a decade in the aluminum packaging industry. Welcome, Kellie.
Kellie [00:00:45] Hi Mauricio! Thanks so much for having me!
Mauricio [00:00:48] Of course, let's start by learning a bit more about your background and role at Sherwin Williams.
Kellie [00:00:54] Absolutely. Before joining Sherwin Williams, I spent several years evaluating and commercializing ink and coating technologies on behalf of a leading canmaker. Now, in my global beverage marketing role at Sherwin, I monitor market drivers and trends to ensure we have the necessary strategies to support our customers, our products and in some cases, the industry. For me, this means engaging often with leading global beverage brands to support our product portfolio.
Mauricio [00:01:25] That's a very important role, Kellie. And such a global position, sustainability must be an important part of your conversations. Can you tell us about sustainability at Sherwin Williams?
Kellie [00:01:36] Yeah, for sure. Sustainability isn't new for us at Sherwin Williams. In fact, our sustainability team is constantly looking for ways to expand. Sherwin Williams released an updated corporate sustainability report, and within it we outlined company goals related to our environmental footprint, product blueprint and social imprint. We understand the value of supporting our customers, their goals and the industry by way of sustainability progress, and we're making progress on key milestones. We've reduced our carbon emissions, recycled millions of gallons of paint and developed coatings using recycled plastics and more. Specifically in Packaging, we developed the first non-BPA epoxy coating for food and beverage cans... a huge win for global sustainability efforts. So at Sherwin Williams, sustainability isn't just something we talk about. It's who we are.
Mauricio [00:02:35] It's who we are. I love that. It sounds like there's a lot of moving pieces around sustainability at Sherwin Williams. Can you highlight more of the sustainability work happening in Packaging Coatings?
Kellie [00:02:49] Absolutely. In Packaging, we're heavily focused on the product blueprint and integrating sustainability into our product development process. We are currently introducing the Sustainability By Design program, which is woven into our product development and stage gate processes. Sustainability By Design prioritizes product stewardship, chemical management and compliance excellence. We use it to evaluate and align our products with our stakeholders' sustainability goals, establish raw material benchmarks, execute regulatory compliance and environmental preservation. We utilize lifecycle thinking to assess the environmental impact of raw materials and chemicals from cradle to grave.
Mauricio [00:03:34] That's great. So specifically, what the Sustainability By Design mean for our customers?
Kellie [00:03:42] That's a great question, Mauricio. It's important to us that we keep customers top of mind every step of the way. In lifecycle analysis, we rely on customer input and competitive benchmarking to ensure we are making the best decisions for the industry. We also work with a third party organization to review and endorse each step of the process. All of this leads to a domino effect. We uphold sustainability values and our processes, which in turn support the sustainability efforts of both the can makers we serve and the brands whose products they hold. We want all customers and consumers to benefit from our sustainability choices.
Mauricio [00:04:22] The program really alliances with our customers, especially as we support them in developing long lasting products that contribute to recyclability and the circular economy.
Kellie [00:04:33] That's exactly it. And like I said, sustainability isn't new to us. In fact, Sustainability By Design is a continued evolution of our well-known Safety By Design program for Packaging. Safety By Design is a rigorous testing process and guides how we evaluate raw materials, chemicals of concern, media activities, as well as the legislative landscape.
Mauricio [00:04:57] With sustainability as a core value, it makes me proud to be a part of this team. Thank you so much, Kellie, for sharing with us today the details behind Sustainability By Design and to all the viewers. Thank you for joining us and we'll see you in the next episode of Coating Chats.
(images of chemical coatings formulation and testing)
GFX: regulatory expertise, quality control, formulation, technical service, innovation, research, coating chats presented by Sherwin Williams Packaging Coatings
