Optimizing product packaging is essential for reducing waste and driving the circular economy. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Kelly McBee, Circular Economy Sr. Coordinator at As You Sow, to discuss the mission of As You Sow, the Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard they developed to rank companies on their progress toward plastic goals, how companies can get better scores in the future, why third-party certifications are so important to the achievement of corporate plastic reduction goals, and what’s next for As You Sow.

Recycling lithium-ion batteries is the key to achieving electrification goals. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Joe Day, Commercial Manager – Midwest and Northeast Regions at Li-Cycle, to discuss how Li-Cycle manages batteries at the end of their life, the type of batteries they take at their facilities, how much lithium, nickel, and cobalt are able to be recovered and integrated back into new batteries, how the battery recycling process works, and how Li-Cycle collects their batteries. We also answer an audience question at the end of the episode about extended producer responsibility.

Aluminum is an infinitely recyclable material and an important part of the circular economy. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Suzanne Lindsay-Walker Vice President, Sustainability, for Novelis Inc., to discuss the type of products that Novelis’s aluminum ends up in, the life cycle benefits of aluminum versus other materials, how aluminum is contributing to the circular economy, Novelis’s closed loop system with Ford Motor Company and Ball, the key focus areas in Novelis’s sustainability strategy, the value of their GreenCircle Recycled Content certifications, and how Novelis empowers their employees to embrace sustainability.

As Earth’s population grows, building construction and maintenance will continue to increase. Building products present one of our greatest opportunities for circularity. In this episode, Tad and Julianna sit down with Dennis Wilson, VP, ESG & Managing Director, Saint-Gobain Circular Economy Solutions NA, to discuss his priorities in his new role as Managing Director of Circular Economy Solutions, the key focus areas for CertainTeed/Saint-Gobain’s sustainability activities, how they’re reducing their company’s carbon footprint and minimizing the embodied carbon in their products, and the path toward circularity for building materials.