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This month, our client Koen Pack, global leader in innovative and creative floral packaging, will be introducing their new flower and pot wraps Made From Stone™ at the Global Produce & Floral Show in California!
With these new colorful wraps, Koen Pack was able to significantly reduce the amount of plastic in their supply chain, and the CO₂ footprint of their products. The new wraps Made From Stone run on existing manufacturing equipment, are flexible, strong, with a silky feel, while maintaining essential mechanical properties like water retention, which protect the beautiful blooms. Each floral and pot wrapper also features a QR code that will help Koen Pack’s customers understand the positive environmental impact of their purchasing decision.
Are you attending the Global Produce & Floral Show? Visit Koen Pack at booth 1510 from October 19 to October 21st to experience products Made From Stone!
In mid-September, we joined global governments, NGO’s and private-sector companies at Climate Week in New York City. This year’s hopeful theme, “We Can. We Will”, resonated with Okeanos.
Climate Week coincides with the UN Global Assembly, which means representatives from the world’s governments converge on New York to attend a myriad of discussions and events centered on both climate action and other pressing global issues. At events like the Sustainable Development Forum and the COP28 preview, our team had a chance to connect with legislators and stakeholders from all around the world to introduce them to Made From Stone technology, and to better understand their plans for achieving their climate goals.
We’re looking forward to the next important event on the climate calendar, COP28 in the UAE in early December!
To understand why global climate events are pivotal to the protection of our future, give a listen to Episode 4 the Mastering Sustainability Podcast with Okeanos Chief Government Affairs Officer Martina Hauser!
This month, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an emissions reduction forecast that we can all celebrate.
Under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022, US economy-wide emissions are projected to drop up to 43% relative to 2005 levels, with the greatest reductions projected in the electric power sector. The IRA encourages US-based clean energy production, supports innovation and materials research, and includes funding further climate-smart agriculture among other important initiatives.
Technologies that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions are a pivotal part of these projections and Okeanos is proud to contribute to that effort.
Curious about how Made From Stone technology can dramatically reduce your product’s CO₂ emissions in the US and beyond?
This month we’re honoring Ray Loflin, our Degradation Innovation Director and head of North American Sales. Ray has been an integral member of the Okeanos team since 2021, drawing on his experience as an ASTM officer and years as a biologist. Read on to learn more about what encourages him.
Can you share a “Eureka!” moment when you realized the potential of Made From Stone’s technology to drive positive change?
I had two “Eureka” moments. Firstly, when I understood how easily users could adopt our technology, it clicked that anyone with an extruder could convert their current product to a sustainable product, instantly. The second moment was when, for the first time in 17+ years in the sustainable and biodegradable plastics market, I was working with technology that didn’t come with a higher price tag. That is a true unicorn in this industry!
What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on at Okeanos, and how did it align with your passion for sustainability?
Every day, a new client in a new industry comes to us asking how they can make their products better. We’re transforming whole industries, which is incredibly exciting. Being a member of this Sales team is very rewarding, since any time one of us sees success, it feels like a team win due to how much effort we all must give to accomplish our goals.
With clients spanning different corners of the world, how do you tailor your approach to resonate with diverse cultures and business landscapes while promoting Okeanos’ mission?
Sustainability is a global issue. It doesn’t matter if it’s a government official in Nigeria or a small mom/pop manufacturer in Vietnam; both audiences understand that adopting sustainable practices is both essential and urgent. I try to be as authentic as I can be with my clients. They are giving me their time and because of that, I owe it to them to be honest and straight forward with how we can help.
Can you share a key lesson you’ve learned about driving sales in a way that also promotes positive environmental impact?
It’s encouraging that all of the clients I talk to are interested in developing better products for the environment. However, I’ve also learned that there is so much misinformation out there, it’s hard to convince people to “unlearn” what they think they know. The biggest impact we can have as a company is to break through the barriers that exist around “sustainability” and get to the point where people trust us to help them.
Want to join our Okeanos team? Check out our careers page.
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Reviews on “Draft Zero” of the Global Plastics Treaty released in early September are mixed, with organizations cautiously celebrating its existence as progress, but remaining cautiously skeptical about its effectiveness and implementation. The current draft contains vague language around universal reuse targets and also includes a plan to require top-down plastic production reduction targets for each country. Notably, the draft also aims to tackle “short-lived” plastics, differentiating those items from products commonly identified as “single use.” Senior Attorney Andrés Del Castillo of the Center for International Environment Law explains that the success of the draft will depend on global governments’ willingness to include binding targets. “It contains all of our dreams and all of our nightmares…The devil will be in the detail – the most immediate fight will be whether we have a globally binding treaty or an agreement full of loopholes, so no-one has to do anything.” Negotiations will resume in Nairobi, Kenya on November 13th with a goal of finalizing the treaty by the end of 2024. |
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Did you know that Okeanos is a signatory to the Business Coalition for a Global Plastic Treaty alongside WWF and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation? |
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