Keynote speaker to give vision for circularity in packaging

The future of packaging is one of the biggest issues confronting the produce industry, and a keynote speaker at The Packer’s Sept. 13-17 Sustainable Produce Summit will speak about his company’s vision for the role of reusable packaging.

Michael Newman, CEO of Returnity, is the Sept. 14 packaging keynote speaker. Newman is one of the leading experts in the transformation of logistics platforms from single-use to circularity, reducing the mountains of plastics and corrugated cardboard entering the waste stream while saving millions in packaging expenses. 

According to Newman, Returnity’s focused process identifies high-return-rate opportunities for clients and is now being used for over 500,000 shipments a month, pointing the way toward high-volume, sustainable deployments of reusable packaging.

Newman received his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. 

Over the past 20-plus years, Newman has worked at the intersection of supply chain and sustainability, including directing the Sierra Club’s political operations in 20 states and building e-waste programs for companies such as Verizon, Walmart and Best Buy as the sales and marketing vice president for ReCellular.

The Packer’s Sustainable Produce Summit features industry experts speaking on topics from water conservation and policy to social responsibility, carbon management and packaging innovations to trends and data from The Packer’s annual sustainability survey. This year’s event also introduces the Best of SPS Marketing Awards.