Atlantic Packaging’s Director of Sustainability, Caroline DeLoach, joined Good Garbage with Ved Krishna for a deep dive into climate activism, sustainable packaging, and how Atlantic is transforming the packaging landscape, one recyclable pack-out at a time.
From protest lines to packaging lines
Before she was leading sustainability at one of North America’s largest privately held packaging companies, Caroline DeLoach was advocating for sustainability and climate action as a student in Washington, D.C.
Her mission? Clear:
“I’ve always wanted to fix the systems that create waste, not just clean them up,” says Caroline.
Reducing more than emissions
At Atlantic, Caroline’s work centers on cutting waste before it starts. She outlines how we:
• Focus on packaging optimization, less is more
• Build application-first packaging, not material-first
• Guide brands through EPR readiness and circular design
• Partner with alternative material startups like Sway and Cruz Foam
Why We Partner with & Invest in Sustainable Startups
“We don’t just want to distribute sustainable materials,” says Caroline. “We want to help scale them.”
Atlantic brings capital, sweat equity, and 80+ years of packaging know-how to promising innovations, from seaweed film to compostable foam.
Surfboards. Ski Gear. Seaweed Film.
Caroline highlighted how A New Earth Project uses storytelling and outdoor athlete advocates to pilot sustainable packaging for gear, and inspire broader adoption across categories.