PODCAST: Driving Sustainable Packaging at Hills Pet Nutrition with Cody Loewen

Episode Title: Driving Sustainable Packaging at Hills Pet Nutrition with Cody Loewen

Guest: Cody Loewen, Packaging Engineer, Hills Pet Nutrition

Summary

In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes Cody Loewen from Hills Pet Nutrition to discuss how innovative packaging solutions are driving both sustainability and cost savings. Cody shares his unconventional journey into packaging, the impact of data-driven optimization projects, and how supplier collaboration and new materials are helping Hills Pet Nutrition reduce plastic use, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve operational efficiency.

Key Topics Discussed

• Cody’s background in chemical engineering and transition into packaging
• The importance of supplier collaboration and shared sustainability goals
• Major savings and plastic reduction achieved through the MUST stretch film optimization program with Atlantic Packaging
• Pallet pattern optimization: eliminating over 100,000 pallets annually, reducing storage and transportation needs
• The Canopy™ program: replacing plastic shrink film with paper overwrap, reducing plastic use and enabling significant energy savings by shutting down heat tunnels
• The importance of life cycle analysis (LCA) to ensure true sustainability benefits
• Ongoing efforts to find alternatives for retort pouches and other multi-material packaging
• Collaboration and knowledge sharing with Colgate and other divisions to scale successful projects
• The value of pre-competitive collaboration in the packaging industry
• The excitement and unpredictability of innovation in sustainable packaging

Resources Mentioned

• MUST Stretch Film Optimization System
• Canopy™ Paper Overwrap Solution
• Hills Pet Nutrition
• Colgate-Palmolive Sustainability Initiatives

Contact

Listeners interested in learning more about Hills Pet Nutrition’s sustainability journey or connecting with Cody can visit hillspet.com or reach out via LinkedIn.

Closing Thoughts

Cory and Cody highlight the power of collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement in sustainable packaging. They encourage industry professionals to seek out like-minded partners, embrace data-driven decision making, and remain open to new ideas that can benefit both business and the environment.

Thank you for tuning in to Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors!

___