Activists and academics. Government officials. Small-scale innovators and start-ups. Exactly the kind of delegates you might expect at a conference dedicated to changing the way we think about and deal with waste. At the Metro Vancouver Zero Waste Conference, these attendees will also be rubbing shoulders with executives of national and international companies embracing the circular economy and zero waste. This diversity fosters cross-pollination of ideas, understanding of waste reduction from multiple perspectives, and of course, has great opportunities for networking.Â
JOHN LILLARD
R&D Project Leader, Innovation Team, Campbell Company of Canada
(‘Food Waste – A Call for National Action’ session)
John Lillard is a nutritionally and sustainably focused product developer. He is currently a Project Leader on the Innovation Team at Campbell’s Canada, actively working on food waste initiatives with the support and assistance of Campbell’s global Corporate Social Responsibility team, Provision Coalition, and Enviro-Stewards. Along with his wife Marcy Lillard, he is also owner/operator of Mindful Grocer, an online resource devoted to food waste reduction and sustainable living.
JOHN ORTIZDirector, Product Stewardship, HP
(‘Innovation in the Marketplace’ session)
Ortiz is championing circular economy thinking and action across HP’s Print, PC, and 3D printing businesses. Recently his team completed two closed-loop recycled polypropylene projects in over 40% of HP’s inkjet cartridges, equal to approximately 5,000 tons of recycled resin annually. With the completion of this project, HP now uses recycled plastic in more than 80% of its ink cartridge products. Several other active projects are underway to incorporate recycled plastic into hardware printer products. Ortiz’s team also focuses on product energy reduction and recently marked a milestone of driving an 88% energy reduction across HP’s consumer printer products over the previous 5 years.
(‘Innovation in the Marketplace’ session)
Ortiz is championing circular economy thinking and action across HP’s Print, PC, and 3D printing businesses. Recently his team completed two closed-loop recycled polypropylene projects in over 40% of HP’s inkjet cartridges, equal to approximately 5,000 tons of recycled resin annually. With the completion of this project, HP now uses recycled plastic in more than 80% of its ink cartridge products. Several other active projects are underway to incorporate recycled plastic into hardware printer products. Ortiz’s team also focuses on product energy reduction and recently marked a milestone of driving an 88% energy reduction across HP’s consumer printer products over the previous 5 years.
TONY SHUMPERT
Vice President, Recycling & Reuse, Value Village
(‘Repair and Reuse’ session)
Tony Shumpert oversees the recycling and reuse business operations for Savers (also known as Value Village and Village des Valeurs), a purpose-driven thrift retailer with 330 stores across the US, Canada and Australia. Tony has been instrumental in establishing Savers as a global leader in clothing and textile reuse and recycling, having expanded the scope of items diverted from landfills from three categories to almost 20, including plastics, metals, sporting goods and kitchenware. This enabled Savers to divert 650 million pounds of goods from reaching North American landfills in 2015 – supporting reuse and recycling industries, reduction in the amount of reusable clothing ending up in landfills, and progress towards a circular economy.
(‘Repair and Reuse’ session)
Tony Shumpert oversees the recycling and reuse business operations for Savers (also known as Value Village and Village des Valeurs), a purpose-driven thrift retailer with 330 stores across the US, Canada and Australia. Tony has been instrumental in establishing Savers as a global leader in clothing and textile reuse and recycling, having expanded the scope of items diverted from landfills from three categories to almost 20, including plastics, metals, sporting goods and kitchenware. This enabled Savers to divert 650 million pounds of goods from reaching North American landfills in 2015 – supporting reuse and recycling industries, reduction in the amount of reusable clothing ending up in landfills, and progress towards a circular economy.
SCOTT TUDORDirector, Sustainability, Sobeys Inc.
(‘Food Waste – A Call for National Action’ session)
Scott is Director of Sustainability for Sobeys Inc. His role has a broad scope that includes areas such as animal welfare, responsible product sourcing  and reducing food waste. Through its Safeway banner, Sobeys partnered earlier this year with Vancouver’s Love Food – Hate Waste program on an in-store, consumer education initiative. The company has also recently run “ugly” produce campaigns in both Alberta and Quebec . In addition Sobeys actively participates on the sustainability executive committees for the Retail Council of Canada, the Food Marketing Institute and The Consumer Goods Forum; all of which have food waste initiatives in progress.
Scott is Director of Sustainability for Sobeys Inc. His role has a broad scope that includes areas such as animal welfare, responsible product sourcing  and reducing food waste. Through its Safeway banner, Sobeys partnered earlier this year with Vancouver’s Love Food – Hate Waste program on an in-store, consumer education initiative. The company has also recently run “ugly” produce campaigns in both Alberta and Quebec . In addition Sobeys actively participates on the sustainability executive committees for the Retail Council of Canada, the Food Marketing Institute and The Consumer Goods Forum; all of which have food waste initiatives in progress.
CLINT UNDSETH
Vice President, Innovation, Stuart Olson Inc.
(‘Built Environment’ session)
I’ve always had an interest in how we can improve, do things differently, all with a perspective to uniquely differentiate and be more relevant for our customers’ business. I am a student of applied technologies and processes that advance our work and my ability to lead cross-functional creative teams. Over the last 8 years the focus has been oriented to Building Performance from collaborative design, construction and operating lifecycle with an emphasis on sustainability, reducing waste and regenerative building. I’m grateful for the opportunity that Stuart Olson has provided; to realize our vision for Building Performance and address the challenges associated with sustainability and changing the industry one step at a time.
Vice President, Innovation, Stuart Olson Inc.
(‘Built Environment’ session)
I’ve always had an interest in how we can improve, do things differently, all with a perspective to uniquely differentiate and be more relevant for our customers’ business. I am a student of applied technologies and processes that advance our work and my ability to lead cross-functional creative teams. Over the last 8 years the focus has been oriented to Building Performance from collaborative design, construction and operating lifecycle with an emphasis on sustainability, reducing waste and regenerative building. I’m grateful for the opportunity that Stuart Olson has provided; to realize our vision for Building Performance and address the challenges associated with sustainability and changing the industry one step at a time.
When busy professionals of this caliber are finding time to attend ZWC, you know there’s value in being a part of the conference. Mark November 3 on your calendar, register, and get ready to for a day full of great ideas, inspiring speakers, and examples of real-world successes on the path to the circular economy.
Return to the 2016 Zero Waste Conference main web site