Boulder, CO | wendell.simonson@ecoproducts.com

Wendell Simonson is the Director of Marketing for Eco-Products. Eco-Products®, a Novolex® brand and certified B Corp, offers packaging with real environmental benefits, works with customers to improve composting and recycling, and collaborates with the broader industry to shift how businesses and consumers think about and manage waste. Previous to joining Eco-Products, Wendell was the Marketing Director for the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI), North America’s leading authority on compostable products and packaging. At BPI, Wendell led the organization’s Marketing efforts along with a number of Education and Advocacy projects including BPI’s “Roadmap for Increased Organics Diversion via a Single Set of Acceptability Criteria for Compostable Products”, and the industry’s first set of labeling and identification guidelines for compostable products.

Session Code: F4

Track: Diversion and Collection

Session Name: Compostable Products Update

Session Time: Thursday, January 26, 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM

Presentation Title: The Trials and Tribulations of Compostable Product Labeling – New Consumer Research to Guide Decision Making

Presentation Description: Contamination from non-compostable products is one of the biggest challenges composters face. On-product labeling is part of the strategy to address the issue, and can help consumers, end-users, and others distinguish compostable from non-compostable items. Until now, rules and guidance from BPI and requirements from states like Washington have been created without research on how consumers and end-users respond to different labeling techniques and elements. A BPI and Closed Loop Partners consumer study brings first-of-its-kind data to the on-product labeling conversation to guide manufacturer and brand owner decision making.