FEATURE

By Karen Parker, Editor-in-Chief, ASI

The ASC Sustainability Summit will focus on key sustainability issues within the adhesive and sealant industry.

The only North American sustainability event for the adhesive and sealant industry, ASC's annual Sustainability Summit, is set to take place in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 23–25, 2024. The event will again provide up-to-date information on key sustainability issues within the adhesive and sealant industry.

The summit will feature two days of informative presentations and discussions, as well as networking opportunities where professionals in the industry can connect and share insights. Business, marketing, and technical professionals who are responsible for managing or leading sustainability programs, as well as end-users, academics, and others who want to learn more about sustainability within the adhesive and sealant industry, are encouraged to attend.

Rui Resendes, director of Partnerships & Business Development at Change Chemistry, will kick off this year's summit on Tuesday morning with the presentation, "Safe and Sustainable Chemicals: Needs and Opportunities for Sustainable Products." The presentation will discuss the need for "new foundational chemicals" that are safe and sustainable to address the challenges industry faces as it works to deliver more eco-friendly products.

Following Resendes' presentation, the remaining morning sessions will focus on the building and construction market, including talks by Eric Dumain, global marketing director at Arkema Coating Resins, Bruce Lung, senior advisor at Lindahl-Reed (supporting DOE), and Anthony Mayer, business development manager — sustainability consulting, at Sphera Solutions. A group discussion will follow the presentations.

The Tuesday afternoon sessions will focus on the transportation market and the packaging market. Speakers will include Catherine Palin, senior attorney and director of environment policy at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Evelyn Ritter, senior solutions engineer at 3E, and Chris Schaefer, global sustainability director at Earthfirst Films. The afternoon will feature a panel discussion on packaging as an ecosystem. Schaefer will moderate a panel that includes Vael Vodovotz, professor and director of the Center for Advanced Functional Food, Research and Entrepreneurship at Ohio State University, Chris Tyra, regional sales manager at Futamura Group, and Clara Bement, greenhouse coordinator at The Foodbank Inc.

The theme for the Wednesday morning session is "Across the Value Chain." John Ely, chief marketing officer at Heartland Industries will speak on "Sustainability Through the Lens of Brand Managers," exploring the potential of sustainable practices across sectors, specifically on product development, branding, and marketing. Ely's presentation will be followed by Monica Morano, product sustainability specialist at Sika Corp., who will provide a building materials manufacturer's perspective on sustainability targets and address the need for collaboration between suppliers and manufacturers of adhesives and sealants to develop accurate emissions data. Laura James, marketing specialist at Kraton Corp., will explore the cost of product carbon footprint, focusing on raw material selection, in a presentation titled "Sustainable Raw Material Selection – Making Sense of Saving Cents." Micki Vandeloo, president of Lakeview Consulting Inc., will wrap up the Wednesday morning session by teaching participants about the basics of grant funding and sources for grants to support sustainability and R&D projects in the presentation, "Grants to Support Environmental Sustainability."

Methodology is the theme for Wednesday afternoon, with the session starting with Tad Radzinski co-founder and president of Sustainable Solutions Corp. Radzinski will offer actionable steps for companies to measure, report, and reduce the daunting Scope 3 emissions for the purchased goods and services category that is directly connected to a company's suppliers. Following Radzinski will be Joel Schall, director, Innovation & Technology, at Henkel, who will discuss a tool used to calculate the carbon footprint of products in a presentation titled "Increasing Transparency via Product Portfolio Assessment: Digital Solutions for Systematic Analyses." Finishing up the Wednesday afternoon session is Tim Dickinson, business development — VOC emissions, at Eurofins Product Testing, who will discuss the landscape for VOC emission requirements for adhesives and sealants in a presentation titled "How to Show Compliancy in the Complex Global Landscape of VOC Emission Requirements."

The summit will offer numerous opportunities for further discussion and networking. A meet-and-greet reception will take place Monday evening from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Continental breakfasts and lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday will also provide time to network. Additionally, several group discussions are planned between sessions to allow participants to share their insights on presented topics.