Personnel

Circular Action Alliance gets CEO

Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a nonprofit producer responsibility organization based in Washington founded by 20 producers representing the food, beverage, consumer goods and retail industries to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging, has named Jeff Fielkow its CEO, effective Aug. 20.

Fielkow brings more than three decades of business experience, including executive leadership in the packaging and recycling industries, to his role as CAA’s first CEO. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of ID Images LLC, a manufacturer of converted label products that serves the food and beverage, consumer durables, health and beauty and retail industries.

Previously, Fielkow held multiple executive positions within Tetra Pak Inc., a leading food-processing and packaging company, including CEO for the U.S. and Canada, CEO for Vietnam and vice president of sustainability for Southeast Asia and Oceania. He also spent nearly 15 years in various leadership and operational roles in sustainability and recycling, including with ReCommunity Inc., Container Recycling LLC and WM.

Fielkow has founded, co-founded, counseled and led packaging recovery organizations in the United States, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand and India, CAA says, and advised several government entities on recycling strategies. He also served on boards of public and private companies, including his current director position at TriMas Corp. and previous roles at WasteCap Resource Solutions Inc., the U.S. Carton Council and more.

“Over the course of my career, I have developed a deep passion for sustainability and recycling to better understand how packaging circularity can be advanced through collaboration across the value chain,” Fielkow says. “This journey has brought me to CAA, an organization that has incredible potential to transform how packaging is managed in the United States, and I am committed to ensuring that we get EPR implementation right. I look forward to building on the progress CAA has made over the past two years, thanks to the leadership of the organization’s founding members and board of directors and the hard work of the broader team.”

“Jeff is a well-respected and experienced leader with a proven record of driving successful packaging recovery initiatives for both private and public organizations around the world,” says Charlie Schwarze, CAA board chair and senior director of sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper. “The CAA board and the entire organization look forward to working with Jeff to usher in this new chapter for the organization and strengthen our commitment to creating a circular economy for paper and packaging.”

“Jeff has the business acumen, experience working across the packaging and recycling stakeholder landscape and passion for advancing a circular economy that is needed to realize the full potential of the nation’s first EPR laws,” Olivia Barker, CAA stakeholder engagement and communications director, tells Recycling Today Media Group. “The board will support and advise Jeff as he builds out the organization and provides ongoing oversight of the development and implementation of EPR programs.”

She says Fielkow has “a deep appreciation and understanding of the needs and interests of EPR system stakeholders due to his experience working across the packaging and recycling value chain,” noting his work with packaging solutions providers, packaging recovery organizations and brands. “He is an experienced … leader with a record of success leading large organizations and advancing their sustainability and recycling priorities,” Barker adds.

Vanguard Renewables adds organics division president

Vanguard Renewables, a Boston-based provider of organic materials handling services and renewable natural gas (RNG) production via its Farm Powered anaerobic digestion (AD) technology, has appointed Kent Bartley as president of its Organics Solutions Division.

Bartley has more than 30 years of experience in the environmental and industrial services industry, including stints at Patriot Environmental Services, Clean Harbors and Envirosystems.

In his capacity as president of the company’s Organic Solutions Division, Bartley will oversee employees involved in organics material management, logistics and hauling. The division provides landfill diversion services for food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and institutions throughout the U.S.

“We are thrilled to have Kent join our executive leadership team as the president of our Organics Solutions Division,” Vanguard Renewables CEO Neil H. Smith says. “His extensive experience and proven leadership in the waste materials industry make him the ideal candidate to drive the growth and success of our organic solutions vertical.”

Bartley, whose work experience also includes serving as an operating adviser focusing on the industrial and business services sectors for several private equity firms, has a strong track record in mergers and acquisitions, transactions and turnarounds and new business branding, according to Vanguard.

“Vanguard Renewables’ mission of harnessing the power of waste and recycling it into renewable energy is an amazing opportunity to provide much-needed sustainable solutions to food and beverage manufacturers, retailers and institutions,” Bartley says.

Along with its partners, Vanguard Renewables has 17 Farm Powered organics-to-renewable natural gas projects in operation and 13 U.S. sites under construction. It also operates an organics recycling site that depackages and processes food waste in Massachusetts.