Re-imagine Resources - Reducing Food Waste to Fight Hunger: A Twitter Chat with Sealed Air

Did you know that 78 percent of adults in the U.S. have wasted food in one way or another? Meanwhile, more than 800 million people are unable to meet their daily calorie needs and more than 2 billion people suffer from nutritional deficiencies. It is estimated that more than one-third of the food we produce is never consumed. Considering the projected population growth to 9 billion by 2050, these food related challenges will only increase.  In light of these staggering statistics, we must look at food waste and the actions we take on a daily basis to address this growing problem.

“I believe we no longer sell packaging; we sell increased shelf life. And this shelf life provides access to healthy food and reduces waste, which in turn contributes to increased food security and environmental benefits.” – Sealed Air’s president and CEO, Jerome A. Peribere

Sealed Air’s mission is to create a better way for life.  The Company no longer looks at its business in terms of the products they sell, but instead in terms of the lasting value of the solutions they provide to their customers and the communities they operate in.  It is this holistic, knowledge-based approach to innovation, while maintaining responsibility for the resources they use that has driven them to tackle the food waste issue through product and solution innovation and education.

Join 3BL Media (@3BLMedia) as moderator of this discussion with Ron Cotterman, VP Sustainability at Sealed Air (@Sealed_Air). During this LIVE chat, users can follow along using the hashtag #LessFoodWaste. Topics discussed will include:

• Common causes and reasons for food waste
• The connection between food waste and global health
• What it takes to improve the sustainable food supply chain
• Imminent importance to improve sustainable food
• Learn what one bakery has done to improve its role in the supply chain
• The impact of technology on food waste reduction
• What all of us can do to reduce food waste

Please join us for this conversation about sustainable foods and reducing food waste. We will be encouraging attendees to share stories, information and ask our panelists questions about this topic. Our hope is that everyone leaves this chat understanding the global importance of reducing food waste and learning tips that they can put into action in their own homes.  Be sure to follow #LessFoodWaste and include it in all of your tweets.

Resources:

• Sealed Air: Annual Sustainability Report

Tips to get the most from #LessFoodWaste:

• Follow the main participants and #LessFoodWaste hashtag.
• Submit questions before the event to promote a more dynamic discussion.
• Use the #LessFoodWaste hashtag on your comments that you want to share with the community.
• Share tweets you think your followers will appreciate.
• Follow interesting participants during and after the chat.

About the panelist:

Ron Cotterman, VP Sustainability

In his position as Vice President, Sustainability, Ron Cotterman is responsible for Sealed Air’s company-wide strategy in sustainable business practices. In this global role, Ron works to advance sustainability initiatives across all of Sealed Air’s business units. His primary focus is to align customer needs, manufacturing platforms, business plans and technologies to improve sustainability of products, processes and services. Ron has an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has over 26 years of industrial experience in technology, business development and sustainability. Ron has 11 issued U.S. patents and 18 publications in refereed journals. He has been employed with Sealed Air for the last 15 years and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.