Inside Mars' Plan For Circularity | Allison Lin

This episode kicks off with a special announcement brought to you from See Change Sessions 2026. Sander Defruyt of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and today's guest, Allison Lin of Mars, discuss the launch of the PaperFlex Consortium, an R&D consortium aimed at accelerating innovation for paper-based flexible packaging. This consortium is convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, powered by their partner (Re)Set, and the founding members are Mars, Colgate-Palmolive, Nestle, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever. We're proud to feature this special announcement here on the Sustainable Packaging Podcast.

Cory Connors welcomes Allison Lin of Mars for a long-awaited conversation about the company's efforts to make its packaging more circular, and the broader work Allison is doing globally to advance sustainable packaging. Allison shares her non-traditional path into the industry, starting in investment banking before moving through Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola on her way to Mars. She discusses how her Taoist Buddhist upbringing shapes her view of humanity's relationship with nature, her active role in the UN-led Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, and the structural and product innovations Mars has made to elevate sustainability, including tying packaging and greenhouse gas goals to executive compensation, launching paper-based packaging for brands like Snickers and KIND, and designing packaging around real-world end-of-life and recycling infrastructure.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Allison's career journey from investment banking to sustainability leadership at P&G, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, and Mars
• How her Buddhist upbringing shapes her perspective on humanity's connection to nature
• The UN Global Plastics Treaty: progress, challenges, and the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty
• Compassionate listening as a negotiation approach, inspired by Paris Agreement architect Christiana Figueres
• Mars's structural sustainability commitments, including tying packaging and GHG metrics to executive compensation
• Mars packaging innovations: paper-based packaging for Snickers and Mars bars in Australia, KIND bars in Whole Foods, increased recycled content, and mono-material transitions
• Designing packaging based on actual local recycling and waste infrastructure rather than a one-size-fits-all "designed to be recyclable" approach
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): lessons from Europe, the current US landscape, and the importance of well-designed, eco-modulated EPR
• Tools and partners supporting EPR data and reporting, including EPI Lorax and Reclay
• Total cost of ownership considerations for packaging as EPR fees and requirements evolve
• Advice on networking authentically, including personalized LinkedIn outreach

Resources Mentioned:

• https://www.paperflexconsortium.org/
• UN Global Plastics Treaty / UNEP Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
• Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty (convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF)
• Ellen MacArthur Foundation
• Mars Healthy Planet

Chapters:

00:13 PaperFlex Announcement from See Change Sessions

02:07 Introduction to Sustainability and Career Path

04:57 The Role of Buddhism in Sustainability

07:35 The Global Plastics Treaty and Its Challenges

12:09 Mars' Innovations in Sustainable Packaging

15:01 Extended Producer Responsibility and Its Impact

17:32 Future of Sustainability and Collaboration

19:41 Final Thoughts and Personal Insights

Contact:

Listeners interested in connecting with Allison Lin are encouraged to reach out via LinkedIn.

Support our Sponsors 

Learn more here:

- 3M

- Specright

- FOREST-PKG

https://anewearthproject.com/collections/new-earth-approved

https://anewearthproject.com/collections/new-earth-approved

Connect with Cory

Connect with Cory on LinkedIn here: 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cory-connors/

I'm here to help you make your packaging more sustainable! Reach out today and I'll get back to you asap. 

This podcast is an independent production and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2022.