SPC Advance 2019: Denver

New Packaging Paradigms

Systemic changes are needed to transform food production and consumption to make a significant positive environmental impact. How will we eat in the future? How are the delivery mechanisms changing? How does packaging change to meet evolving sustainability considerations?

SPC is happy to partner with NativeEnergy, a certified B Corp specializing in impact investments, carbon offsets, and building new, community-scale renewable energy.We will be offsetting the carbon produced through attendee travel and event production through two projects. One renewable energy project and another project just 2 hours outside of Denver.

Hear from SPC member companies working together to advance sustainable packaging at our new Collaboration Ignite Talks. Some of our sessions will include:

• The New R’s for Sustainable Containers Systems: Returnable, Reusable and Refillable
• Looking For the Paper Option?
• What is the role of Forest Products in the Bio-economy?
• The Resurgence of the Can: How Innovation and Recovery Uptake are making it the package of choice
• Biological and Chemical Recycling
• Building Unexpected Alliances to Create Meaningful Change
• Managing Contamination at Closed Loop Venues in Colorado
• Do’s and Don’ts of Labelling Your Compostable Packaging
• Principles for Making Technology Human
• Disruptors in Recovery, Collection, Circularity and Upcycling

Tour | A1 Organics

A1 Organics Rattler Ridge Composting Facility is a 430-acre site that was permitted in 2000. We make 4 compost products and have some other composting projects on the site:

• BioComp Class 1 Compost, STA Certified
• EcoGro (consumer food waste based) Class 1 Compost, STA Certified
• EcoGro (industrial food waste based) Class 1 Compost, STA Certified 
• Command  Class 1 Bio-Engineered Compost for turf management

Tour | AMP Robotics

Visit the AMP Robotics site to see a demo of the robotic recycling technology and a brief talk showing the capabilities of the AMP vision system, including identification of brand-specific material.

Tour | Alpine Waste and Recycling

Alpine Waste & Recycling is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ontario, Canada-based GFL Environmental Inc., We are Colorado’s only fully integrated waste hauling services company. We have a fleet of over 125 collection trucks in the Denver Metro area. Our Altogether Recycling facility (MRF) processes 14,000 tons of material per month. We process, bale and take to market over 20 different material types. We were the first facility in the region to include cartons and polystyrene foam into our recycling program.

Our Altogether Recycling facility is the most technologically advanced facility in the region. Our recent system expansion project increased our processing capacity by 33%. It included upgrading to some of the most advanced recycling equipment available in the market. The facility also has the region’s first robot that utilizes A.I. to sort cartons and other different materials from the stream.

Your tour will include introductions and a short overview of the company and equipment followed by a walkthrough of the facility while we are running and processing material. Afterwards, we’ll reconvene for a short Q & A session. 

Tour | Eco-Cycle

The tour starts at the Boulder County Recycling Center, a single-stream MRF processing nearly 55,000 tons per year. The facility is an example of a public-private partnership, owned by Boulder County and operated by non-profit Eco-Cycle, and has an industry reputation for producing clean, high-quality materials with low contamination and residue rates. The tour will then continue across the street to Eco-Cycle’s Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM). The CHaRM is a model drop-off center for how to collect materials that aren’t compatible with curbside collections, materials like electronics, plastic bags, small appliances, block foam, and more. Co-located with CHaRM is ReSource Central, a used building material resale outlet. Together these sites are part of “Recycle Row,” a vision of the City of Boulder to group together key pieces of resource recovery infrastructure to help the city meet its zero waste goals.

Tour | National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Your visit will include a welcome and NREL introduction by Gregg Beckham, Senior Research Fellow-Chemical Engineering, Bioenergy Science and Technology Department, and tours of the Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility (IBRF) and Field Test Laboratory Building (FTLB). The Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility enables researchers and industry partners to develop, test, evaluate, and demonstrate processes and technologies for the production of bio-based products and fuels. The Field Test Laboratory does a wide range of research activities to help U.S. industry use renewable resources and waste productively and develop new and more efficient industrial practices.

Tour | New Belgium Brewing Company

Enjoy a private tour of New Belgium Brewing Company hosted by the company’s sustainability & policy specialist. Come sip some award-winning craft beer and learn about New Belgium’s experiences and lessons learned in their efforts to be a force for good within and beyond their industry. New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work, one of the Wall Street Journal’s Best Small Businesses and tops Bicycling Magazine’s Best Companies for Cyclists. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, one of World Blu’s most democratic U.S. businesses, and a Certified B Corp. Attendees will have time to purchase lunch from the Food Truck following the tour.

Evening Social | Downtown Craft Beer Tour

A guided walking tour through downtown Denver, Colorado’s historic LODO (lower downtown) and Ballpark Neighborhood districts. The tour will explore the history of beer, how it is made, what the different types are and how they differ, why Denver has been dubbed the “Napa Valley of Beer,” as well the history of Denver and how it became the city it is today.

During the stops on our tour, you will go behind the scenes to learn brewing process, visit a brewpub that began a nationwide franchise, drink in the brewery founded by the governor, and hang out in the best craft beer bar in Denver.

Evening Social | Happy Hour at YFYJupiter + Pub Crawl in RiNo District sponsored by YFYJupiter

Join us for happy hour at YFYJupiter followed by a pub crawl in RiNo District!

Evening Social | Mixer at The Woods at The Source Hotel sponsored by The American Chemistry Council

Join us for a mixer at The Woods! Enjoy outdoor seating with views of the stunning Denver skyline and Rocky Mountains at The Woods restaurant, bar and beer garden. Located in the RiNo district of Denver, the city’s most innovative culinary neighborhood, The Woods at The Source Hotel features dishes collaboratively paired with New Belgium Brewing craft beers.

Evening Social | Mixer at Woods Boss Brewing Company sponsored by UPM Raflatac

Woods Boss Brewing Company transformed an early 1900 brick building into a beautiful brewery and tap room, opening their doors on August 11, 2017 with the intention of creating a community brewery where people could enjoy delicious craft beers that consistently rotate. Ranging from smooth, crisp lagers to barrel aged funky Belgian Quads, they have 20 taps all brewed in house with the goal of having something for everyone to enjoy regardless of your palette.