April 22 is Earth Day, but for five women working in print and print-adjacent industries, every day is chance to raise awareness and advance solutions to better our planet. As professionals working in the environmental and sustainability space, each has a unique niche that’s part of a larger effort to make print authentically green (while busting a few print-kills-trees myths along the way).

If you want to be informed and inspired beyond Earth Day, be sure to follow each of these women’s LinkedIn and/or sign up for their newsletters. Gleaning even a bit of their combined business expertise in this field will benefit you personally and professionally.

Jules Van Sant, Two Sides North America

As Executive Director of Two Sides North America (NA), a global, membership-based non-profit representing the full graphic communications and paper-based packaging value chain, Jules is a leading voice in telling the sustainability story of ink-on-paper. Known for its direct and balanced approach, Two Sides NA produces fact sheets, blog posts, and research reports all designed to drive business and consumers to make well-informed decisions about the use of paper and its environmental impact. It’s also responsible for the Love Paper campaign. Importantly, Jules also leads the way in busting myths about paper’s carbon footprint and sheds light on corporate “greenwashing” that often uses graphic communications products as a scapegoat. You can follow Jules on LinkedIn or catch one of her live presentations at print industry conferences.

Heather Neilan, Plastics Industry Association

Flexo printers will be interested to meet Heather Neilan, Manager of Sustainability and Materials at the Plastics Industry Association. Heather (who previously worked at PRINTING United Alliance) specializes in environmental topics such as the circular life cycle of bioplastics, sustainable plastics manufacturing, and making a positive impact on communities through litter cleanups. Heather is a true policy expert, having obtained her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from George Mason University College of Science, specializing in Human and Ecosystem’s Response to Climate Change. Additionally, she has been a certified LEED Green Associate since April 2020. You can learn more about Heather’s initiatives to promote plastics sustainability by following her on LinkedIn.

Jennifer Armstrong, Vinyl Sustainability Council

Wondering who’s watching environmental topics for the vinyl industry, a value chain partner in wide-format printing? Meet Jennifer Armstrong, Director of Sustainability for the Vinyl Sustainability Council (VSC), an initiative to develop and implement best practices and innovation leading to continuous improvement throughout the vinyl industry. In her role, Jennifer provides hands-on support in the management of +Vantage Vinyl, the first-ever industry-wide sustainability initiative in the United States that verifies VSC member companies that are making sustainability advancements within impact categories. She is also hard at work to improve information relating to the industry’s sustainability data. Learn more about Jennifer’s work on these industry initiatives by following her on LinkedIn.

Mary Anne Hansan, Paper and Packaging Board

With a multi-million dollar industry promotion program under her purview, Mary Anne, as President of the Paper and Packaging Board (P+PB), is passionate about championing what she terms the paper industry’s “unrivaled sustainability story” and channeling it to reach millions of consumers. She and her team have created ROI-driven, informative marketing campaigns, including How Life Unfolds, Go Papertarian, and Faces of the Forest. With a heavy emphasis on recycling and reuse education, the organization under Mary Anne’s direction continuously publishes blog posts, reports, templates and other tools to help consumers understand the value of paper and its recyclable nature. Follow Mary Anne on LinkedIn and/or sign up for her organization’s Marketing & Sales Toolkit to learn more.

Cassie Green, Apparelist

Video and blog personality Cassie Green is the Content Director for Apparelist, an aggregator of
expert-level business management resources to help apparel decorators of all sizes navigate the challenges of growing their businesses. Sustainability is a key editorial topic for the brand and Cassie often reports on innovative strategies employed by leading companies that are striving to improve their environmental impact. Through podcasts like Threads of Change and Branding Together, she leads thought-provoking and actionable discussions on the intersection of sustainability and print and promo. She’s also part of the visionary team behind the upcoming Sustainable Merch Summit happening this June. Subscribe to the Apparelist newsletter to follow Cassie’s work highlighting sustainability in the printed apparel sector, and be sure to follow her on LinkedIn.

And, of course, if you’re not already following Sara Osorio, Women in Print Alliance Professional Advisor and EHS Affairs Coordinator at PRINTING United Alliance, you’ll want to do so ASAP. Sara actively produces content and regulatory advisories on key environment and sustainability issues impacting the broad printing industry. You can find more of her work under the Environmental Health & Safety tab on printing.org.