Earth Day is April 22nd and Women in Print Alliance is celebrating those in our community who work every day to make our industry and planet a better place.

We recently caught up with two of these of those women, Milissa Bergman, procurement manager at Inovar Packaging Group in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Anna Stavrum, sustainability analyst at paper company Sylvamo, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, to learn more about their roles and to hear their thoughts on how all women in print and print-adjacent sectors – regardless of their job functions – can help voice the industry’s environmental stewardship story.

WPA: In a few sentences, please describe the function of your job that focuses on sustainability.

MB: It is my responsibility to gather information and educate on the materials we purchase, the legislation that impacts our customers, and the affects that our supply chain and manufacturing has on the environment.

It’s important for our customers to have the materials and education needed to reach their goals as well as here at Inovar to take steps to improve our footprint.

We have made investments in partners along the way to provide us with building blocks so we can make the best decisions and lower our environmental impact.   I attend as many conferences as possible to stay up to date on the latest developments.  The sustainability world is changing quickly, and I am the main information gather and educator for our internal team.   I consider myself lucky that Inovar supports this passion.

AS: With my role, I focus on sustainability every day. A large portion of my role is to manage our 2030 corporate sustainability goal of water reduction within our mills. I also contribute to our corporate sustainability reporting to help tell Sylvamo’s sustainability story to the public.

WPA: What sustainability effort or success are you or your company most proud of?

MB: Amherst Label, a part of Inovar Packaging Group, answered a need for liner recycling that their customers had. They partnered with one of our suppliers to pick up their liner. The customers all wanted to do the right thing but were struggling due to space constraints to collect the required amount for pick up.  Amherst Label solved that problem by combining the volume from multiple customers.

AS: One of my favorite success stories of Sylvamo is the Verde Mel Project we are currently doing in Brazil. The Verde Mel project stimulates meliponiculture, a sustainable way to care for native stingless bees, which can help regenerate forests, increase biodiversity and pollinate crops. It also helps highlight honey and other essential Brazilian products. By the end of 2022, the project multiplied 180 colonies of native bees, trained 45 rural producers and installed 12 meliponaries across cities in Sao Paulo and Mina Gerias.

WPA: Has your company won any environmental stewardship awards or certifications? 

MB: Amherst Label, a part of Inovar Packaging Group, won the 2023 TLMI Frosty award for their efforts on their liner recycling program.

AS: Sylvamo received a 2024 Bronze medal in our first EcoVadis assessment, placing us in the top 35% of companies with this rating in the world and top 20% in the pulp and paper industry. EcoVadis provides the leading solution for assessing the quality of a company’s sustainability performance in environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

WPA: If you could correct one misperception about the printing industry’s environmental stewardship, what would it be?

MB: It would be the misperception that all labels make the whole package detrimental to recyclability and are not sustainable.  There are so many ways to achieve a positive impact [of labels] throughout the whole process from design, printing, application, and disposal.  We work closely with our supplier experts and associations to achieve the best possible results.  We welcome the challenge to do the right thing!

AS: I would correct the misperception that paper products lead to deforestation. We are committed to working with sustainably managed forests to ensure we produce renewable and recyclable paper that people need while contributing to the long-term health of our ecosystem. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, because of the industry’s commitment to sustainable forestry, we grow twice the volume of trees than are harvested yearly.

WPA: How can other women in print – who don’t work directly in sustainability roles – amplify the environmental efforts going on the industry? What story should they be helping to tell?

MB: Women are naturally caring, nurturing people.  We care about what we are leaving behind for the next generations. I would say get educated, ask a million questions, and do what you can. We are all in this together.

AS: Stay engaged and stay informed! Work with your sustainability team if you have one and ask them how you can support them. A great story to tell is that our industry is circular in nature. We use renewable resources, and our products are recyclable.

WPA: Finally, how will you celebrate Earth Day this year?

MB: Like every other day, looking for ways that I can continue to do my part.  It could be choosing to use refillable bottles, educating myself on new advancements and always recycling my trash.  If everyone just did that, we would really see a difference.  It starts with us.

AS: This year I will be participating in a couple of events to celebrate Earth Day. I will be attending an Earth Day festival at a local park as well as participating in a tree planting event.

Thank you, Milissa and Anna, for sharing your thoughts and for highlighting print and print-adjacent industry career pathways focused on environmental affairs and sustainability. The work you are contributing in and out of the office are making our shared planet a better place for all. We appreciate your efforts and your expertise!

Are you a women in print working in a role that focuses on environmental sustainability? If so, we’d love to hear from you and potentially feature your work in an upcoming web post or newsletter.