Over the course of his career, Wes has come to understand the gravity of the plastic waste crisis. These sobering statistics can overwhelm some people. They paint a not-so-pretty picture of humanity’s impact on this beautiful planet we are so lucky to call home.
But rather than scare Wes, the facts have inspired him. The key realization was that a confluence of factors made him uniquely positioned to tackle this crisis head-on. All of that time spent in the water as a kid and as an adult facilitated Wes’s appreciation for nature and opened his eyes to the extent of worldwide plastic pollution. The industry he and his family have dedicated their lives to - packaging - is a key contributor to the plastic waste problem. And the company he now leads works with some of the world’s leading consumer products companies, with customers including Procter & Gamble, QVC, Bass Pro Shop, and Williams-Sonoma. These firms need help as they navigate the transition from a plastic-heavy world to a plastic-free one.
Wes recognizes that Atlantic Packaging has contributed to the problem. But to him, playing the blame game is useless. He’s solutions-oriented, and he knows that Atlantic can rectify the errors of its ways by moving itself and its customers away from the harmful ways of the past towards a cleaner, more sustainable vision that helps the humans who enjoy packaging without harming the world we all inhabit. Wes knows that sustainability is a business opportunity rather than a cost, and he knows we don’t have the luxury of waiting for the problem to fix itself or for someone else to take care of it.
That’s why he helped launch A New Earth Project to develop a collection of products, protocols, and capabilities with the goal of presenting effective and efficient consumer products that are 100% curbside recyclable and do not include any single-use plastics, which are a major cause of worldwide ocean pollution. From drinking straws and water bottles to grocery bags and takeout containers, single-use plastics are used in a variety of products, particularly packaging and service ware. They’re convenient but environmentally destructive, reflecting a global throwaway culture and prioritization of convenience and price over durability and quality. About half of the plastic produced annually is for single-use items, equivalent to the weight of the entire human population.
A New Earth Project seeks to replace the destructive status quo by designing, developing, and offering environmentally friendly packaging alternatives to the world’s largest consumer brands. Wes wants to move his industry and other industries away from the plastic that’s polluting air, land, and sea. As he often notes, many plastic products that the public assumes can be recycled are either hard or impossible to recycle, as reflected in the aforementioned fact that 91% of plastic waste isn’t recycled. And he knows that his efforts could inspire a domino effect of global impact in supply chains near and far.