BillerudKorsnäs (billerudkorsnas.com) is encouraging action against ocean litter in a series of U.S. events, in theme with this year's World Oceans Day earlier this month. The Swedish company has a mission to challenge conventional packaging and bring more sustainable practices to the industry.

"Between the growing chorus from consumers to address single-use packaging waste to reports from ocean researchers on declining ocean health, the problem of ocean litter has reached critical awareness," said Peter Malmqvist, BillerudKorsnäs marketing director, Americas. "What we need now is collaboration for sustainable development."

BillerudKorsnäs will bring together business leaders and consumers in a series of U.S. events as part of its mission to challenge conventional packaging, as well as its partnership with Tara Expeditions Foundation, a floating research institute studying the ecological crisis in the oceans on a globe-traversing schooner.

The Challenge 2018 events and meeting places are scheduled in Portland (July 8-9), New York (Sept. 19-21) and Boston (Sept. 26-28). The events will address findings from a global panel of more than 3,000 consumers in 16 megacities on consumer attitudes toward sustainability, which found ocean litter among the top three concerns. The survey also found that consumers are willing to change their behavior in order to create a more sustainable future in their cities.

"Together with researchers, the business community and politicians, we can achieve more sustainable development," said Malmqvist.

BillerudKorsnäs also has a program to help global brand owners gain control of their Asia-Pacific packaging needs while achieving significant operational and environmental savings.

"For instance, brands can realize up to 40 percent savings in freight shipping costs by minimizing air – unnecessary space – in corrugated containers," notes Tor Lundqvist, Head of Americas, Corrugated Solutions. "This makes for a smarter supply chain and is one piece to the sustainable packaging puzzle."

Visit billerudkorsnas.com/tara for more info on the Challenge 2018 events.