Circular Action Alliance gets CEO

Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a Washington-based nonprofit producer responsibility organization founded by 20 producers representing the food, beverage, consumer goods and retail industries to implement extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging, has named Jeff Fielkow its CEO, effective Aug. 20.

Fielkow brings more than three decades of business experience, including extensive executive leadership in the packaging and recycling industries, to his role as CAA’s first CEO. Most recently, he served as president and CEO of ID Images LLC, a leading manufacturer of converted label products that serves the food and beverage, consumer durables, health and beauty and retail industries.

Previously, Fielkow held multiple executive positions within Tetra Pak Inc., one of the world’s largest food-processing and packaging companies, including chief executive officer for the U.S. and Canada, chief executive officer for Vietnam and vice president of sustainability for Southeast Asia and Oceania. He also spent nearly 15 years in various leadership and operational roles in the sustainability and recycling industries, including with ReCommunity Inc., Container Recycling LLC and WM.

“Over the course of my career, I have developed a deep passion for sustainability and recycling to better understand how packaging circularity can be advanced through collaboration across the value chain,” Fielkow says. “This journey has brought me to CAA, an organization that has incredible potential to transform how packaging is managed in the United States, and I am committed to ensuring that we get EPR implementation right. I look forward to building on the progress CAA has made over the past two years, thanks to the leadership of the organization’s founding members and board of directors and the hard work of the broader team.”

Fielkow has founded, co-founded, counseled and led packaging recovery organizations in the United States, Canada, Vietnam, Thailand and India and advised several government entities on recycling strategies. He also has served on boards of public and private companies, including his current director position at TriMas Corp. and previous roles at WasteCap Resource Solutions Inc., the U.S. Carton Council and more.

“Jeff is a well-respected and experienced leader, with a proven record of driving successful packaging recovery initiatives for both private and public organizations around the world,” says Charlie Schwarze, CAA board chair and senior director of sustainability at Keurig Dr Pepper. “The CAA board and the entire organization look forward to working with Jeff to usher in this new chapter for the organization and strengthen our commitment to creating a circular economy for paper and packaging.”

“Jeff has the business acumen, experience working across the packaging and recycling stakeholder landscape and passion for advancing a circular economy that is needed to realize the full potential of the nation’s first EPR laws,” Olivia Barker, stakeholder engagement and communications director for CAA, tells Recycling Today Media Group. “The board will support and advise Jeff as he builds out the organization and provide ongoing oversight of the development and implementation of EPR programs.”

She adds that Fielkow has “a deep appreciation and understanding of the needs and interests of EPR system stakeholders due to his experience working across the packaging and recycling value chain,” noting that he has led and consulted with packaging solutions providers, packaging recovery organizations, brands and governments.

“He is an experienced business leader with a record of success leading large organizations and advancing their sustainability and recycling priorities," she says.

“Jeff will be focused on continuing to build out the organization and delivering on CAA’s vision for providing harmonized, best-in class EPR compliance services for producers. The organization has several key initiatives underway, including revising the Oregon program plan in preparation for Oregon’s program to launch next year; conducting a stakeholder consultation process to inform the development of the Colorado program plan; and ramping up efforts to register and educate producers ahead of Colorado’s Oct. 1, 2024, producer registration deadline.”