DS Smith hires new head of sustainability

DS Smith, London, a sustainable packaging leader, has announced the appointment of Wouter van Tol as head of sustainability and government affairs.

 Wouter van Tol

Reporting to Greg Dawson, director of corporate affairs at DS Smith, van Tol will spearhead sustainability and public affairs across the DS Smith Group, including its packaging, paper and recycling divisions, DS Smith reports in a news release.

Wouter van Tol joins DS Smith after three years of serving as global head of corporate responsibility at food packaging company Huhtamaki, Espoo, Finland, where he was responsible for developing and delivering its Packaging for Good sustainability strategy. An industry heavyweight with more than two decades of experience, van Tol previously held senior positions in Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and Samsung.

“I was attracted to DS Smith because it has a clear strategy for sustainability, great people and a circular product that is recyclable in both theory and practice. All of these are important success factors in today’s changing world, and I’m excited to build on these strong foundations and contribute to DS Smith’s role as the leading provider of sustainable packaging solutions,” van Tol says.

According to DS Smith, van Tol joins the company at a crucial time in its journey as a sustainability leader, as it reaches three of its key sustainability strategy milestones. The company has recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

“Sustainability is core to our business and the driving force of our company purpose, ‘Redefining packaging for a changing world.’ Wouter will help us reach new levels in sustainability so that we can support our customers and all stakeholders even further, in what is a rapidly changing world,” Dawson says.