Greif names director of sustainable technology

Packaging producer Greif, based in Delaware, Ohio, has named Geoffrey Westphal as its new director of sustainable technology.

Westphal moves into the role following 10 years at Greif, most recently as senior environmental manager,

Photo courtesy of Greif

where he led compliance across the company's North American operations and progressed zero-waste-to-landfill initiatives globally. Greif says in the new role, Westphal will focus on introducing innovations that support its continued commitment to creating shared value for customers, stakeholders and the environment.

"It's a really exciting time to be moving into this position," Westphal says. "We have seen a lot of technological advances in recent years that are becoming viable, and the next couple years will see us make changes that will further our mission of helping customers protect the environment through the deployment of sustainable innovation."

Greif says its approach to sustainability extends beyond its own operations, with partnerships focused on "doing better" extending in both directions along the supply chain.

"We firmly believe that a collaborative approach to sustainability is critical," Westphal says. "The next few years will see us expand efforts to work alongside our customers, internal resources and rapidly developing external partnerships to leverage our collective resources to improve efficiencies, introduce new technology and, ultimately, improve the sustainability of our industry."

Greif underwent several changes at the executive level this year, most notably the transition of Ole Rosgaard to president and CEO in February, succeeding Pete Watson who was named executive chairman of the board of directors. The company also announced a new executive leadership team that it says will lead ongoing growth and continuous improvement opportunities to drive additional shareholder value. The leadership changes initially were announced during an earnings call in September of last year.