Through a mix of lighting talks, group exercises, Q&A discussion, and case studies, this forum series will explore how local communities, states, countries, corporations, and technologies can work together to power solutions for reducing textile waste and promoting sustainable practices in the industry.
*All members must be logged in to their Neon account and connected to their organizations main account as a sub-member in order to register for free. Not sure how to do this? Click here.
Lisa Sciannella, Chief of Staff, Helpsy
Lisa Sciannella is the Chief of Staff at Helpsy, where she has been for almost four years. Beyond her corporate duties, she excels in public relations and is passionate about education, promoting environmental consciousness, and inspiring change in clothing disposal and reuse. Before joining Helpsy, Lisa had a career as a secondary math teacher. A dynamic speaker, she shares insights about textile recovery at recycling events, conferences, public school classrooms, on podcasts, and local TV. Lisa holds a BS in Mathematics and a BS in Secondary Education from the University of Maryland and is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business. She is deeply passionate about the environment and dedicated to making a positive impact.
Joe Witten, Co-Founder and CEO, Apparel Impact
Joe Whitten is a well-known name in the textile recycling, waste, and sustainability industry. He is the co-founder and CEO of Apparel Impact, which is one of the largest textile recyclers in America that focuses on diverting textile waste from landfills. Joe has been instrumental in promoting sustainable and environmentally responsible practices in the textile waste industry and currently works with U.S. congressmen, senators, the EPA, and many others to develop best practices in recycling textile waste and building impactful legislation. Apparel Impact started in 2014 as a New England textile recycler and community support company. Within 5 years, Apparel Impact became the fastest-growing textile recycler in the northeastern U.S., growing from a small regional provider to a multi-state business with over 1,400 partners and customers ranging from small businesses, non-profit organizations, and government partners to Fortune 500 companies.
Clio Goldsmith, Deputy Director, Circular Economy Development Center
Clio Goldsmith currently serves as the Deputy Director at the Circular Economy Development Center, a program of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment aimed at building circular economy solutions for the state. Clio has a background working in product development for textile goods, such as backpacks, luggage, and rooftop tents, with a focus on new material development, sustainability, and project management.
Micaela Guglielmi, Municipal Waste Reduction group, Massachusetts DEP
Micaela Guglielmi has been working for the MA Department of Environmental Protection in the Municipal Waste Reduction Group for a little over two years. She joined the team right before the state instituted a waste disposal ban for textiles and mattresses. To help support the ban, she was tasked with outreach and education to residents about the waste ban, analyzing municipal textile data and connecting with textile vendors across the state.
She also supports the Municipal Waste Reduction Group by supporting the Sustainable Materials Recovery Grant Program, as well as managing the state contract for mattresses. Before working for MassDEP, she worked as the Waste Reduction Coordinator for the City of Salem, MA and has a B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
Marisa Adler, Senior Consultant, Resource Recycling Systems (RRS)
Marisa Adler is a Senior Consultant with Resource Recycling Systems where she founded RRS's textile circularity practice. Marisa's work focuses on collaborative action to drive systems-level change. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, chairs the New York State Association of Reduction, Reuse and Recycling's Textile Recycling Council, and is a seated member of the California Product Stewardship Council's Statewide Textile Recycling Advisory Committee. Prior to joining RRS, Marisa led waste programming and policy for the NYC Department of Sanitation and studied Natural Resource Management at Cornell University and Antioch New England Graduate School.
Jordan Girling, Head of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), WRAP
Within WRAP, as Head of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Jordan works with national and international partners, governments, NGO’s, charities, producers/manufacturers, and other industry stakeholders to design efficient and effective EPR mechanisms. Jordan leads the vision and strategy of EPR within WRAP, engaging with all waste streams where the concept of EPR can be applied, including, but not limited to, product packaging, electronics, batteries, and textiles. Jordan has 10+ years of EPR experience spanning the globe, including, but not limited to, UK, Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Australia, APAC, Middle East, and Africa.
As a member of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management's SEG (Strategic Expert Group) for Producer Responsibility, Jordan provides technical expertise to CIWM and sector stakeholders on existing and potential Producer Responsibility frameworks and legislation for various waste streams in the UK.
John Fischer, Deputy Division Director for Solid Waste Materials Management, MassDEP
In this position, he oversees MassDEP’s development and implementation of the Solid Waste Master Plan, including MassDEP’s regulatory, permitting, compliance and grant and assistance programs to manage solid waste and advance waste reduction, recycling, and composting in Massachusetts. He has been with MassDEP since 1998. John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from Connecticut College and a Master’s in City Planning, focusing on Environmental Policy and Planning, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Jasmina Burek, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Dr. Jasmina Burek (she/her/hers) is an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Principal Investigator at Building Resilience through Knowledge (BUREK) Lab. Her research focuses on sustainability and resilience engineering. BUREK Lab is applying engineering and policy and decision-making models including life cycle assessment (LCA) to establish a circular economy for textile and apparel industry and minimize their environmental, social, and economic impacts (footprint assessment). At UML, Burek wants to intensify its positive impact (handprint assessment) through on campus projects, such as increasing green infrastructure.
Alice Hartley, Board Member, Accelerating Circularity
Alice Hartley is an apparel industry veteran and Board member of Accelerating Circularity, a nonprofit focused on advancing circular systems for textiles. Previously she was Director of Circularity at Under Armour, and worked for over a decade at Gap Inc., where she led product sustainability, circularity, and supply chain initiatives. Earlier in her career worked in the green building industry and at several nonprofit research institutions. She holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT Sloan.
Joe Kells, Director of Business Development, Goodwill of the Finger Lakes
17 years as an entrepreneur and business owner. 26 years leading Goodwill of the Finger Lakes’ efforts identifying and bringing to fruition strategic business opportunities that have consistently delivered to the triple bottom line.
Currently leading Goodwill of the Finger Lakes’ collaboration with eight other Goodwills in the Northeast to stand up a textile feedstock production operation that will meet the needs of domestic textile recyclers at scale.
Goodwill of the Finger Lakes is a Rochester NY based nonprofit that operates several social enterprises. Its team of 700 associates delivers every day on the mission of elevating people, community, and planet for a good today and better tomorrow. Goodwill of the Finger Lakes’ social enterprises include 13 Goodwill Stores, a 24/7 Contact Center with national contracts, a manufacturing operation, commercial catering and Vision Rehabilitation services for 20 counties.
Joe Kells is a graduate of the State University at Geneseo, New York with a Masters Degree in Marketing from Mercy College.
Brianna Henley, Sr. Director of Sports Footwear, Reebok
Costanza Gomez, Co-Founder and CEO, Sortile
Constanza is the co-founder and CEO of Sortile. She is an industrial engineer and computer science major with an MBA from Columbia University. She spent over 4 years researching Latin American retailers where she developed a passion for sustainable fashion and supply chains. She co-founded Sortile in August of 2021 along Agustina Mir and is currently on a mission to divert textiles from landfills.
Dr. Hang Liu, Associate Professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design, and Textiles, Washington State University
With a background in textile engineering and polymer science, Dr. Liu's research focuses on the development of sustainable and functional textile materials. Her work includes recycling post-consumer cotton waste into high-value products, utilizing biobased materials to replace fossil-based polymers, and developing smart sensing wearables. The environmentally friendly post-consumer cotton waste recycling technology developed by Dr. Liu's group has been patented in the United States and several other countries. Dr. Liu is a recipient of the National Science Foundation's Early CAREER Award and has also received the Rising Star Award in 2020 and the Mid-Career Award in 2024 from the International Textile and Apparel Association.
Mike Andrews, Consultant and Advisor, The Footwear Collective
Mike Andrews is a highly experienced consultant and advisor with a 27-year career at Reebok, where he played a pivotal role in product development and sustainability initiatives. Now the founder of Wormwhistle LLC, Mike leverages his extensive industry knowledge to help brands in the footwear and packaging sectors adopt more sustainable and circular economy practices.
During his tenure at Reebok, Mike led groundbreaking R&D efforts, including the development of the Reebok Cotton & Corn and Reebok Grow products, which were among the industry's first plant-based sneakers. These innovations not only showcased Reebok's commitment to sustainability but also set a new standard for eco-friendly footwear.
Throughout his career, Mike has been at the forefront of developing innovative solutions that reduce environmental impact. He is presently a Strategic Advisor for The Footwear Collective, focusing on creating closed-loop systems and sustainable materials, and transforming waste into valuable resources, helping to shape the future of the industry.
© 2024 All Rights Reserved | Northeast Recycling Council | Privacy Statement | This site is powered by Neon One