Industry leader joins the United States’ first Producer Responsibility Organization for paper and packaging

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13, 2024

Contact: media@circularaction.org

Circular Action Alliance (CAA) is pleased to announce industry leader Jeff Fielkow as the organization’s chief executive officer, effective August 20, 2024. Fielkow’s appointment is a major milestone for the U.S. Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) tasked with implementing the nation’s first Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging. 

“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,” said 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.” 

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, Fielkow served as president and CEO of ID Images LLC, a leading manufacturer of converted label products, serving the food and beverage, consumer durables, health and beauty, and retail industries. Prior to this role, 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. In addition to his global roles at Tetra Pak, Fielkow spent nearly 15 years in a variety of leadership and operational roles within the sustainability and recycling industries, including with ReCommunity, Inc., Container Recycling, LLC, and Waste Management, Inc.  

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

“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,” said Fielkow. “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.” 

Since forming in late 2022, CAA has been approved to implement Colorado’s and California’s packaging EPR laws and has submitted an initial program plan to prepare for PRO approval and implementation in Oregon in 2025. The organization has been working closely with state regulatory agencies and other EPR program stakeholders, provided extensive feedback in state rulemaking processes, and conducted significant outreach to educate and register thousands of companies who will have new obligations to fund and manage packaging under the laws. The organization has made several leadership appointments and continues to build out its staff at the state and national level to support its commitment to simultaneously build strong local representation and a harmonized service delivery model.  

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About Circular Action Alliance
Circular Action Alliance (CAA) is a U.S. Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) dedicated to implementing effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging. As a nonprofit, producer-led organization, CAA is committed to delivering harmonized, best-in-class compliance services to all producers to advance an efficient and effective circular economy. CAA was founded in 2022 by 20 producers representing the food, beverage, consumer goods, and retail industries.