27: How the Coca-Cola Brand is Shaped by Materials (feat. Raj Gopalaswamy)

The goal of many materials engineers is to develop more sustainable packaging to reduce environmental impact. However, the history of packaging shows us that manufacturers prefer to meet performance and design standards to make unique and long-lasting products. Soon, customers will expect their favorite brands to be more conscious about the impact of their products on our planet, so companies like Coca-Cola have been adapting their packages to fit both environmental and customer needs.

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Today’s guest is Raj Gopalaswamy, he served as a technical director of global packaging at Coca-Cola for 5 years. In this episode, he explains the role of packaging in consumer habits, sustainability and much more.

In this conversation, we discuss the following topics:

• Coca-Cola’s supply-chain
• Evolution of soft drinks packaging
• The business vs the science in a packaging engineer’s life
• The costumer-product interaction
• Role of materials in the future of packaging
• Recycling vs Downcycling

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Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed by either guests or hosts in this show are their own, and do not represent the opinions of the companies or organizations for which they are affiliated.