Group Lead, Ved Krishna
In this episode of the Good Garbage Podcast, host Ved Krishna sits down with Dr. Alexey Vishtal, a scientist and industry expert in pulp, paper, and sustainable packaging, to explore the material reality behind sustainability.
From Russia to Finland: Early Influences
Dr. Alexey Vishtal traces his path from Russia to a career in Finland’s paper and pulp industry, sharing how geography and curiosity shaped his deep expertise in material science.
The Science of Paper Stretchability
Alexey’s PhD focused on a surprising property of paper — its stretchability — and he explains why this overlooked characteristic is critical for developing next-generation sustainable packaging.
Inside Nestlé: Sustainability at Scale
Working inside a global corporation like Nestlé gave Alexey rare insight into how sustainability moves (or stalls) within large systems — and what it actually takes to drive change from within.
Regulation, Consumers, and Real Change
Alexey examines the roles that regulation, consumer demand, and industry incentives play in accelerating or impeding the transition to truly sustainable packaging materials.
Why Water Vapor Barriers Are So Hard
One of the most persistent technical challenges in sustainable packaging is creating effective water vapor barriers without plastic — Alexey explains the physics and why it remains an unsolved problem at scale.
Learning from Nature
Nature has solved many of the packaging challenges we face — Alexey explores how biomimicry and natural material systems can inspire new approaches to sustainable packaging design.
The Future of Sustainable Materials
Alexey shares his vision for where sustainable packaging materials are headed, what breakthroughs are on the horizon, and why collaboration between scientists, brands, and policymakers is essential.
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