On this episode, we’re joined by Ian Montgomery, a sustainable design strategist at EcoEnclose and the former founder of Guacamole Airplane, a studio known for pioneering some of the most creative and technical work in sustainable packaging.
Ian has worked with top-tier brands like Nike, Whole Foods, Allbirds, Dell, and Flamingo Estate, helping them radically rethink how materials, storytelling, and infrastructure intersect. Today, he's helping scale regenerative and circular solutions at EcoEnclose, one of the most innovative packaging suppliers in North America.
Ian shares the messy realities and exciting breakthroughs shaping the future of sustainable packaging - from seaweed polybags and algae inks to the limits of compostables and why infrastructure (not innovation) might be our biggest barrier - and what he’d do with a $500B budget to fix the system.
Episode Highlights:
🌎 What the packaging industry gets wrong about sustainability
♻️ Why flexible plastics are the “final boss” of recycling
🧠 Smart strategies for early-stage brands with tight budgets
🌿 The promise (and pitfalls) of seaweed, mushroom foam & hemp
🔥 Why he's surprisingly pro-plastic—if done right
📉 Compostability vs. recyclability: which path makes sense today?
🏛️ How he’d reallocate $500B to fix end-of-life infrastructure
🔬 Processing tech and non-tree fibers that could change everything
Table of Contents:
00:00 – Ian’s background & EcoEnclose intro
04:00 – State of the sustainable packaging union
10:00 – Breakthrough materials & market shifts
17:00 – Advice for DTC brands scaling sustainably
23:00 – Recyclable vs. compostable: real talk
30:00 – What makes a material “valuable”?
36:00 – What Ian’s changed his mind about
38:00 – If Ian had $500B to move the world to 100% sustainable packaging
Links:
EcoEnclose – https://www.ecoenclose.com/
Follow EcoEnclose on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/ecoenclose/?hl=en
Follow Ian on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-montgomery-414a0964/
Follow Adam on LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-martin-steinberg
Check out https://www.kitprint.co/ for CPG production design support.
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