2025
Comparably’s Best Company Outlook
Market
Consumer Packaged Goods
At SWCA, we help Consumer Packaged Goods clients turn environmental and social challenges into opportunities by navigating regulations, reducing impact, managing risk, and building resilience.
We Want to Hear From You
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John R. Platko
Sustainability and Management Consulting Vice President
Tristan Steichen
Strategy Management Director
Overview
SWCA helps organizations embed sustainability and resilience into the core of their operations and value chains. Whether companies are looking to meet corporate targets, refining their strategic direction, or building compelling business cases for sustainability investments, we meet them where they are on their journey.
Our customized approach enables manufacturers and consumer brands to set clear priorities, allocate resources effectively, and implement solutions that deliver long-term impact. SWCA’s multidisciplinary team of strategists, scientists, and economists collaborates closely with clients to navigate industry-specific challenges—such as regulatory pressure, supply chain transparency, emissions reduction, and product lifecycle impacts.
We design and implement strategies that mitigate environmental and operational risk, unlock innovation, and drive measurable, financially sound results that align with evolving stakeholder expectations and market demands.
Environmental Planning and Permitting
Our environmental planning and permitting experts provide strategic guidance and tailored solutions to advance capital installation projects — from data centers and energy infrastructure to transmission corridors and complex developments on greenfield and brownfield sites. We help clients achieve planning goals while preserving environmental resources and navigating evolving regulatory frameworks. With deep local knowledge, strong agency relationships, and expertise in ordinances at all levels of government, our team secures timely permit approvals and environmental clearances, minimizing risks, surprises, and delays.
Whether supporting large-scale capital programs or site-specific installations, we define project objectives, engage stakeholders, evaluate alternatives, and adapt permitting strategies to align with economic, ecological, and resource conditions. Through collaboration, robust documentation, and innovative approaches, SWCA delivers regulatory certainty and sustainable outcomes that keep critical infrastructure projects moving forward with confidence.
Relevant Services
- Community and Stakeholder Engagement
- Construction Compliance
- Environmental Impact Assessments
- Risk Management
- Site Selection and Development
Sustainability and Management Consulting
As a global consulting firm dedicated to advancing organizational sustainability and resilience, we partner with clients at every stage of their sustainability journey—whether they’re launching foundational initiatives, refining strategic direction, or building persuasive business cases that demonstrate the financial value of sustainability investments. Our customized approach helps organizations define strategic priorities, allocate resources effectively, and implement solutions that drive long-term impact. SWCA’s multidisciplinary team of strategists, scientists, and economists collaborates closely with clients to navigate complex sustainability and resilience challenges. We design and execute strategies that mitigate risk, uncover new opportunities, and deliver measurable, financially sound, and sustainable results.
Relevant Services
- Business Case for Sustainability Investments
- Collective Action Facilitation
- Data, Disclosure, Reporting
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
- Nature-Based Solutions
- Organizational Resilience
- Strategic Planning
- Sustainable and Resilient Value Chains
Water Security Services
SWCA brings more than 30 years of expertise in water security, supporting clients worldwide. Our work spans diverse geographies and scales—from the Rio Grande Basin in the United States to the Mekong in Asia and the Danube River Basin in Europe—equipping us with a deep understanding of water challenges and globally proven solutions. Rather than approaching projects solely through a geographic lens, we focus on the challenge at hand—whether it is water scarcity, quality degradation, or infrastructure vulnerability—to develop tailored, impactful strategies.
Relevant Services
- Collective Action (Water Funds)
- Net Positive Water Impact Assessments
- Risk And Contingency Planning
- Source Vulnerability Assessments
- Water Efficiency Audits
- Water-Related Compliance
- Water Risk Mapping
- Water Security and Resilience Planning
- Water Stewardship Strategy Development
Meet the Experts
Sustainability and Management Consulting Vice President
John Platko
John has more than 35 years of business, sustainability, environmental, health and safety leadership experience. His client engagements involve the development and implementation of strategies, plans, and programs that emphasize simultaneous creation of business, environmental, and social value for private sector clients, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and multilateral organizations operating domestically and internationally.
John has led projects in more than 40 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and APAC. He has been a thought leader and problem solver on topics such as business sustainability/resilience, water security/water stewardship, climate change, circularity/waste management, environmental and social impact measurement/monitoring and operational environmental, health, and safety (EHS) risk and performance management in developed and emerging economies. Additionally, John co-developed the Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI) model with the New York University (NYU) Stern Center for Sustainable Business, which through business case and monetization tools enable better, more sustainable investment/resource allocation decisions.
Prior to consulting, John served on the corporate environmental staff for Scott Paper Company and Bristol-Myers Squibb and was a facility-level environmental engineer and safety director for a multi-site manufacturing operation. His current clients include Global 1000 organizations in the food and beverage, consumer products, energy, and business-to-business sectors.
Strategy Management Director
Tristan Steichen
Tristan Steichen has more than 30 years of experience with global consumer product companies developing sustainability strategies, including the financial quantification of sustainability risks (including new legislation) and the business benefits of alternative solutions. Tristan’s technical expertise focuses on recycling and circular economy system implementation.
Tristan also serves as the Executive Director of the National Lubricant Container Recycling Coalition. Tristan has been leading the NLCRC since its inception in 2020. Initially focused on building a national recycling program for lubricant packaging, the NLCRC has expanded to include legislative advocacy, with a focus on Extended Producer Responsibility and other packaging-related legislation. Tristan is currently leading the NLCRC’s efforts to introduce a lubricant industry focused EPR bill in California.
Senior Office Director | Front Range
Laura Nelson
Laura Nelson is an experienced leader and trusted advisor with over 18 years of experience in the environmental and sustainability services field. Laura has provided strategic sustainability services to clients in the food and beverage, consumer goods, manufacturing, technology, finance and energy industries. She has particular expertise in sustainability/ESG disclosure frameworks and standards, bolstered by a recent two-year position on the technical staff at the IFRS Foundation. Laura has also served as an Associate Director and facilitator for sustainability coalitions including the Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable and the ISSB Technical Reference Group. As a Principal Sustainability Consultant, Laura provides clients with solutions that proactively address sustainability risks, recognize opportunities, build internal competency and governance of sustainability matters, and help navigate the complex sustainability disclosure landscape.
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