Patrick Egan Speaks at Organic Summit

Patrick Egan (IPE '03) was a featured speaker at the Organic Summit in Boulder, Colorado, where he addressed the topic of sustainability scorecards. Here's a summary of Patrick's session.

A fundamental principal of organic is stewardship of our environment. As a result of the fast-paced acceleration of the organic industry, some claim that organic fairs only slightly better than conventional industries in sustainability impact. This session explores how three diverse companies evaluate their sustainability, what they learned along the way, their next steps, and how we can use their example to move the organic industry beyond "greenwashing" and as an example for other industries to model.

Patrick is the Innovation Brand Manager at Boisset Family Estates, a family-owned global wine company rooted in Burgundy, France, with wineries on two continents. As a pioneer in alternative wine packaging, Boisset believes it's essential to unite its dedicated organic, biodynamic and sustainable farming philosophy with an innovation strategy that addresses a wine's entire life cycle from vineyard to vessel, including shipping, recycling and reuse.

Hence, in 2005, Boisset launched French rabbit® wines in Tetra Pak, which reduces packaging by 90% and has one-tenth the carbon footprint of traditional bottles. After leading French rabbit's US launch, Patrick is spearheading Boisset's introduction of a complete portfolio of innovations that reduce wine's carbon footprint while offering value and convenience.

Patrick was raised in Denver, CO, and has a BA in International Political Economy from the University of Puget Sound, where he studied sustainability and economic development in India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia.

What can you do with an IPE major? Well, apparently you can be a leader in the sustainable business arena! Congratulations, Patrick.