# 44 - Philippe Erhart - leadership in a crisis and how sustainability and diversity connect

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2020-12-29
- Length: 52m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-1ac

## Summary

Philippe Erhart, President of North America for Beauty and Home at Aptar, discusses his leadership during the pandemic, emphasizing empathy, transparency, and the decision to avoid layoffs while prioritizing employee safety. He details Aptar's focused strategy in dispensing technologies across beauty, food, and pharma, and highlights the company's aggressive shift toward sustainability, specifically converting from virgin plastics to post-consumer resin (PCR). Erhart also connects the industry's sustainability challenges to broader social issues, arguing that diversity, inclusion, and civil discourse are essential for business resilience and societal progress.

## Chapters

- [0:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=10) Introduction: Philippe Erhart and Aptar's Leadership
- [5:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=337) Erhart's Background: France, Martinique, and Career Path
- [15:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=903) Aptar's Business Model: Dispensing Technologies and Segments
- [22:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=1334) Pandemic Leadership: Safety, Remote Work, and No Layoffs
- [38:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=2327) Misinformation in Pandemic and Packaging Sustainability
- [46:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c#t=2802) The Magic Sword: Fixing Diversity and Social Civility

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Aptar (company)
- Sonoco (company)
- Mitsubishi (company)
- Unilever (company)
- Proctor and Gamble (company)
- L'Oreal (company)
- Loop (product)
- Ensure (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How I Built Resilience: Live with Jenn Hyman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-06-04-how-i-built-resilience-live-with-jenn-hyman) (How I Built This)
- [Electronica 24: InCap's Otto Pukk Wants Manufacturing to be Thoughtful, Sustainable and Fun](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-11-27-electronica-24-incaps-otto-pukk-wants-manufacturing-to-be-thoughtful-sustainable) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [How I Built Resilience: Live with Melanie Perkins and Bill Creelman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2020-06-27-how-i-built-resilience-live-with-melanie-perkins-and-bill-creelman) (How I Built This)
- [Leading through radical change with Julia Hartz of Eventbrite](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-10-19-leading-through-radical-change-with-julia-hartz-of-eventbrite) (How I Built This)
- [The State of Manufacturing: Resilience in Uncertain Times with Willem Sundblad](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2023-02-07-the-state-of-manufacturing-resilience-in-uncertain-times-with-willem-sundblad) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2020-12-29-44-philippe-erhart-leadership-in-a-crisis-and-how-sustainability-and-diversity-c. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.