---
title: "One Flight, Many Rules: Rethinking Packaging Regulation for Global Aviation with Joyce Power, Global Head, ESG at DO & CO AG [Speaker Spotlight]"
description: "One Flight, Many Rules: Rethinking Packaging Regulation for Global Aviation with Joyce Power, Global Head, ESG at DO & CO AG [Speaker Spotlight]"
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# One Flight, Many Rules: Rethinking Packaging Regulation for Global Aviation with Joyce Power, Global Head, ESG at DO & CO AG \[Speaker Spotlight\]

- October 8, 2026

[Devyn Smith](https://blog.generisgp.com/blog/author/devyn-smith)

Discover insights from [Joyce Power](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-power/), Global Head, ESG, [DO & CO AG](https://www.doco.com/), on navigating the realities of sustainable packaging across aviation, events, and hospitality, while balancing regulation, safety, waste, and operational performance. She also reflects on the barriers women can face at senior leadership level and the role organisations can play in creating stronger pathways for progression.

Hear more at the [European Packaging Summit](https://eupacksummit.com/), 27–28 October in Düsseldorf, as she shares perspectives on sustainability, leadership, and driving practical change across complex global operations.

 

 

---

 

### [![Joyce Power\_ DO & CO](https://blog.generisgp.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Joyce%20Power_%20DO%20%26%20CO.png?width=256&height=433&name=Joyce%20Power_%20DO%20%26%20CO.png)](https://eupacksummit.com/)*<https://aerosummiteu.com/>Could you begin with a brief introduction about yourself, and an overview of your responsibilities as Global Head, ESG at DO & CO AG?*

 

I am the Global Head of ESG at DO & CO, which means I spend most of my time helping the business navigate the growing world of sustainability, regulation, reporting and stakeholder expectations, whilst making sure it still works in the real world.

DO & CO operates across aviation, events and hospitality, so my role is incredibly varied. One day I might be discussing human rights due diligence, the next I am talking about airline packaging regulations, waste management at a Formula 1 event, or ESG data architecture.

A big part of my role is bringing different functions together. Sustainability doesn't happen in an ESG department. It happens through procurement, operations, finance, IT, sales and our frontline teams. A lot of my current focus is on cross-functional transformation initiatives, currently we are focused on ways to improve data quality, governance and decision-making so that sustainability becomes embedded into how the business operates rather than something that sits alongside it.

 

 

### *Aviation operates across multiple jurisdictions with very different packaging requirements. What are the biggest challenges in navigating conflicting regulations while maintaining a consistent global approach?*

 

Aviation operates across some of the most complex regulatory environments in the world. The biggest challenge is that sustainability ambitions are increasingly global, while regulations remain local. A good example is international catering waste. Through IFSA's (International Flight Service Association) work on both the European and US regulated waste campaigns, we have been highlighting the fact that identical packaging can be treated very differently depending on where an aircraft originates and lands.The waste itself has not changed, the packaging has not changed, and the operational reality has not changed. What changes is the regulatory framework surrounding it.

Brexit is a good illustration of this challenge. Borders changed, regulations changed, but the waste itself did not. Suddenly the same materials could be subject to different requirements simply because they crossed a political boundary. I think that the answer is not developing a different sustainability strategy for every jurisdiction. It is creating a globally consistent framework grounded in science, lifecycle thinking and operational reality, while maintaining enough flexibility to comply with local requirements. Ultimately, we need regulations that maintain safety and biosecurity while also enabling practical common sense circular solutions where they can be delivered safely.

 

---

 

*"I think that the answer is not developing a different sustainability strategy for every jurisdiction. It is creating a globally consistent framework grounded in science, lifecycle thinking and operational reality, while maintaining enough flexibility to comply with local requirements."*

 

---

 

*What barriers do you believe still prevent women from reaching the highest levels of leadership, and how can organisations and senior management help address them?*

 

One barrier that I believe remains under-recognised is what has become known as the"second glass ceiling." Research by the British Standards Institution (BSI) has highlighted that many women face a new set of challenges at exactly the point when they are most likely to move into senior leadership positions. While discussions often focus on helping women reach leadership roles, less attention is given to what happens once they get there.

The second glass ceiling is influenced by several factors. One is perimenopause and menopause, which can coincide with the years when many women are stepping into executive roles. Symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disruption, brain fog and reduced confidence can affect wellbeing and performance, yet are often misunderstood or mistaken for burnout. Another significant factor is the growing responsibility many women carry for elder care, often while simultaneously supporting children, managing households and advancing demanding careers. This combination can create an intense period of competing pressures at exactly the stage when leadership opportunities arise.

What is encouraging is that the evidence shows this is not a question of capability. Research published by Harvard Business Review in 2025, based on interviews with 64 senior women leaders across the US, UK and Canada, found that many women emerged from the experience with greater resilience, stronger self-advocacy skills, increased confidence and enhanced leadership capabilities. The researchers concluded that the challenge is often not women's ability to lead, but the stigma, lack of awareness and organisational systems surrounding them. Many participants reported that overcoming menopause-related challenges helped them develop new strengths and become even more effective leaders.

In my view, organisations and senior leaders can make a real difference by increasing awareness, reducing stigma, providing practical support and ensuring that career development opportunities remain accessible throughout all stages of life. If we want more women at the highest levels of leadership, we need to focus not only on helping women reach leadership positions, but also on creating environments where they can thrive once they are there. The evidence suggests that doing so is not only the right thing to do for individuals, but also delivers stronger outcomes for organisations. When talented women are supported through this stage of life, both people and businesses benefit.

As Anne Hayes, Director of Sectors at BSI, noted  \>  "Addressing the Second Glass Ceiling can offer many benefits, from enhancing productivity to ensuring organisations retain talented people and providing mentors who can draw on their experience to guide newer members of staff."

 

 

*[![imgi\_13\_DO-CO-Designteam](https://blog.generisgp.com/hs-fs/hubfs/imgi_13_DO-CO-Designteam.jpg?width=1920&height=884&name=imgi_13_DO-CO-Designteam.jpg)](https://eupacksummit.com/)*

 

 

### *How do you balance sustainability ambitions with the unique performance demands of airline catering, including safety, weight, heating requirements, and product functionality?*

 

The simple answer is that sustainability cannot come at the expense of safety or food quality. Airline catering is one of the more challenging environments for packaging. Materials may need to withstand oven temperatures above 200°C, maintain food quality, minimise weight, comply with food-contact legislation and survive a complex logistics chain - but also look aesthetically pleasing and align with the high quality brand expectations.

It would be easy to focus on a single sustainability metric and declare victory, but real life is rarely that simple. A heavier material may improve recyclability but increase fuel consumption. A material ban may remove one issue while creating another. Our job is to look at the whole system and ask, "What delivers the best overall outcome?" Sometimes the most sustainable answer is not the most obvious one.

The challenge becomes even greater when you consider the regulatory environment. Through my work with the International Flight Services Association (IFSA), I have seen first-hand how the same packaging can be treated very differently depending on the jurisdiction. Recently, the IFSA developed  infographics for both European and US regulatory audiences to highlight a key challenge for our industry: packaging that is technically recyclable may still end up being destroyed because it enters international catering waste streams subject to biosecurity requirements.

Even aluminium, one of the most recyclable materials we have, may never be recycled if it enters a regulated international catering waste stream. The material itself has not changed, but the way it is treated has. Through the International Flight Services Association's work on International Catering Waste, we have highlighted that packaging designed for circularity can still be prevented from entering a circular system because of regulatory requirements. It would be easy to focus on a single sustainability metric and declare that you are winning the fight against climate change, but real life is rarely that simple. The most sustainable solution on paper is not always the most sustainable solution in practice. Sometimes the challenge is not the packaging itself, but the system and regulations that determine what happens to it at the end of its life.

 

 

### *When regulations restrict certain materials, how important is it to take a lifecycle-based approach to ensure environmental impacts are genuinely reduced rather than simply shifted elsewhere?*

 

I think it is absolutely essential.

One of the things I have seen is that sustainability is very good at moving problems around if we are not careful. If we only assess one stage of a product's life cycle, we can end up solving one issue while unintentionally creating another. A material may look fantastic from a recyclability perspective but perform poorly on carbon emissions, resource use, durability or food waste. A lifecycle approach helps us move beyond assumptions and understand where the real impacts are occurring. Ultimately, the goal should not be to replace one problem with a different problem. The goal should be to reduce the overall environmental footprint as much as possible.

The IFSA International Catering Waste campaign illustrates this perfectly. One of the central points raised in both the European and US versions of the infographic is that regulations can sometimes unintentionally limit circularity. Large volumes of untouched food and recyclable packaging may still end up being incinerated or sent to specialised disposal facilities because of international catering waste requirements. The material itself has not changed, but the regulatory treatment of the material has. That is why lifecycle thinking is so important. We need to understand the full environmental impact of a solution, including what actually happens at end of life, rather than assuming that a recyclable package will automatically be recycled.

 

 

[![imgi\_17\_DESIGN-5](https://blog.generisgp.com/hs-fs/hubfs/imgi_17_DESIGN-5.jpg?width=1920&height=884&name=imgi_17_DESIGN-5.jpg)](https://eupacksummit.com/)

 

 

### *From a leadership perspective, what practical actions can organisations take to create a workplace culture that enables more women to progress into senior leadership positions?*

 

I think organisations often overcomplicate this. In my experience, the biggest difference comes from creating opportunities, visibility and support. Make sure that the right people with the right skills and motivation are included in important projects, exposed to decision-makers and given opportunities to stretch themselves before they feel completely ready.

I have also found that sponsorship can be even more important than mentorship. Mentors give advice. Sponsors use their influence to open doors. Most importantly, leaders need to challenge their own assumptions about what leadership looks like. There is no single template for a successful leader, and organisations become stronger when different perspectives are represented around the table.

 

 

### *What is one leadership lesson from your own career that has influenced how you approach complex ESG challenges and drive change across an international organisation?*

 

One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that data rarely tells the whole story.  Starting out in my career, I thought success came from having the perfect, pitch, strategy and the perfect Excel sheet/ Access dashboard. Over time, I realised that lasting change comes from understanding how the business actually works and spending time with the people closest to the challenge. Waste is a good example. People often see waste as a sustainability KPI, but it can actually tell you a lot about operational performance. If waste suddenly increases, it may point to issues with planning, forecasting, packaging choices, training or process design. The sustainability metric is simply the symptom. The real value and impact comes from understanding what is happening behind the number.

Hard learned experience has taught me that effective ESG leadership is not about sitting behind a spreadsheet or a great looking strategy deck. It is about combining data, technology and strategy with human insight. AI can help us understand what is happening. People help us understand why it is happening, what stands in the way of change and where we can create the greatest impact. Sometimes the problem you see in the data is not the problem you need to solve. If we focus only on the metric, we may improve the number without addressing the root cause. If we understand what is driving the outcome, we can target the intervention that creates the greatest impact. The greatest impact comes from solving the problem behind the problem.

 

---

 

*"Sometimes the problem you see in the data is not the problem you need to solve. If we focus only on the metric, we may improve the number without addressing the root cause.*

*If we understand what is driving the outcome, we can target the intervention that creates the greatest impact. The greatest impact comes from solving the problem behind the problem."*

 

---

 

[![imgi\_10\_AirlineCatering\_WebSite\_neu2](https://blog.generisgp.com/hs-fs/hubfs/imgi_10_AirlineCatering_WebSite_neu2.jpg?width=1920&height=884&name=imgi_10_AirlineCatering_WebSite_neu2.jpg)](https://eupacksummit.com/)

 

### *Which aspect of the European Packaging Summit are you most looking forward to?*

 

One of the things I am most looking forward to is joining the dots on perspectives from industries that do not always have the opportunity to learn from one another. Through my work with IFSA and the ongoing discussions around international catering waste, I have seen how packaging challenges often sit at the intersection of sustainability, food safety, logistics, regulation and operational reality - I am really hoping to share our challenges and hopefully find some optimistic solutions.

 

---

 

Our thanks to [Joyce Power](https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-power/), Global Head, ESG, [DO & CO AG](https://www.doco.com/), for sharing her bold perspectives on sustainable packaging, global regulation, and driving meaningful change across complex operations, alongside powerful insights on women in leadership and creating stronger routes to senior roles.

Join us at the [European Packaging Summit](https://eupacksummit.com/) to hear more from the leaders challenging convention and shaping what comes next for packaging and sustainability.

 

![Devyn Smith](https://blog.generisgp.com/hubfs/Devyn%20Headshot_1.jpg)

## [Devyn Smith Digital Marketing Specialist](https://blog.generisgp.com/blog/author/devyn-smith)

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