In this episode, Cory Connors welcomes his longtime friend and sustainability leader Robert Little to discuss Google’s sustainability mission—particularly its global work in circularity, recycling accessibility, packaging innovation, and the role of AI in modern waste systems. Robert shares his nonlinear career path, the principles that shaped his sustainability mindset, and how Google is leveraging its massive product ecosystem to scale sustainability solutions for billions of users worldwide.

The conversation explores Google Maps’ recycling drop‑off locator, Google Trends as a tool for understanding consumer sustainability needs, Google’s plastic‑free packaging design journey, and innovations like CircularNet and Materra, X’s emerging AI‑powered materials identification technology.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Robert’s Journey Into Sustainability
• Robert’s Role at Google
• Google’s Sustainability Mission & Circularity Goals
• Packaging Innovation at Google
• Google Maps Recycling Drop‑Off Search
• AI & Machine Learning for Waste Systems
• Materra (formerly “Project X”): Advanced Material Identification
• Advice for Consumer Brands
• A Call for Optimism & Sharing Good Sustainability Stories

Resources Mentioned:

• Google Trends – trends.google.com
• Google Maps Recycling Attributes
• Google’s Plastic‑Free Packaging Design Guide
• CircularNet (open‑source machine learning model)
• Materra by X (The Moonshot Factory)

Contact:

Connect with Robert Little on LinkedIn.

Closing Thoughts:

Cory and Robert emphasize the need for optimism, collaboration, and smarter infrastructure in global sustainability. Robert highlights the immense potential for AI, transparency, and ecosystem‑level innovation to keep materials “in play” and reduce reliance on new resource extraction.

They encourage listeners to stay curious, share good sustainability news, and use the tools available—many of them free—to design better packaging systems and reduce waste globally.

Thank you for tuning in to Sustainable Packaging with Cory Connors!

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This podcast is an independent production and the podcast production is an original work of the author. All rights of ownership and reproduction are retained—copyright 2022.