Image 1. Tyler Matusevich, Sustainability Director, Brook +Whittle
Image 1. Tyler Matusevich, Sustainability Director, Brook +Whittle, 2023

Tyler Matusevich, a local southwest Virginian, came to Blacksburg from just a few miles away in Radford, VA. “Having grown up in the New River Valley, going to many Virginia Tech athletics games in my youth, I knew I wanted to officially be a Hokie. Additionally, it’s a great school known for innovation with a well-established College of Natural Resources and Environment. I was accepted into CNRE as an undecided major in 2009, but after talking to my advisor and taking the Intro to Packaging course that first semester, I declared my major.” Tyler graduated in May 2013 with a B.S. in the degree that is now named Packaging Systems & Design. He continued his studies at VT by joining the graduate school in 2015 and got his Master’s degree in Natural Resources.

At first Tyler thought he’d want to go into nature conservation, but in order to help his future career path, he decided to switch to the packaging major. He told us that “I actually went into the college of NR&E because growing up, I would watch The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet and wanted to do something with conservation of our natural resources to benefit biodiversity. However, once I took the Intro to Packaging course and talked to my advisor about the careers in packaging, the opportunities, the pay, the retention, etc., I quickly decided to declare and knew I could take up conservation efforts for packaging. That is how I found my niche in sustainable packaging which has grown incredibly fast over the past decade with constant innovation and regulatory development for many years to come.”

When asked which classes were his favorite and which he’s found to be useful in his life after college, Tyler told us that “A friend of mine’s dad once told me that college is for you to learn how to learn. I do agree with that in general and Virginia Tech enables that. However, packaging science, similar to all studies, is of course beneficial to learn the finer details of areas that you will advance throughout your career. For me, in my current career, the most beneficial courses were related to material science, namely plastics and paper. However, the most important skills I learned were project management through labs, work at the CPULD, and internships/co-ops. This is a major aspect of my career in sustainable packaging, working with our suppliers, partners, and customers to develop innovative solutions. I also happened to find o-chem and my graduate statistics courses interesting, although I had to go to nearly every teacher assistance workshop.”

In addition to the classes, Tyler let us know that the relationships forged and the lessons learned during his time at VT were particularly memorable. “The memories and connections I made during my time at the CPULD and in general at Virginia Tech have helped develop my career and personal life. The systems thinking approach that is taught at VT PKG is critical to understanding the proverbial “real world.” You must understand the principle of causation. Every decision, change to a packaging component, design element, material, etc., all have subsequent impacts throughout the value chain from price, availability, performance, or end-of-life to name a few. Understanding cause and effect is something I use daily whether that’s in working with our operations team, sourcing, R&D, marketing, sales, or customers.”

Tyler has focused his career on turning the packaging industry more sustainable. He currently works for Brook + Whittle as their Sustainability Director. Brook + Whittle is “a leading manufacturer of pressure-sensitive labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, and heat transfer labels with a focus on sustainability. We are headquartered in Guilford, Connecticut, with a total of 16 manufacturing locations across the US; however, I live and work out of Richmond, Virginia.”

“As the Sustainability Director at Brook + Whittle, I drive the label printing and flexible packaging industry towards a more sustainable future through product innovation, environmental programs, and strategy, implementing sustainability partnerships throughout the value chain. Essentially making sustainability a part of everyone’s job. My day-to-day changes as one day it’s looking at scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, the next is pushing us towards zero waste to landfill, working with suppliers and industry groups on product development and certification, creating marketing content, working with our sales and customers to find the best solution, or developing our ESG framework.”

A large part of life is balance, and according to Tyler, “My home life consists of my wife, Katie, and our two dogs, Evie and Fitz who are both border collie mixes. When I’m not working, my hobbies mainly include both watching and playing sports, exercising, and socializing with friends (usually at a brewery). Some of my favorite things to do are watch my favorite teams (Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Arsenal, and of course Virginia Tech), go to the gym, and outdoor activities including walking, hiking, skiing, swimming and paddle boarding (usually with the pups).”

Throughout his school and career, Tyler has received numerous awards and certificates, including: 

  • AF&PA scholarship
  • Conducted ASTM and ISO testing
  • Graduate Certificate of Global Sustainability
  • Graduate Certificate of Natural Resources
  • Certified lead auditor for ISO 14001
  • Certificate from Business Training Experts for The Leadership Journey