Nicola Jones was nominated for the ‘Woman of the Year’ award in recognition of her exceptional 25-year commitment to advancing steel packaging recycling at Tata Steel UK.
Nicola comments: “I am deeply honoured to receive the ‘Woman of the Year’ award at the UK Packaging Awards. This achievement would not have been possible without the incredible support and hard work of my entire team. Together, we have pushed boundaries and embraced challenges, continuously striving to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”
Her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication has spearheaded numerous successful initiatives, establishing her as a prominent advocate for positive change within the industry.
As an active member of various advisory and strategic working groups, Nicola has played a key role in shaping recycling and packaging policies and regulations across the UK. She also developed Tata Steel’s education programme, which delivers workshops to schools, colleges, and universities, emphasising recycling for sustainability.
“The packaging industry thrives on collaboration, and I firmly believe that our future success will depend on how well we work together to innovate and stay ahead of changing demands. As someone passionate about steel packaging, I’m excited by its role in driving sustainability, circularity, and longevity within the sector,” adds Nicola
“I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you, ensuring we keep innovating and delivering solutions that not only meet the needs of today but also the opportunities of tomorrow.”
Tata Steel’s Optemis Carbon Lite was also shortlisted for the ‘Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year’ for its innovative steel solution. This mass-balanced based system empowers can manufacturers to lower CO2 emissions across the entire supply chain in the short term.
As a flexible insetting solution, Optemis Carbon Lite allows customers to select the CO2 intensity they require, with independent verification by global experts DNV. These CO2 savings can be reported as a reduction in Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
The steel producer achieves these savings through projects focused on electrification, renewable energy, and process innovations. Verified by DNV, these reductions are ‘banked’ and offered as Optemis Carbon Lite declarations, which can be purchased by canmakers. Revenue from these sales is reinvested to accelerate further decarbonisation efforts.