Andrew Kirkland

International Paper, United States

Title: From Bottles to Bales: Operational Leadership and Innovation in Beverage and Paper Recycling

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Biography

Andrew Kirkland is the General Manager of International Paper’s Beaverton Recycling Facility, where he leads plant operations, safety, profitability, and sustainability initiatives. With more than 15 years of experience in recycling, distribution, and supply chain management, Andrew has built a reputation for driving operational excellence while advancing environmental responsibility.

Before joining International Paper, he served as Director of Warehouse Operations at Swire Coca-Cola, overseeing a 200+ person team and leading waste reduction, efficiency, and cost-savings initiatives across large-scale distribution centers. His leadership has consistently delivered measurable results in process improvement, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

Andrew is passionate about identifying hidden bottlenecks and transforming them into operational breakthroughs—proving that the fastest ROI in recycling often lies in overlooked details. He brings a collaborative approach to leadership, ensuring teams are empowered to meet both financial and sustainability goals.

He has also shared his expertise as a moderator and panelist at national logistics and supply chain conferences, most recently leading discussions on technology, innovation, and sustainability in recycling and packaging.

Abstract

Over 2 000 under-5-year-olds die daily in Nigeria from vaccine-preventable diseases, placing the country as the third largest contributor to the global under-5 mortality rate. Nigeria is at serious risk of not meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing child mortality by two-thirds (i.e. from an under-5 mortality rate of 93/1 000 in 1990 to 31/1 000 in 2015). To examine the association between household-level variables and under-5 mortality in Nigeria. Data were drawn from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, which elicited information on demographic and health indicators at the national and state levels. A nationally representative sample of 36 800 households was selected. Data were collected from 33 385 women of reproductive age (15 - 49 years) and who had given birth to at least one live infant in the 5 years preceding the survey. Data were analysed using a multilevel-model approach.In total, there were 104 808 live births; 18 121 (17.29%) children died as under-5s and 86 687 (82.71%) survived. Poverty, number of children ever born in a household, number of under-5s in the household, place and region of residence, maternal and paternal age, and maternal and paternal education level were critical determinants of under-5 mortality. The rate of under-5 mortality remains high in Nigeria. This will not be resolved until household-focused interventions are implemented using a tailored framework, and the need to improve maternal education in the country is addressed.