Interview with Diana Graciela Maya

I graduated as a Chemical Engineer from the National University of Colombia and later earned two master’s degrees from the Andes University, also in Colombia—one in Polymer Processing and another in Environmental Engineering through a COLCIENCIAS scholarship. Over the past decade, I built expertise across the packaging value chain, from raw materials to brand owners in Colombia and Mexico. In 2013, I moved to Houston under Kuraray America’s sponsorship, where I’ve spent 12 years providing technical support and inspiring innovation and collaborations in barrier applications, relying on technical excellence to build credibility for me and for EVAL™ EVOH. I was key in establishing our Houston packaging lab, which can study the physical and chemical deterioration of food. Capabilities include pH, water activity, and texture profile. As we compare high-performance legacy packaging to the recyclable monomaterial structures we are developing, this data provides insights into the shelf life of the food.  I graduated this year from an MBA in Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) in the University of Texas at Dallas. 

Today, I lead the Business Development strategy for EVALTM EVOH at Kuraray America. Which connect polymer science, sustainability, and the value-chain collaboration to deliver high-performance packaging solutions.

Helping customers clarify the sustainable concepts and how packaging performance can coexist with sustainability is the biggest challenge. They face pressure to balance performance, cost, and sustainability. My role is to translate polymer science into customer value and help converters and brand owners find solutions towards recyclability/monomaterials and performance to become a win-win for the value chain and for the environment. The industry must focus on developing real solutions, rather than issuing greenwashing statements.

KAI positions itself as the technical partner for the circular economy for the whole value chain. As part of that, we have multiple solutions in our portfolio that can replace the most challenging packaging materials, particularly those used to extend food shelf life with high-barrier requirements, enabling downgauging, in-house recycling, and monomaterial structures to help them meet global PCR recyclability guidelines. Our recent APR Design(R) for Recyclability Recognition validates that EVAL(TM) EVOH meets the highest criteria for PE films in flexible packaging.

What excites me the most is seeing research efforts scaling up from the lab to become sustainable commercial solutions. “Sustainable” means beneficial for the environment, for the people, and profitable for the companies involved. Our innovative materials allow truly sustainable possibilities. The Critical Guidance Recognition letter, for PE films incorporating up to 15wt% of EVOH, from the APR validated these approaches. I am most excited about mentoring young engineers, especially women and international professionals, who understand that recyclability is an opportunity to innovate, not a constraint.

• Performance: Prioritize food protection and waste reduction
• Sustainability: win: win for the people, environment, and the companies involved.
• Collaboration with the value chain to optimize innovative technology and increase chances of success.

Technical collaboration across the entire value chain is critical to build practical solutions that work for everyone. It requires high technical skills, adaptability, and transparency. In an AI-enabled world, success also depends on the ability to harness data, quickly and reliably, using AI to accelerate material design, predict performance, and optimize processing conditions. Data-driven insights supported by AI enable the translation of laboratory results into real-world performance more efficiently and sustainably. Ultimately, packaging suppliers who combine human expertise with AI-driven analytics will be best positioned to deliver consistent quality and meaningful innovation.

The key challenge is balancing performance to reach the sustainability guidelines while ensuring the costs of packaging allow the minimum profits required for the whole value chain to continue the business. They need technical partners who understand their constraints. In my role, I help translate requirements into actionable materials and design strategies, often using my customers' existing equipment. Generally, the customers who first innovate are those who partner early with suppliers and recyclers to align their objectives.

Recycling guidelines and EPR are the most significant drivers that have moved the industry's sustainability concepts from aspirational to non-negotiable. Brand owners now select materials that have been validated against global guidelines. Converters invest in processes supporting recyclability. These are practical engineering shifts driven by customer demand and validated standards, not marketing trends.

I believe sustainable guidelines will affect the final consumer and they will learn about the challenges the value chain is having, and that education will help them to take better decisions about what to buy and where to dispose the packaging after use.  In this way, materials will be designed for both performance and recyclability, resulting in higher rates of recycled material. This implies better quality and lower cost of the PCR resins. Testing protocols and data standards will become consistent across the industry.  Mono-material structures will become more common. The municipalities will support genuinely circular packaging models that can collect, sort, and recycle to truly close the loop of the packaging value chain.

• PackagingConnections.com could further strengthen its role by continuing to share practical examples of how innovation works in real applications with brand owners. It will help bridge the gap between research and real-world results, making innovation more tangible and inspiring across the industry.
• Additionally, integrating AI-driven personalization can enhance the user experience. For example, using AI to send a personalized email summary of global packaging news—tailored to each user’s specific interests—would make it easier for professionals to stay informed without information overload. Combining these storytelling and AI capabilities would transform the platform into a more engaging, insightful, and user-centric hub for the packaging community.

AI will accelerate innovation cycles, help communicate better with the end user to help them take actions to reduce food waste and optimize packaging recycling simultaneously. AI can simulate thousands of material combinations and predict performance before production trials. Across supply chains, predictive analytics powered by AI will enhance demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and logistics planning, helping companies operate more sustainably and resiliently.

Data might transform packaging into an optimized tool. Tracking oxygen transmission rates and moisture levels to maximize shelf-life performance under real conditions reveals what works, when, and why. Retailers could predict spoilage before it happens. Brand owners would optimize shelf time dynamically.

Automation improves precision and accelerates innovation and problem-solving. But the packaging industry still needs skilled people who understand material chemistry and process control.  Our Kuraray Research and Technical Center generates this type of data and shares the results with our customers to help optimize packaging and make it more sustainable or extend shelf life. If we could automate these results and link them to a global network in collaboration with the value chain, we would expedite the incorporation of the sustainability efforts.

Sustainability is embedded in KAI’s corporate strategy. EVAL(TM) EVOH delivers high oxygen barrier and chemical resistance performance while supporting circular systems. I work with customers to design structures to become recyclable, sustainable and extend shelf life, preventing food waste far exceeding the packaging material itself. We actively share the knowledge with the value chain and research to find solutions to all applications we are targeting. I am the holder of patent innovations and have presented at multiple national and international prestigious events like in the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), Polymer Processing Society (PPS), Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI), Instituto Colombiano de Investigacion en Plastico y Caucho (ICIPC), among others to share that knowledge. We also collaborate with industry partners of the value chain and actively interact with regulation bodies.

In the future, packaging will play a central role in personalization, consumer engagement, and brand storytelling by becoming a smart, interactive touchpoint between brands and consumers. Through technologies like QR codes, and augmented reality, packaging will deliver tailored content and immersive experiences that reflect individual preferences, regional cultures, or seasonal themes. It will also foster deeper engagement by enabling feedback loops, gamified interactions, and social media sharing, turning consumers into active participants in the brand journey. Moreover, packaging will serve as a storytelling canvas, communicating sustainability efforts, product origins, and ethical sourcing through transparent data and compelling design—ultimately transforming packaging from a passive container into a strategic brand asset, enabling consumers to differentiate between greenwashing and genuine efforts. The industry has a responsibility to be honest about what our materials can do, and packaging will become a great tool in that regard.

Material scientists, machine manufacturers, food processers, food scientists, marketers, and recyclers are partnering with regulators and the brands to design structures that are both high-performance and recyclable. Tech companies are utilizing AI to enhance design optimization. Universities are training the next generation. Regulatory bodies and brand owners are co-developing profitable circular standards. I actively build these partnerships because I believe that real innovation only happens at the intersection of collaboration.

• For young professionals and startups entering the packaging industry in the era of AI and automation, my advice is to embrace a mindset of deep technical knowledge and interdisciplinary innovation. Learn to collaborate across fields—such as data science, material engineering, food processing and other parts of the value chain to understand their pain points and design packaging that’s not only functional but also sustainable in the frame of the particular industry that will use that package. Stay curious about emerging technologies, such as innovative food technologies, smart sensors and machine learning, and explore how they can enhance supply chain visibility, customer engagement, and product safety. The future of packaging is not just about containers; it’s about creating connected experiences that deliver value across the entire lifecycle.
• In short, embrace collaboration and stay curious. If you are a woman or from an underrepresented background, know that there can be many opportunities in the STEM world.  Organizations need diverse talent. Speak up, track accomplishments, and do not wait to feel ready. You can build your path here and learn on the fly. 

My mother is my most impactful mentor. She had no professional education and faced single parenthood, yet became a successful entrepreneur through creativity and determination. She taught me that limitations are launching pads for innovation. That mindset shapes everything I do. Professionally, I admire leaders who deliver on commitments and balance technical excellence with sustainability. I am grateful to Kuraray mentors, such as Edgard Chow, who believed in my ideas and encouraged me to strive for industry leadership. I also value the mentorship from my husband, James Thottam, because he has encouraged me to speak up and trust in myself in a traditionally male-dominated field.

In the mornings, I usually do 5-10 minutes of yoga before taking a shower. That helps me stay focused and balance my energies through the day.  I also maintain balance through cycling. I lead the Kuraray America’s bike team for the Galveston Foundation fundraiser. We typically ride on weekends, 30-40 miles (50-70 Km). Those long rides reset me, and the joy of encouraging others to grow and see them executing their goals reminds me that teamwork is the key to success.

Preparation and clear communication. I invest time in understanding the context and preparing for meetings and projects I lead. I believe in transparency. If something is not working, I say so early, and depending on the situation, I discuss it with my manager before speaking up, but I still communicate it. I make time for deep thinking because innovation doesn't happen in back-to-back meetings. Unfortunately, that means working extra hours, but staying in control of the multiple projects is very important for me. 

I am motivated by the idea that I can solve sustainability problems and, little by little, “save the world” from my desk. My philosophy is simple: every working day, I should be able to create value for my company, for my customers, and try to protect the planet simultaneously. At the end of the day, I check that at least 1-2 things that I accomplished or that I worked in fit in that goal.