Trey Riddle, Ph.D., CFO, INDHEMP

Infrastructure and environmental professionals are facing a period of change. Evolving sustainability expectations, emerging regulatory requirements, infrastructure resilience challenges, supply chain pressures, and increasing demands for measurable environmental performance are reshaping how projects are designed, specified, and delivered. Future-proofing infrastructure now requires more than technical performance alone; it requires an expanded view of innovation, material selection, life-cycle impacts, and long-term project outcomes.

As the International Erosion Control Association and Geosynthetics communities come together, this keynote will explore how innovation across materials, design approaches, manufacturing, and environmental stewardship can help position the industry for future growth and compliance. The discussion will examine how evolving policies and market signals are influencing conversations around sustainability, embodied carbon, life-cycle assessment, circularity, and environmental product transparency. These developments present both challenges and opportunities for industries that have historically relied on conventional materials and established practices.

Rather than advocating for any single solution, the session will explore how geosynthetics, natural fibers, hybrid systems, and emerging material technologies can each contribute to improved project outcomes when selected based on performance, constructability, service life, environmental objectives, and regulatory requirements. Drawing on real-world examples, including the development of natural fiber applications, the keynote will demonstrate how innovation is most effective when supported by testing, standardization, credible measurement, and collaboration across the value chain.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for evaluating innovation, preparing for regulatory change, and identifying opportunities for sustainable growth while continuing to deliver the performance and reliability their customers expect.

This plenary lecture paired with a tasty breakfast is a great opportunity to mingle with the attendees from the IECA event.