FAQs

Remember: reduce, reuse, recycle and replace

Who are you wanting to attract to PlasticClimateFuture?

Everyone and anyone interested in the climate, the environment and the role of plastics in these areas. But yes we are striving to attract what at first may seem the polar opposites in the discussion surrounding plastics and the environment; on the one hand the climate activists, those so compelled by the problems that they take to the streets in protest, those who are passionate about and having a sense of urgency for changes (those outside of the industry gates so to speak). On the other hand we want to attract plastic industry members (from the executive suite, to middle managers, to engineers and R&D, to operations, front and back office. Those who make their living in the plastics industry.

The art and discipline of making plastics

Ironically perhaps as someone from the plastics industry working for the largest plastic producers in the world, as an insider so to speak, I have had my own journey and struggles regarding plastics. After working on technology in research and commercial plants, where I experienced what I consider to be a true art and discipline in making plastics, to a sense that is all just about a better trash bag, or worse, does it come down to being the plastic trash on the side of the road, whiffed around by the wind of the passing traffic? I struggled with this for some time.

When I say art and discipline, I mean it. I invite you to imagine what goes on in chemical reactor, imagine it, there is a creative beauty here. That the human mind is able to figure some of this stuff out, it still leaves me with a sense of awe how nature works, that actually approaches this same sense of awe when I look up to the night sky. I know, it is just making plastic and the I am a nerd but it is true for me. And the discipline, doing this right, doing this safely. What a nerd. Maybe I just needed a serious girlfriend at the time, or took up clogging while living in Texas.

How do you expect that these apparent opposites will engage, and engage together?

Three pillars: good faith and respect, science and reason based and desire to move beyond greenwashing. We believe that there is sufficient common ground to engage and indeed to move forward. In fact, one objective of PlasticClimateFuture is to show this common ground to each other and all stakeholders, and to facilitate the use of this common ground to make a positive difference.

We see a lot of good things happening in the plastics industry (mechanical and chemical recycling, carbon footprint reduction, bioplastics, technologies to reduce plastic per application, etc.) and at the same time we see more of the same. (ex: the percentage of bioplastics versus fossil based has remained below 1% since my entry into the plastics industry in the late 1980s). We talk about moving beyond greenwashing, but is the industry more so fooling itself in thinking that it is considering the apparent unending growth of fossil-based plastics without increasing replacement of it by bioplastics? And on the activist side, are we kidding ourselves or even just virtue signaling by rejecting plastics, not recognizing the value of plastics, insisting on total rejection of plastics? Is the idea of a balanced approach just a cop out? At PlasticClimateFuture, we aim to talk about this. To touch on these difficult points. We don’t have all the answers, but we believe that by prompting such questions, however sensitive they may be, for both sides, we increase our chances of finding real answers and moving forward together. We believe that there are common ways forward. We all afterall share the same environment. That is not feel good talking, that is simply a fact.

Good faith, respect

Important to realize that the cynicism goes both ways. The activist to the industry member and the other way around. The activist thinking that it is all about money and profit. And the industry noting the consumer not willing to pay for the added cost of sustainability. There needs to be a discussion here? Who pays? Maybe the best way forward is that both pay more.

Beyond greenwashing

No BS. No self or other deception. We believe that greenwashing is done by those who have no real answers or who are not serious minded about talking on the challenges.