Join Newsweek Thursday for a Live Event: Turning the Tide on Plastic Waste

Marine scientists estimate that, on average, every minute the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic waste enters the world’s oceans, where it harms ocean wildlife and threatens entire ecosystems. Human health concerns about plastics are also on the rise as more research emerges about our exposure to microplastics and hazardous chemical components of some plastic materials.

Three years ago, world leaders at the United Nations Environment Assembly pledged to do something about plastic waste with a historic resolution to forge an international agreement to address the full lifecycle of plastic from production and design to collection, disposal and recycling.

The U.N. goal was to finalize a treaty on plastic pollution by the end of 2024. However, the last round of talks ended in stalemate between some wealthy nations that produce plastics and the developing countries that often end up shouldering the burden of plastic waste. Next month, international negotiators will gather in Geneva in another attempt to reach an agreement on a global plastic treaty.

Join Newsweek Thursday, July 24, at 2 p.m. ET for the live remote event “Turning the Tide on Plastic Waste,” an expert discussion on the treaty and what it could mean for one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Our panel will feature leading industry innovators working to reduce packaging waste and improve recycling alongside policy experts who will unpack the treaty’s key provisions and preview what to expect in the next round of talks.

Panelists include:

Steve Alexander, president and chief executive officer of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR). As the international trade association representing the plastics recycling industry, the APR is “the voice of plastics recycling,” and members cover a wide range of companies committed to the success of plastics recycling. Alexander spent more than 20 year representing corporate and association clients on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures, including 10 years with Eastman Kodak Company, where he specialized in environment, technology and appropriations issues. Read about the APR’s work to improve plastic recycling in this story from December.

Dr. Douglas McCauley, professor at the University of California Santa Barbara and adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley. McCauley is the director of UC Santa Barbara’s Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory and co-director of UC Berkeley’s Eric and Wendy Schmidt Center for Data Science and Environment. McCauley was named a Sloan Research Fellow in the Ocean Sciences and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Friends of Ocean Action. His research includes field work with marine animals directly affected by plastic waste and analysis of the potential impacts of policies under consideration in the UN global plastics treaty. Read about some of McCauley’s analysis of plastic waste policies in this story from November.

Erin Simon, vice president and head, Plastic Waste and Business at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since joining WWF in 2011, Simon has played an integral role in growing the partnerships, programs and science that have made WWF a leader in solving plastic pollution. In addition to helping spearhead WWF’s No Plastic in Nature initiative, she led the development of programs to transform how business can fight plastic waste. An expert on plastics and packaging, Simon is a key member of the WWF delegation advocating for a global plastics treaty. Before WWF, she was a packaging engineer at HP for 10 years, responsible for the design and implementation of laser jet printer and media packaging. Read some of Simon’s analysis of the last round of treaty talks in this story from December.

Moderated by Newsweek‘s environment and sustainability editor, Jeff Young, “Turning the Tide on Plastic Waste” will offer timely insights for business and community leaders working to meet the plastic waste challenge. Register here and then join us Thursday from your laptop or mobile device.