Plastics Industry Association hosts 2017 Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit
Plastics Industry Association hosts 2017 Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit
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Above: Holli Alexander, strategic initiatives manager of global sustainability at Eastman, speaks during the Global Sustainability Initiatives session at Re|focus.
The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), Washington, concluded its second annual Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit in Orlando, Florida, Thursday, June 29. The two-day summit featured recycling and plastics industry experts who presented solutions on how the industries can work collaboratively to advance manufacturers’ sustainability goals.
Next year, the Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit will co-locate with PLASTICS’ triennial trade show, NPE2018: The Plastics Show, bringing the entire plastics supply chain together in Orlando from May 7-11, 2018, to further engage plastics audiences that may not otherwise have the resources and opportunity to focus on sustainability and recycling, according to the association.
“Re|focus truly represented the next horizon of leadership around the sustainable management of plastics,” says Holli Alexander, strategic initiatives manager of global sustainability at Eastman, Kingsport, Tennessee. “I am honored to be a part of PLASTICS’ Sustainability Advisory Board, which is yet another way that the industry is demonstrating its priorities, focusing tightly on recycling while also expanding our view to understand issues and benefits of plastics used throughout their lifecycle. Through the collaboration that happens at events like Re|focus, Eastman is better positioned to help meet the needs of tomorrow through sustainable innovation.”
Keynote presenter Deborah Mielewski, senior technical leader of materials sustainability at Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford Motor Co.’s Research and Innovation Center, kicked-off this year’s summit by discussing the value of committing to sustainable practices, using sustainable materials for Ford vehicles as the example.
The summit concluded with a plenary keynote by Michael McKittrick, technology manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, who presented on REMADE (Reducing Embodied-energy and Decreasing Emissions Institute), a new vision for recovery and manufacturing.
Attendees spent the rest of their time attending a series of breakout sessions on topics facing both industries, such as A New Manufacturing Strategy with Recycled Content and Reducing the Manufacturing Footprint.
“We are proud of the content that our phenomenal speakers delivered at this year’s conference and believe we have truly raised the bar for ourselves to deliver this level of quality content next year,” says Kim Holmes, vice president of sustainability at PLASTICS. “We hope that attendees were further able to build industry relationships and network to make connections that can help implement real change to bring our motto to life: ‘Better Industry. Better World.’”
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Source: Recycling Today
Plastics Industry Association hosts 2017 Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit
<![CDATA[Above: Holli Alexander, strategic initiatives manager of global sustainability at Eastman, speaks during the Global Sustainability Initiatives session at Re|focus. The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS), Washington, concluded its second annual Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit in Orlando, Florida, Thursday, June 29. The two-day summit featured recycling and plastics industry experts who presented solutions on how the industries can work collaboratively to advance manufacturers’ sustainability goals. Next year, the Re|focus Sustainability & Recycling Summit will co-locate with PLASTICS’ triennial trade show, NPE2018: The Plastics Show, bringing the entire plastics supply chain together in Orlando from May 7-11, 2018, to further engage plastics audiences that may not otherwise have the resources and opportunity to focus on sustainability and recycling, according to the association. “Re|focus truly represented the next horizon of leadership around the sustainable management of plastics,” says Holli Alexander, strategic initiatives manager of global sustainability at Eastman, Kingsport, Tennessee. “I am honored to be a part of PLASTICS’ Sustainability Advisory Board, which is yet another way that the industry is demonstrating its priorities, focusing tightly on recycling while also expanding our view to understand issues and benefits of plastics used throughout their lifecycle. Through the collaboration that happens at events like Re|focus,…