This event, previously scheduled for June 30, has been POSTPONED. Stay tuned to this page for a reschedule date and new registration link!
An ELI Member Webinar
A global crisis of plastic waste is well understood to be threatening ecosystems around the world, with roughly 400 million metric tons generated annually, much of which ends up in the biosphere. But far less understood are a suite of technologies and processes that break down plastics into molecules that can be remade into new plastics or other products. Twenty-five states have adopted laws to promote chemical recycling. Proponents tout these techniques as a sustainable solution for managing hard-to-recycle plastic wastes. Critics, however, argue that facilities engaging in chemical recycling are not in fact recycling—and through their processes are generating hazardous waste and air pollution.
While plastic waste must be better managed, what, if any, should be the role for these various chemical recycling and reuse technologies? What are the arguments for and against this kind of management as the waste crisis continues here and abroad? Can chemical recycling finally make plastic a true part of the circular economy? Join the Environmental Law Institute and contributors to the Environmental Forum’s recent debate on this topic for a discussion about all of this and more.
Panelists:
Cecilia Diedrich, Staff Attorney, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Davis Allen, Senior Investigative Researcher, Center for Climate Integrity
Sandeep Bangaru, Vice President, Circular Economy Platforms, Eastman Chemical Company
Marco J. Castaldi, Professor, Chemical Engineering; Director, Earth Engineering Center, The Grove School of Engineering, The City College of New York (CCNY), City University of New York (CUNY)
Ross Eisenberg, President, America’s Plastic Makers™, American Chemistry Council
Rachel Meidl, Fellow in Energy and Sustainability; Deputy Director, Center for Energy Studies, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University
Renee Sharp, Director, Plastics and Petrochemical Advocacy, Environmental Health, Natural Resources Defense Council
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
ELI members will have subsequent access to any materials/a recording of this session (usually posted within 3-5 business days). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to archived sessions like this one, see the many benefits of membership and how to join.