Plastics sustainability was the focus of a 2021 initiative launched by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. This initiative will be funded by the Sheth Sangreal Foundation and will help businesses reduce the environmental impact of plastics while improving their plastics value chains.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundations senior vice president, Marc DeCourcey, said plastics, like one-use cups and utensils and masks, played an essential role during the pandemic.
Sustainable management of plastics will be critical to the next phase of COVID-19 recovery, and as we work to create a thriving economy that is good for people and the planet, DeCourcey explained. Through this initiative, we look forward to working with the business community to drive significant progress in plastics sustainability and innovation.
To solve the plastics challenge, the Commerce Foundation calls for investments in research and development, a collaboration between sectors, and education. As part of its efforts to address these issues, Kyla Fisher, a Sustainability Fellow, was hired with the support of the Sheth Sangreal Foundation. A plastics engineer and industrial designer, her work will span the entire value chain, starting with materials engineering and ending with consumer use and recycling.
Innovators and investors will be invited to participate in dialogues to achieve plastics circularity. Research and educational materials derived from these conversations will be used to raise public awareness and drive action toward a solution.
How Brian Sheth Is Connecting Wall Street and Main Street for a Good Cause
Said Sheth Sangreal Foundation founder Brian Sheth, This initiative, led by science, will bring public and private stakeholders from Wall Street and government, including local officials, to the worlds largest network of conservation leaders to the same table to solve this global issue.
Sheth explains that businesses across the country need a set of standards to identify safe and sustainable paths to reduce their environmental impact. The self-made billionaire believes its crucial to study the complete life cycle of these practices to ensure they dont have other adverse effects on our planet and the people who live on it.
Fisher explained the value of plastics as a source of hygiene, health, and medical care in an essay on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s website. Plastics have supported local businesses. However, mishandling plastics can also cause damage. Since the pandemic, plastics have become more valuable, but theyre also harder to manage at the end of their useful lives.
Fisher’s sustainability plastics initiative explores innovation along the entire plastics value chain, from material science to end-of-life reusability.
Fisher wrote: In mapping this progress, we hope to uncover existing strengths and gaps to help identify where resources could drive the biggest impact. We also plan to connect innovators with philanthropic, private and government investors to expand investment opportunities in sustainable plastics. Lastly, we intend to convene multistakeholder dialogues so that investors and businesses can clearly communicate the opportunities and challenges they face in making the plastics value chain sustainable.
As a nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation strives to ensure America’s current and future competitive edge. It informs the public via an education program about how businesses and communities can be successful, how companies can positively impact communities, and how to address current and developing issues and formulate innovative solutions.
More About Brian Sheth and the Sheth Sangreal Foundation
The same systems-based strategies Sheth uses with his investment partners to help charities and programs achieve billions of dollars in value are applied to the charities he supports.
For our planet, our children, and our well-being. We ensure that no one stands alone while protecting life in a changing world, he says on sangrealfoundation.org.
The Sheth Sangreal Foundation was founded in Austin, Texas, by Sheth and his wife, Adria. Through granting programs and best practices support networks, the foundation seeks to provide funding and resources to the most vulnerable in society.
Furthermore, it aims to support veterans and their families and promote environmental sustainability, children’s emotional well-being, music education, and arts education. The foundation delivers measurable impacts in a process-driven, systematic way by connecting people, providing best practices, and providing essential resources.
He is known in his hometown of Austin for his charitable efforts, with a focus on the environment and helping children.
To date, the website states, We have saved 50,000 miles of forest, 83 species from extinction, and impacted over 120,000 children across the world.
And now, hes dedicating some of his time and funds to the pressing issue of plastics impact on the planet.
The critical need for businesses all over the country is to identify a set of standard practices to guide safe and sustainable paths to reduce their environmental impact, says Sheth. It is imperative that the full life cycle of these practices is studied to ensure they dont lead to additional negative impacts and damage to our planet and its people. These solutions cannot be accomplished by government mandates alone.