ESG Insider: A podcast from S&P Global S&P Global

Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, we’re continuing our series on plastic with a look at steps some companies are taking to address the growing plastic pollution problem.  

The ESG Insider podcast launched the series ahead of international plastic treaty talks taking place in Ottawa, Canada April 23-29. More than 170 countries will gather to negotiate a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, with a view to agreeing on a global treaty by the end of 2024. 

In today’s episode, we talk to Dow, one of the world’s largest chemical and plastic production companies, to hear how it is approaching the challenge of pollution and waste alongside growing demand for plastic. 

We talk with the company's Lead Sustainability Director Jihane Ball and with Stephanie Kalil, Senior Global Business Director, Packaging & Specialty Plastics at Dow. Stephanie explains how Dow is working to change its business model for plastics.  

"We're shifting the business model from what has historically been a largely linear business model — where you basically make, sell, consume, then dispose — to more of a circular model, which is going to start with us designing with the end in mind so that we can ensure that all the products that we make are recyclable and delivering the lowest carbon footprint," Stephanie says. 

We hear the perspective of a company that uses plastic in its products and packaging in our interview with Allison Lin, Global Vice President of Packaging Sustainability at Mars, one of world’s the largest food and confectionary companies.    

And we hear about some of the emerging technology solutions for plastic waste in an interview with Adela Putinelu, Head of Policy and Sustainability at plastics recycling company Plastic Energy. 

Listen to the first episode in this series, titled "How plastic impacts companies, investors, public health and the environment": https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-plastic-impacts-companies-investors-public-health-and-the-environment  

Listen to the second episode in this series, titled "What's at stake in UN plastic pollution treaty talks:" https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/what-s-at-stake-in-un-plastic-pollution-treaty-talks 

And listen to our interview with Kevin Rabinovitch, Global Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Climate Officer at Mars: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-one-of-world-s-largest-food-companies-is-rethinking-supply-chains 

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.      

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global      

DISCLAIMER      

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or code

More than 170 countries will gather in Ottawa, Canada between April 23 and April 29 to negotiate a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution with a view to agreeing on a global treaty by the end of 2024. In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’ll hear from stakeholders who will be present at the negotiations about key issues being debated and the potential implications. 

Willemijn Peeters discusses policies and actions to increase recycling and reuse of plastics and reduce plastic pollution. Willemijn is Founder and CEO of circularity consultancy Searious Business, which works with companies to manage their plastic use. She’s also an Adviser to the UN on the global plastics agreement. 

We speak to Carroll Muffett, CEO of the Center for International Environmental Law, a nonprofit advocacy organization. He says that transforming and reducing plastic production will be one of the key topics at the negotiations.  

"We are already overwhelmed with plastic pollution and the problem is only getting worse. The only way to address that is to dramatically and rapidly reduce the amount of plastics that are entering our world," Carroll says. "These negotiations should be a wake-up call to any business that is anchored in the continuing production and use of plastic." 

And we hear the industry perspective from Stewart Harris, Senior Director of Global Plastics Policy at the trade group the American Chemistry Council, who says demand for plastic will continue to grow.  

"Reaching an agreement where the majority of countries can join is an incredibly high priority for the plastics industry," he says. "When we get all the countries sitting around the table, we get an agreement where they can all join, that's what's going to drive and have the most impact in terms of solving this issue of plastic pollution." 

Listen to the first episode of our miniseries titled "How plastic impacts companies, investors, public health and the environment" here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/how-plastic-impacts-companies-investors-public-health-and-the-environment 
Listen to our third episode in this miniseries titled “What companies are doing to address the plastic pollution problem" here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/what-companies-are-doing-to-address-the-plastic-pollution-problem 

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.      

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global      

DISCLAIMER      

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

Ahead of Earth Day on April 22, we’re launching a miniseries of the ESG Insider podcast looking at plastic. We’ll explore how plastic impacts human health and the environment, how companies and investors are approaching the topic, and what to expect from international plastic treaty negotiations starting April 23.

In today's episode, we hear about the health and environmental impacts of plastics from Dr. Philip Landrigan, Director of the Program for Global Public Health and the Common Good at Boston College. He was lead author of a major scientific study the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health published in 2023. 

We hear why recycling is only part of the solution to plastic pollution in an interview with Richard Wielechowski, Senior Investment Analyst in the Textiles Programme at Planet Tracker, a nonprofit think tank focused on sustainable finance. 

And we hear how plastics are affecting oceans and contributing to climate change from Aarthi Ananthanarayanan, Director of the Climate and Plastics Initiative at Ocean Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. She calls for a broad rethink of the approach to the plastic challenge.  

"We have to see it as an opportunity. We've done a lot of that work in the climate space already, but we haven't included plastics in the conversation yet," Aarthi says. "When we can break our minds out of the idea that we're on this inevitable trajectory with plastics, and instead we're planning for a future where what's good for investors is also good for our climate and our health and our ocean — there's a different range of goals and commitments you make, there's a different type of innovation that you have to be thinking about."
Listen to our second episode in this series titled "What's at stake in UN plastic pollution treaty talks" here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/what-s-at-stake-in-un-plastic-pollution-treaty-talks
Listen to our third episode in this miniseries titled “What companies are doing to address the plastic pollution problem" here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/what-companies-are-doing-to-address-the-plastic-pollution-problem 

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.      

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global      

DISCLAIMER      

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.

This week the ESG Insider podcast is covering key themes from one of the world’s largest energy conferences — the annual CERAWeek gathering hosted by S&P Global in Houston, Texas.  

The event convenes stakeholders from across sectors to discuss solutions to the biggest challenges facing the future of energy, the environment and climate — and the messaging from many speakers differed from what we hear about the pace of the energy transition at the climate or sustainability-focused events we have covered on this podcast. 

In this episode, we take the pulse of the global energy industry on the low-carbon transition on topics like energy policy, the path to net-zero and the role of AI and emerging technologies.  

Guests in today’s episode include: 

*Arshad Mansoor, President and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute, or EPRI  

*Lynda Clemmons, Chief Sustainability Officer at Texas-based utility NRG Energy 

*David Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy and Director of Energy and Environment Concentration at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs  

*Cheryl D’Cruz-Young, a Senior Client Partner at Korn Ferry, a global organizational consulting firm 

*Heloisa Schmidt, Corporate Sustainability Manager with Bechtel, an engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company  

*Takajiro Ishikawa, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America 

Listen to more CERAWeek coverage: 

CERAWeek: How cleantech companies are innovating to facilitate the energy transition https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/ceraweek-how-cleantech-companies-are-innovating-to-facilitate-the-energy-transition  

At CERAWeek, mapping one large utility's energy transition path:  https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/at-ceraweek-mapping-one-large-utility-s-energy-transition-path 

CERAWeek: One big bank’s solution to the energy tech finance gap: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/ceraweek-one-big-bank-s-solution-to-the-energy-tech-finance-gap 

CERAWeek: How one of the world’s largest mining companies approaches energy transition, nature: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/ceraweek-how-one-of-the-world-s-largest-mining-companies-approaches-energy-transition-nature    

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.      

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global      

DISCLAIMER      

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. 

In this episode of the ESG Insider podcast, we’re looking at the role that technological innovation will play in finding solutions for the low-carbon energy transition.  

This was a big topic at S&P Global’s annual CERAWeek conference in Houston, Texas, and we sat down on the sidelines of the event with two CEOs running emerging technology companies that seek to facilitate the transition.  

We talk with Dr. Jennifer Holmgren about the outlook for innovation. Jennifer is CEO of LanzaTech, a cleantech company that is applying its carbon recycling technology to capture carbon and transform waste carbon into sustainable raw materials for everyday products. And as part of our ongoing Women in Leadership series of this podcast, she also talks about her path to the CEO role and shares her career advice. 

"There were lots of challenges from the first time I told somebody that I wanted to be a chemical engineer, and he literally laughed at me, until today," Jennifer says.  

She gives the following advice: "Don't carry any baggage with you. Laugh it off because baggage slows you down and we're not on a journey where you can afford to be slowed down.” 

In the episode, we also speak to Dr. Enass Abo-Hamed, CEO and co-founder of H2GO Power, which is working to help facilitate the safe storage of green hydrogen. Enass talks about the challenges of green hydrogen and her advice for young entrepreneurs seeking to pursue similar projects. 

S&P Global's CERAWeek conference is one of the biggest events in the energy industry, convening global leaders to talk about energy and transition strategies.  

Listen to more CERAWeek coverage here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/at-ceraweek-mapping-one-large-utility-s-energy-transition-path 

Here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/ceraweek-one-big-bank-s-solution-to-the-energy-tech-finance-gap 

And here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/ceraweek-how-one-of-the-world-s-largest-mining-companies-approaches-energy-transition-nature 

Read S&P Global Sustainable1's new research "Women in leadership: What’s the holdup?" here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-in-leadership-what-s-the-holdup  

Listen to our podcast episode featuring Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy of the African Union Commission here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/podcasts/women-in-leadership-what-we-learned-talking-diversity-with-leaders-around-the-globe  

Tune into the podcast next week for more highlights from the event.    

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.      

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global      

DISCLAIMER      

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no w

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we’ve relaunched our ‘Women in Leadership’ series of the ESG Insider podcast. Over the coming months, we’ll speak with women CEOs and leaders from across industries and around the world.   

In today’s episode, we talk with Martine Ferland, CEO of global consulting firm Mercer, which is a business of professional services firm Marsh McLennan.  

Martine retires from her role at the end of March 2024, and in the episode she discusses her decision to step down and her approach to leadership and longevity. She also talks about empathy and economics, or the idea of bringing emotional intelligence to business decisions — and why she turned down the CEO role twice before accepting on the third offer. 

Read the latest research on gender diversity in leadership from S&P Global Sustainable1 here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-in-leadership-what-s-the-holdup  

Listen to our 2023 Women in Leadership podcast series here: https://www.spglobal.com/esg/insights/featured/special-editorial/women-in-leadership  

This piece was published by S&P Global Sustainable1, a part of S&P Global.     

Copyright ©2024 by S&P Global     

DISCLAIMER     

By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties.