As the issue of microfiber and microplastic pollution continues to populate news reports and social media, consumer awareness continues to grow. As a result, these consumers often look to brands and retailers to make the next move.
So how can we move beyond awareness and take the lead as an industry using science-based metrics to shape sound actions and monitor progress?
Join us on Wednesday, March 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. PDT) for our next sustainability webinar, Turning the Tides: Tackling Our Ocean’s Plastic Pollution Problem.
Beginning with a general approach to the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans, our expert speakers will propose a plan to tackle this issue as well as present updated research on the generation of microfibers in laundry, including cotton, polyester, and rayon.
UPDATE: Registration for this webinar is now closed.
Click here to watch the recording.
About the Speakers
Dr. Jesse Daystar
Chief Sustainability Officer
Cotton Incorporated
Webinar Moderator
Dr. Jesse Daystar is the Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Sustainability at Cotton Incorporated. In this role, Daystar oversees and coordinates internal and external sustainability efforts. These efforts include directing sustainability research, working with cotton industry stakeholders to develop industry stainability goals, assisting in the communication of sustainability messages, and providing technical insights to Cotton Incorporated, the cotton industry, and brands.
Dr. Daystar’s career at Cotton Incorporated began in 2017. Prior to his work at Cotton Incorporated, Daystar was the Assistant Director of the Center for Sustainability and Commerce at Duke University where he directed sustainability research for apparel, energy, bioproduct, and other industry sectors. He earned his two Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering and Pulp & Paper Engineering, a Master’s of Science Degree and a Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University.
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Carole Dubois
Senior Sustainability Consultant
Quantis
Webinar Presenter
Passionate about making complex data accessible and valuable to businesses, Carole Dubois spent more than ten years supporting organizations who desire to embed sustainability in their strategy, generating long-lasting added value.
Dubois made her name as a sustainability consultant at Quantis, working with the scientific Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) community worldwide, working extensively with leading multinational companies in the agri-food, consumer goods and packaging sectors. As leader of the plastic pollution topic at Quantis, Dubois works with all actors desiring to be part of the solution reducing the issue of waste and microplastics.
Managing collaborative platforms and providing education on sustainability to professionals at the Lausanne University Business School and EPFL requires her to apply the soft skills she works on as a coach in self-leadership, which she teaches for MBA professionals at the University of Geneva, HEC faculty.
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Dr. Richard Venditti
Elis-Signe Olsson Professor, Forest Biomaterials Department
North Carolina State University
Webinar Presenter
Dr. Richard Venditti is the Elis-Signe Olsson Professor in Pulp and Paper Science and Engineering in the Forest Biomaterials Department at North Carolina State University. He is involved in developing effective systems to transform renewable plant based resources into sustainable products. Venditti uses environmental life cycle analysis to guide and analyze research in bioproducts. He is currently heading a multi-organization research project to understand the fate of microparticles from laundering in the environment. He also is the principal investigator of a four year, $2.75 million United States Department of Agriculture program entitled, Preparing Diverse and Rural Students and Teachers to Meet the Challenges of the Bioproducts and Bioenergy Industry. Venditti teaches Unit Operations of Pulp and Paper, Process Control and Introduction to the Bioeconomy classes. He is the director of the Pulp and Paper Workshop at NCSU, co-sponsored by the Technical Association of Pulp and Paper Industries (TAPPI).
Venditti received a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University, was named a TAPPI Fellow in 2012, and was named a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Environmental Science in 2009. He currently has over 150 peer reviewed publications and three patents. His technology was the catalyst of a start-up company, Tethis, that produces renewable products such as superabsorbent polymers from carbohydrates.