HIGH FALLS, N.Y., April 08, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SoulBuffalo, a curator and leader of environmental expeditions and summits for the Fortune 500, today announced the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit. The summit is the first event to convene leading organizations in the plastics supply chain in one of the world’s five major oceanic gyres and will take place from May 17–21, 2019.

Summit participants include global plastics supply chain executives, leading NGOs, scientists and innovators who will circumnavigate Bermuda and experience the ocean plastics crisis firsthand, both onshore and directly in the Sargasso Sea, home to the North Atlantic Gyre.

The Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit aims to mobilize organizations in the plastics value chain to showcase high-impact initiatives, prototype creative new strategies and approaches, and spur large scale implementation of solutions to the ocean plastics crisis through inspired partnerships, joint ventures, and R&D initiatives.

Programming highlights from the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit include:

• Collaborative problem-solving sessions led by experts in the field and systems change veterans to share solutions, key initiatives and best practices in a private setting, illuminating synergies and partnership opportunities between and amongst participating companies and NGOs
• Emphasis on alternative business models, chemical recycling and global recycling solutions and infrastructure
• Expedition kickoff which includes a cleanup of one of Bermuda’s most polluted beaches
• Three full days at sea aboard the RCGS Resolute, a modern, well-appointed and safe research vessel, which is part of the most respected expedition cruise fleet in the industry
• Trawling in small craft for ocean plastics and fishing to observe the plastic contents commonly found in marine life led by 5 Gyres Institute
• Analysis of plastics discovered in the ecosystem via an onboard scientific micro-and-macro plastics lab
• Snorkeling in sargassum seaweed deposits to observe the way microplastics and natural fauna interact in the open ocean

“The two biggest sustainability issues we’re working on at Dow are marine debris and sustainable materials management,” said Jeff Wooster, global sustainability director at Dow. “We were early supporters of the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit because it takes collaboration between industry, NGOs and organizations that invest in infrastructure to solve the waste management crisis. Gathering at sea to experience the problem first-hand is critical to accelerating collaboration and solutions.”

“Addressing the plastic problem in our oceans today is everyone’s responsibility – including the companies that produce and use much of the plastic in the world today,” said Virginie Helias, chief sustainability officer at Procter & Gamble. “There is no one single solution or company that can solve this issue. Partnerships and scaled solutions like the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit are a crucial part of the future we need to invent.”

“We believe in making water better for people and our planet through our Brita® filters and reusable water bottles, which reduce the need for water bottles that can end up polluting our oceans,” said Ed Huber, vice president and general manager for the Brita business at The Clorox Company. “But as a company, we also want to think more boldly about other game-changing solutions to eliminate plastic waste and this cannot be done in a vacuum. Forums like the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit enable us to collaborate with like-minded leaders on ambitious sustainability goals we wouldn’t be able to achieve individually.”

“At HP we are committed to helping address the enormous problem of ocean plastics from multiple angles,” said Ellen Jackowski, global head of sustainability strategy and innovation at HP. “Working with our recycling partners, as well as recyclers and NGOs in Haiti, we have successfully designed a scalable supply chain that has enabled us to use more than half a million pounds of ocean-bound plastics in the manufacture of HP ink cartridges. Programs like the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit give us the opportunity to share our learnings with others and identify opportunities for collaboration to innovate and accelerate solutions globally.”

Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit participants and contributors include executives from the world’s largest consumer brands including The Clorox Company, Procter & Gamble, as well as plastics value chain and technology leaders Dow Chemical, HP and SAP, respectively.

Additional Summit advisors and participants include:

• 5 Gyres Institute
• Circulate Capital
• Closed Loop Partners
• Hatch Global
• IDEO
• Meridian Institute
• National Geographic Society
• Ocean Conservancy
• Parley for the Oceans
• SYSTEMIQ
• The Recycling Partnership
• The Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry
• WBCSD
• Winston Eco-Strategies
• World Wildlife Fund

Faculty and academic advisors to the Summit include:

• Julia Novy-Hildesley, executive director and professor of the practice, Change.X at Stanford University;
• Tensie Whelan, director, NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business and former CEO, Rainforest Alliance; 
• Micaela Bulich, operating advisor at CD&R, former supply chain leader at GE, Sabic and Dupont, board of advisors, A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

For more information on the Ocean Plastics Leadership Summit please visit: http://www.oceanplasticsleadershipsummit.com

For more information on SoulBuffalo, please visit: http://www.soulbuffalo.com

Media Contact
Jason Throckmorton
415-305-9476
jason@soulbuffalo.com