Betsy Bowers, EPS Industry Alliance

Betsy Bowers, the head of the Expanded Polystyrene Industry Alliance, came to the Paris talks in listening mode and to react to early calls in the treaty discussions to include EPS packaging on a list of banned or problematic plastic materials. The group, which represents companies that make EPS packaging used in consumer products like electronics, is closely monitoring treaty discussions around extended producer responsibility laws and is interested in how depot collection programs like those being considered under Oregon’s EPR law could be used elsewhere. Ed Shepherd offers the perspective of the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which wants the agreement to reduce plastics made from virgin fossil fuels and identify problematic plastics or products that can be eliminated. The coalition is made up of major consumer brand companies like Unilever, where Shepherd works, as well as financial institutions and some global plastic packaging companies. He argues that the expected growth in virgin plastic production in coming years could make it very hard to meet the objectives of the treaty, without strong action. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@plastics_news Subscribe to Plastics News: https://www.plasticsnews.com/subscribe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plastics-news/ LinkedIn Professional Community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4270557/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plasticsnews Twitter: https://twitter.com/plasticsnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticsnews/