Kickstart: Profiling leaders who make plastics more sustainable

This week Plastics News is profiling our inaugural class of Notable Leaders in Sustainability, a new addition to our special report calendar.

When we started planning this project, I wrote that this initial group would be highly selective. To qualify, nominees had to serve in a senior leadership role or lead sustainability initiatives at an organization and make a measurable impact on the environment through their efforts. They also had to demonstrate leadership through involvement in professional organizations and civic and community initiatives.

To help get the project started, I reached out to several people whom I felt were highly qualified, and I personally encouraged some others to nominate people they felt were deserving. The response was 100 percent positive. And I think the project is a huge success. Check out our 28 profiles and let me know if you agree.

We plan to make this an annual feature; the 2024 report is scheduled for Oct. 14. So if you have someone in mind to nominate, you'll have the opportunity.

Prioritizing environmental goals is good for business, and I feel that there has never been a more appropriate time to recognize the individuals and organizations that are driving progress toward sustainability. Global challenges related to the environment, including climate change and pollution, are growing more urgent every day.

Formosa Plastics' massive Point Comfort, Texas, facility recently earned a silver-level Mother-Friendly Worksite award from the state Health and Human Services department. The program recognizes employers that support employees who choose to breastfeed their infants.

Formosa repurposed a former women's shower area, which was renovated to be a cozy and comfortable area for mothers away from their children. Features in the room include a refrigerator for storing breast milk, a chair, lockers for storing pump equipment and a sink for cleaning pumps.

"We ran into some roadblocks and challenges, but our vision came to life," HR benefits administrator Shelby Herrera told The Port Lavaca Wave.

"We're so grateful for everyone who helped us, and we're so thankful for our manager. She had a vision too and she had that designer mindset in her. It was a team effort, from top to bottom."

With the room's opening, Formosa Plastics is now the first manufacturing site to achieve the silver-level designation, which is reserved for companies that include policies that go beyond the minimum criteria to support mothers who choose to breastfeed their infants.

Kal Plastics, a custom thermoformer based in Vernon, Calif., has been officially certified as a Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.

WBENC calls itself "the gold standard" of women-owned business certification. Its process confirms that the business is at least 51 percent owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women and that the business has appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place.

Kal Plastics is a heavy-gauge, cut-sheet thermoformer. President and CEO Juliet Goff said receiving WBENC certification is a significant achievement.

"This certification celebrates the influential role of women in leadership, not only within our industry but across the broader business landscape," Goff said.

WBENC includes more than 18,000 certified WBEs.