ACC's Baca likes 'bold goals' for sustainability

Joshua Baca doesn't bring much direct plastics experience to his new job heading the American Chemistry Council's plastics division, one of the industry's two major Washington trade groups.

Instead, Baca comes to the role with something ACC leaders said is critical now: A strong background in politics and government policy, including spearheading a $100 million plastic bottle recycling initiative for the soft drink industry.

With plastics environmental legislation picking up in states and Washington — and major consumer brand companies floating ideas like packaging taxes and fees on virgin resin to boost recycling — ACC leadership cited that political background as a key in hiring him.

"Joshua brings deep expertise on complex environmental and sustainability public policy issues that require coalition and consensus-building," ACC President and CEO Chris Jahn said. "Nowhere is that more critical than helping to identify, advance and implement large-scale solutions to solve the issue of plastic waste in our environment."

Baca started in September as ACC vice president of plastics and replaces Steve Russell, who stepped down earlier this year after more than a decade leading the division and 24 years with ACC.

Before joining the chemicals trade group, Baca was senior vice president for public affairs at the American Beverage Association in Washington, where he led the launch of its $100 million Every Bottle Back recycling initiative in 2019.

Prior to that he spent about 15 years in politics, including on Capitol Hill for former Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign as national coalitions director and stints in executive jobs for communications and policy firms Marathon Strategies and DDC Public Affairs.

In a mid-November interview, Baca talked about priorities and challenges for the plastics division, as well as coming on board during a pandemic that's meant sharing workspace with his 2-year-old daughter and getting to know the new team over video calls.

On the political front, he sees increasing interest in Washington in addressing plastics environmental issues, even if voters delivered a Congress that will be closely divided between Republicans and Democrats.

"I think there is bipartisan agreement on the need to deal with the issue of plastic waste and create a more circular economy for plastics," Baca said. "The way it looks like our government will be made up next year, no one party is going to have the ability to dictate what needs to get done. And I think there's going to be a window of opportunity for us to work on some of these solutions."

ACC in early October released a policy platform that included what are new elements for the plastics industry, like supporting packaging and landfill disposal fees and opening the door to recycled content standards.

While 2020 saw an unprecedented amount of plastics environmental legislation in Congress, ranging from the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act from progressive Democrats to more bipartisan and industry-favored bills like the Save Our Seas Act 2.0 and the Recover Act.

There's a lot in flux, with state governments continuing to be active with plastics legislation.

In Washington it's not clear if major recycling and packaging legislation would pass, even with the renewed interest, but Baca expects more hearings and debates and said he sees some unusual forces that could push action.

Most prominently, he said, there's increasing general agreement among industry groups for things like packaging fees or higher landfill charges to fund better recycling.

Some have gone further. The Consumer Brands Association, whose members are some of the world's biggest buyers of plastic, earlier in 2020 floated policy proposals including resin fees and more nationalization of recycling policy.

Baca wants ACC positioned to play a role in the overall debate, and he pointed to the industry-funded $1.5 billion Alliance to End Plastic Waste aimed at developing nations, announcements in the U.S. for several billion dollars in plastics recycling investment since 2017, and ACC's 2018 target of 100 percent plastic packaging to be reused, recovered or recycled by 2040.

"I think our industry feels well positioned on how we can play a very constructive role in these issues," he said. "There's a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in some of these issues and a really game-changing opportunity to make some real progress on some issues that really impact a variety of industries and stakeholders and, most importantly, the environment.

"This is going to take time but we are on the right path," he said.

Still, low recycling rates for plastics means that is a path with a lot of uphill terrain. The most recycled plastic packaging, the PET bottle, is only recycled at about 30 percent in the U.S., compared with 60 percent in Europe.

And the collapse of export markets for harder-to-recycle or mixed plastic waste, which have recycling rates of less than 10 percent in the U.S., has led cities to push Washington to do more to help local programs financially.

Baca also laid out what he said will be two ACC priorities: Opposing plastic product bans like those in the Break Free legislation and advocating that any policy framework includes what ACC calls advanced recycling, which uses chemical processes to break down plastics for recycling or conversion to fuels.

ACC noted in a Nov. 25 statement that Pennsylvania recently became the ninth state to pass a law providing a regulatory framework for the technology, which is also called chemical recycling.

ACC's October policy plan included prominent language that called for favorable regulations and "establishing deployment incentives" for advanced recycling.

"Advanced recycling legislation should also be on the table and ensure that when we think about the recycling process, that we not only recognize mechanical, but advanced recycling as a means to achieve some of these issues," he said.

While much of the public debate and media attention is on single-use packaging and recycling, Baca said ACC also needs to stay focused on the 60 percent of plastics not used in packaging and instead are components in cars, appliances, building materials and medical devices.

"We have companies that are not engaged on some of these issues regarding plastic waste and single use because they make very sustainable durable products," he said. "And I want to make sure that people recognize the contributions that these types of plastics make."

He noted the role of plastic in pipes providing clean drinking water, in insulation to make homes more energy-efficient, in lighter and more fuel-efficient cars, as well as in plastic packaging that keeps food fresher longer and reduces spoilage.

With President-elect Joe Biden and his administration focused on reducing the impact of climate change — and some in the environmental community arguing for less fossil-based plastic production as a means to that end — Baca said ACC needs to continue making the case for the positive role of plastics.

"It's important to remember that plastics already play a role in helping mitigate the issue of greenhouse gas emission," he said. "The plastics division welcomes being a constructive partner in the debate over climate issues because I think we have a story to tell there."

He said he wants ACC to "continue to advance bold goals to meet our sustainability and circularity commitments."

Baca said he will "measure success in the long term" for ACC in making the case that plastics have a vital role to play in society while working to clean up plastics in the environment.

"We have a plastic waste problem, but we don't have a plastic problem," he said. "People have agreed that it makes the world better. I view my job as making sure people continue to know that."