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As the global sustainability procurement development leader for Trinseo PLC in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland, Alejandra Carrion said her career intersects her passions of "sustainability, people and profits."
Carrion seeks to drive sustainability transformation within the plastics industry, foster collaboration between companies and encourage the commercialization of new advanced recycling technologies.
"Plastics play a vital role in our society, and I deeply appreciate the added value they provide in preserving, protecting and enhancing everyday items. I believe there is a need for broader understanding and education about the benefits of plastics while also improving awareness about the need for circularity," she said.
"We truly need to transform how we use, manage and reuse these valuable resources to ensure plastics are not only functional but also optimized for their end applications, which could have some environmental benefits over alternative materials," she added.
With a growing global plastics waste problem, Carrion said, investing in circularity can resolve this issue and mitigate the industry's effects on climate change.
"People working in the chemical and plastics industry have an essential role to play in closing the loop on plastics, as our professional work can have a larger impact if we work together to bring sustainable solutions," she said. "With this in mind, I am proud to be leading efforts at Trinseo to drive plastics supply chain collaboration and transformation to help make a circular future a reality. In this way, I am helping to drive change from inside."
Carrion previously worked as a raw material analyst for PPG Industries Inc. before becoming a raw materials procurement manager for Trinseo. "In this role, I was responsible for securing raw materials for different business units at Trinseo, with an increasing degree of responsibility and budget," she said.
In 2022, she became Trinseo's global sustainability procurement development leader, a role in which she leads the team responsible for emissions management systems, traceability certifications, and sustainable procurement policies and strategy, as well as securing feedstocks for recycling projects.
"I am most proud of the work we have completed to introduce Trinseo's Suppliers Sustainability Program. We saw that while our company had very intimate collaboration with our suppliers, especially for raw materials, there was an overall lack of structured approach to sustainability. My team implemented an engagement program at different levels within the company that has increased our collective knowledge around sustainability in the supply chain, the controls in place to ensure our suppliers perform their operations in a more sustainable manner and the sustainability criteria for vendor selection.
"Alongside this, we implemented a Scope 3 emissions program at Trinseo, which leveraged this structured collaboration to help us inventory our supply chain emissions. Two years ago, we had not started an inventory; fast forward to this summer, and we have just received third-party limited assurance and are evaluating the addition of a Scope 3 reduction goal.
"Additionally, I am proud of the work we have achieved in securing feedstocks for Trinseo's advanced recycling technologies. In 2023, our company announced the piloting of polycarbonate (PC) dissolution and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerization. My team has been instrumental in building the relationships for PC and PMMA waste streams to help close the loop on these materials," she said.