Confronting Plastic and Fears

In this newsletter, we highlight climate solutions and sustainability practices, the roadblocks to progress, and quick coaching tips to overcome them. It's meant to be a quick read to sharpen your tools and accelerate results. At the end we put the spotlight on who's doing it well.

If you find this useful, please subscribe and share it with your network because "alone we can do so little; but together, we can do so much!"

World Environment Day

The UN Environment Programme has put together a practical guide to #BeatPlasticPollution that describes the scale of the problem, where it comes from, how it affects us, how to solve the plastics crisis, what progress is being made so far, and what more needs to be done.

The Plastic Waste Makers Index Scorecards by the Minderoo Foundation show the 20 companies that are responsible for more than half of all single-use plastic in the world. The Scorecards show how each company is progressing towards #circularity , what its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are, and the SUP waste footprint - the company's contribution to single-use plastic waste.

Roadblocks to Progress

One of the biggest roadblocks to faster progress in eliminating plastic pollution is what companies and officials portray as a difficulty in changing consumer behavior. While on the surface that may be true, the real driver of the challenge is the FEAR companies and officials have of how they might be perceived by the consumers if they instituted changes and the potential loss of market share.

How to overcome this roadblock: Coaching Tips

• Engaging stakeholders: if you want lasting change, you have to really mean it when you ask people to participate. Don't ask just for the sake of asking, that's the fastest way to lose trust. If you want engagement and lasting change, bring every relevant stakeholder early in the process and foster transparency every step of the way.
• Cultivating presence: first and always, we must remember that behind the "companies and officials" are simply... people. We all have hopes, dreams, needs, goals, and different people's view of the world is valid to them. This may sound simplistic and unnecessary to point out but you would be amazed at how many negotiations fail, conflicts start, and progress is impeded because one party steamrolls over the other ignoring this basic fact. Cultivating presence means acknowledging this at the start of each interaction - in business meetings, with employees, in negotiations, etc. The foundation of presence gives us an opportunity to get in touch with what really matters most, now and in the long run, and this is where courage comes from. Cultivating presence is a master executive skill, it takes experience and wisdom developed through learning and reflection.
• Elevating to values: before we get stuck in the weeds of the who, by when, and how, always touch on the common values by asking what is important to the other person and try to understand at least some of the reasons why that might be important. This way, when you start designing the action plan, it will be informed by what's most important to as many stakeholders as possible.

Spotlight: Who's Doing It Well

What does packaging look like without plastic? Footprint , a global materials science technology company focused on creating a healthy planet, is developing breakthrough new technologies that allow their products to replace single- and short-term use plastics. It was named a winner in the?2023 BIG Innovation Awards ?presented by the Business Intelligence Group .

You can find them on LinkedIn at Footprint .