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Plastics News Alert
A publication of the KIN Plastics in Humans Working Group
(Join the What'sApp Group here.)
| | Alain Chetrit, Co-Founder, Chairman, Knowledge Impact Network | | |
Plastics Treaty solution depends on meaningful knowledge sharing
"Knowledge continues to be our most powerful tool, but it only matters when it leads to change.
In this issue, we share stories of progress and invite you to join a community committed to protecting human health and our planet."
| | Dr. Sarah McCue, Chair, KIN Plastics in Humans Expert Working Group | | |
Capture the ability to help shape what happens
"These past several months the Knowledge Impact Network Plastic In Humans Experts Group continued to delve into the overwhelming presence of plastic in our bodies and in the soil, water, and air.
The search for solutions is incredibly daunting, but with our health and longevity of future generations on the line, giving up is simply not an option."
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What's next for the global plastics treaty talks
What's next involves renewed talks, potentially through coalitions of nations or existing frameworks, after the August 2025 negotiations ended in gridlock without a consensus on key issues like plastic production caps versus waste management.
While there is no official timeline for the next formal UN negotiations, the focus will be on accelerating progress, fostering international cooperation, and potentially excluding countries that oppose binding measures.
In the meantime, businesses are urged to act on elements like extended producer responsibility and design for recyclability to build resilience and meet consumer expectations.
Read article ...
| | After the plastic treaty negotiations, now what? | |
The gulf between the so-called high ambition countries and those with less lofty goals was simply too great to bridge this time. This isn’t the end of efforts to secure an agreement, but whether the differences that scuppered the latest negotiations can be overcome remains to be seen.
Global production of the plastics that fuel this pollution is set to triple by 2060 to over 1 billion tonnes. Single-use plastics are a particular problem and scientific research has an outsized plastic waste footprint – one estimate suggests that research generates more than 5.5 million tonnes of single-use plastics a year, which equates to around 2% of global plastic waste.
It seems uncontroversial then to state that reining in production will be essential to tackle the problem, but this was one of the main sticking points at the negotiations in Geneva.
Read article ...
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Countries want to ‘remain at the table’: UNEP chief
“This has been a hard-fought 10 days against the backdrop of geopolitical complexities, economic challenges and multilateral strains,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme of the talks.
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“However, one thing remains clear," she said. "Despite these complexities, all countries clearly want to remain at the table.”
Responding to news of the failure to reach agreement, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “I deeply regret that, despite earnest efforts, negotiations to reach an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, concluded without achieving a consensus."
“I welcome the determination of Member States in continuing to work to beat plastic pollution and keep engaged in the process, united in purpose, to deliver the treaty the world needs to tackle this monumental challenge to people and the environment.”
Read article ...
| | ‘Inhaling the microplastics’: what is in British children’s school uniforms? | | |
Hugo Keane’s investigation into polyester began at home. He had just started year 7 but, thanks to Covid, he was stuck knocking about at home in Camden, north London.
“It was kind of a family pandemic project,” said his mother, Alexandra Milenov. “He sat down with my husband and did the calculations on the microplastic release of three items of his uniform: the blazer, the PE T-shirt and the shorts.”
What he found out was to significantly affect his school career.
Read article ...
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Scientists need you to help map the world’s microplastics
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The sun filters through the clear waters of the Firth of Lorn, catching fronds of seaweed dancing in the waves. Otters play on these shores and tour boats carry visitors to spot whales, dolphins and seals. To the naked eye, the waters of the conservation area off the Isle of Kerrera, between Mull and the Scottish mainland, appear pristine. All, however, is not as it seems.
Gazing through a microscope lens, Claire Gwinnett, professor of forensic and environmental science at the University of Staffordshire, has found her target: tiny fibres of plastic, shed by humans and easily consumed by sealife.
Now, in a global project named CSI for the Ocean, Gwinnett is calling upon all those who love wild places to help map the world’s microplastics by taking and submitting samples of sea and freshwater to trace the scale and nature of microplastic pollution.
Read article ...
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Study reveals elevated levels of tire and road microplastics in Austin, Texas reservoirs
A study from the University of Texas indicates a higher concentration of microplastics at the mouths of Austin’s major urban tributaries, like Shoal and Waller creeks.
The majority of particles found in samples had tire and road origins, compared to lower numbers of plastic fibers or fragments broken off of other plastic products.
Last week, Dr. Brent Bellinger, who is the conservation program supervisor with the Watershed Protection Department (WPD), discussed the presence of microplastics in Austin’s reservoirs during an annual update to the Environmental Commission.
Scientists are still determining the full health impact of microplastics in waterways.
Some companies have removed intentionally-created microplastics like exfoliant beads in skincare from their products, but particles are unintentionally sloughed off of everyday plastic or rubber materials as a result of friction. In waterways, microplastics have the potential to accumulate.
Read article ...
| | Covid masks that once protected us now ‘chemical time bomb,’ study warns | |
Masks that once saved millions of lives are now turning into an environmental and health hazard, leaving behind what experts are calling a ‘chemical timebomb.’
When Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak, an estimated 129 billion disposable masks were being used worldwide every month. Made primarily from plastics such as polypropylene, these masks were cheap, effective, and designed for single use.
But what no one anticipated was the massive waste problem they would leave behind.
With no proper recycling system in place, most of these masks ended up in landfills, streets, rivers, and oceans. They are now releasing dangerous particles and chemicals into the environment, a problem scientists say could last for generations.
Read article ...
| | Inspiring Newsletters We're Reading ... | | Read Matthew Von Hendy's newsletter here ... | |
Alain Chetrit Inducted into DC Region Smart Business Dealmakers Hall of Fame
Washington – Smart Business Dealmakers recognizes and celebrates the top leaders and dealmakers in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A), financing, and restructuring industry in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area.
"Alain has spent more than three decades building ventures that marry business success with social good,” RCM&D’s Jason Jones told the audience at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, Virginia.
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He founded the first Hugo Boss retail concept in the world, co-founded Lab Connect, a laboratory services company accelerating the development of new medicines, and Brochet Capital Partners, a hedge fund that focused on public equities in the after-hours market.
Beyond business, Alain co-founded the nonprofit Knowledge Impact Network that empowers executives to apply their expertise, insights and networks towards solving pressing global challenges.
He has also created the YPO Global Impact Initiative which highlights extraordinary YPO members doing extraordinary things – producing a multiplier effect and inspiring others.
“From pioneering retail and technology ventures to redefining how business leaders engage in philanthropy, Alain's career reflects a lifelong commitment to scaling ideas that matter,” Jones said.
In accepting the award, Alain said it was an honor and that he wanted to thank fellow YPO member, David Wallis, who nominated him.
Alain said that along with his family, it was largely the efforts of his partners that made the businesses successful.
He told the group about what he has coined as the “Double P&L.” The first P&L, he said, is “the traditional one that we work on during our careers.”
But the second one, Alain shared, is ‘Purpose and Legacy’, ”which is critical and provides another level of fulfillment at this point in our lives.”
The Dealmakers Hall of Fame honors individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, completed significant and impactful transactions, and made notable contributions to society.
Honorees are typically top-tier lawyers, investment bankers, corporate leaders, and other professionals who are instrumental in facilitating complex business transactions. Induction into the hall of fame is considered a high distinction, acknowledging a career of excellence and influence in the deal-making community.
View LinkedIn Post ...
| | KIN to co-host plastic conference during UN General Assembly week in New York | | |
Expert Lightning Talks at the #WINLounge by Women Inspiring Network
September 24, 2025 3:00 PM ET
31 West 52nd St. NY, NY
Join us for a powerful hour of rapid-fire insights on a growing health emergency.
Astronomical amounts of plastic are accumulating in our bodies, soil, water, and air. In this Lightning Talk Session, leading scientists, advocates and innovators will share bold, five-minute ideas and solutions on how we can eliminate plastic from our ecosystems, and ourselves.
To attend in person or online, please register here.
Let's turn knowledge into impact!
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As advisors to Earth05, KIN highly recommends that
C-Suite executives curious about the future of AI attend this extraordinary Summit.
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About The Knowledge Impact Network:
Dedicated to repurposing and redistributing knowledge -- one of the world’s most underutilized assets -- the Knowledge Impact Network is a nonprofit organization founded in 2020 by a group of impact-driven YPO members.
KIN showcases leading experts and their initiatives to accelerate scalable social impact.
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KIN Plastics in Humans Working Group curates some of the most informative news updates on the plastics crisis and amplifies the work of the leading experts in the field.
Read our previous newsletter here.
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Knowledge Impact Network™ is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
organization. FEIN number is 85-3426545
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