Episode Seven: Jane Abernethy and Gabe Wing
Humanscale and Herman Miller are two iconic office furniture brands known for design innovation. Both organizations have also opted to go against the current, putting competition aside and collaborating as partners in NextWave Plastics.
Jane Abernethy is Chief of Sustainability at Humanscale and Gabe Wing is Director of Sustainability at Herman Miller, two iconic office furniture brands known for design innovation. Both organizations have gone against the current and put competition aside to collaborate as partners in NextWave Plastics, an initiative convened by Lonely Whale that is keeping plastic in the economy and out of the ocean.
In this episode, Jane and Gabe discuss how NextWave Plastics member companies commit to keeping plastics in the economy and out of the ocean by incorporating recycled ocean-bound plastics into their product supply chains. 52 Hertz host Petrice Jones talks to them about design as a tool for combating environmental problems, the difference between good and bad materials, and the virtues of radical collaboration.
Only have a few minutes? Skim episode seven’s transcript.
Join our mailing list for twice weekly episode premieres delivered straight to your inbox. We’ll share behind the scenes information, our favorite quotes, and more. But while you’re here, read this week’s excerpt from “Good News From Around the Reef.”
Incredibly exciting innovations in the packaging technology. You could see products packaged in plant-based plastics on supermarket shelves by 2023. Approximately 300 million tons of new plastics made from fossil fuels every year. Most of it isn't recycled and takes hundreds of years to decompose, and plant-based plastics could truly help change that. A biochemical company called Avantium in the Netherlands hopes to develop plastic made from plant sugars instead of fossil fuels. So, theoretically, these plant-based plastics would actually break down in about a year when composited and within a few years under natural conditions. Innovation towards faster breakdown rates can be one piece of the puzzle towards reducing ocean plastic pollution, whilst also minimizing reliance on fossil fuels. Now there is much to be learned and understood about plant-based plastics, but the idea of a plant-based bottle instead of a plastic one is certainly news we can all drink to.
LEARN MORE ABOUT NEXTWAVE PLASTICS
