The Indisposable Podcast®

Latest Episodes:

Packaging a sustainable future Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Atlantic Packaging was founded, incredibly enough, by a KKK-fighting journalist from the South, whose efforts led to the arrest of hundreds of Klan members. Today, his grandson Wes Carter continues to lead the largest privately held packaging company in North America with a strong sense of ethics and a focus on sustainability. He’s launched an initiative to significantly reduce plastic-centric packaging, as well as “A New Earth Project,” a collaboration between the packaging supply chain and the global surfing community to help reduce ocean plastic waste.

Joined by their Director of Sustainability, Caroline James, the two sit down with host Matt Prindiville for a discussion about extended producer responsibility and what CPG brands and packaging suppliers are doing in this pivotal opportunity that we have to catalyze the new reuse economy.

Resources:

Atlantic Packaging
A New Earth Project
The Editor and the Dragon
“Your Packaging is the Problem” in Yale Insights by Caroline James
Upstream’s Principles for Reuse/Refill in EPR

The successes & setbacks of a reuse entrepreneur Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

Should a reuse business focus on its product’s sustainability as a primary selling point? What will it take to compete with single-use? When will we see widespread adoption of reuse systems? Reuse entrepreneur Daniel Velez sits down with host, Chief Strategy Officer Priscilla Johnson, for a lively conversation in which he shares insights gained from launching—and ultimately, closing—Growly, “the milkman of craft beer.” The hard truth is that most startups don’t last. But Daniel illustrates the valuable lessons we can take from such experiences, and why, despite challenges, the reuse sector will only continue to grow.

Resources:

Daniel’s article to accompany this interview: 3 lessons learned from launching & running a reuse startup
Daniel’s blog: The Milkman Model
Daniel’s first podcast: Craft beer takes the reuse route

We don’t have 5 planets: the power of community to activate lasting change Mar 16, 2023

Show notes

How do we ensure healthy, sustainable communities when we live in a system that so often prioritizes profits over people, especially those who are historically marginalized? Jose Bravo, Executive Director of The Just Transition Alliance, spends his days working on this very issue. And while there are no easy answers or quick fixes, one thing is clear: the most effective solutions will come from engaging those same communities that have been most harmed by entrenched systems of extraction and exploitation.

Our host, Upstream's Chief Strategy Officer Priscilla Johnson, sits down with Jose for a wide-ranging and engaging conversation on localized solutions to the climate and waste crisis that put the health of people and the planet first.

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Women Making Reuse Work Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

In honor of Women’s History Month and the amazing efforts of countless women in the reuse movement, host Brooking Gatewood sits down with Upstream Board Members Ashley Craig and Linda Corrado for a candid chat about their own work on reuse – both professionally and personally. Learn about the paths these two women have taken from successful corporate careers in fashion and finance to the joy-inducing work of helping make throw-away go away. Their stories offer a model for how to direct one’s professional skills and talents toward the greater good – that anyone with a heart for this work can apply to transform their own careers and communities.

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From policy to practice: Four years of the Berkeley Reuse Ordinance Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

In our first-ever episode of The Indisposable Podcast, we celebrated the passing of the 2019 Single Use Foodware and Litter Reduction Ordinance in Berkeley, California. More than 100 episodes later, host Brooking Gatewood welcomes back Martin Bourque, Executive Director of The Ecology Center, to discuss the organization’s new toolkit to help others learn from this unique model for both policy and research.

Joined by Jessica Heiges, researcher at the Environmental Science Policy and Management Program at UC Berkeley, the three talk about the unique conditions that led to the ordinance’s passing, the importance of campaign finance limits for environmental policy, the unexpected setback of COVID-19 – and what we’re learning now as implementation and enforcement are finally under way. Tune in for this rich policy and practice discussion as the city of Berkeley works to get off the disposable treadmill.

Resources:

The Disposable Free Berkeley Toolkit

The Ecology Center

Amazon’s 709 million pound gorilla Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

How do you convince a global corporation to alter its course on single-use plastics? Shining light on the problem can be a good start. In a landmark report released in December 2022, Oceana revealed Amazon.com's staggering contributions to the growing plastic waste crisis – 709 million pounds in 2021 alone. While Amazon’s response has been lackluster, the wheels of change are already in motion via public pressure and calls for legislative action.

Upstream’s Chief Strategy Officer, Priscilla Johnson, sits down with Matt Littlejohn, SVP of Strategic Initiatives at Oceana, to discuss the report, what more Amazon can do as one of the world’s most advanced logistics companies, and the importance of taking collective action to pressure big brands to change their ways.

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Introducing Chart-Reuse Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

Chart-Reuse™ by Upstream is a first-in-industry foodware reuse analytics platform that has recently soft-launched to the public. Ideated and developed over the last few years with major food service and fast food companies as pilot partners, this transformative tool allows food service companies to calculate cost, waste and greenhouse gas emission impacts, and manage their shift from single-use to reuse at project sites across North America. Listen in to learn more about Chart-Reuse with Upstream team members Matt Prindiville and Cerise Bridges.

Resources:

Chart-Reuse.eco

The Story of Plastic in Indonesia Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Working on reuse solutions in Indonesia is much the same as in the US – setting standards, organizing campaigns, implementing and iterating policy at the local level. But the region faces additional challenges with the burdens of pollution and plastic waste literally arriving on their shores from countries in the Global North. In this context, the reuse victories Tiza Mafira has helped achieve are especially impressive, having initiated single-use bag bans in over 100 cities across the country. And that’s just the beginning. Tiza sits down with host Matt Prindiville to discuss her work on big, system-changing solutions as an activist, Co-Founder of the Plastic Bag Diet Movement, and Director of the Climate Policy Initiative.

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Flipping the script on single-use Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

You may know award-winning actress Alysia Reiner as Fig on the hit Netflix show Orange is the New Black - but did you know she is also an ambassador and change-maker for reuse and sustainability? Alysia sits down with host Matt Prindiville to discuss her work as an activist and ecopreneur, her positive approach to changing hearts and minds on climate and reuse – and how, with a little creative thinking, we can flip the script on single-use.

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A toast to the reusable cup Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Reuse service company r.Cup has been making big moves lately, and event-goers are eagerly embracing their reusable cup systems. Not content to rest on their laurels after winning the award for Most Innovative Food & Beverage Company at The Reusies 2022, r.Cup has been expanding into new cities, landing deals with high-profile event producers, and forging partnerships with big brands to create the cultural and infrastructure sea changes needed to scale reuse. CEO and Founder Michael Martin has even found time to work on a book. Host Matt Prindiville sits down with Michael and r.Cup’s Chief Revenue Officer, Tina Swanson, to learn more.

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