In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn sits down with Anne Kolton, Chief Sustainability Officer at SK Capital Partners, to explore how private equity is supporting the next wave of innovation in materials, plastics, and manufacturing. From dissolvable packaging to AI-powered manufacturing, Anne shares how breakthrough new technologies are unlocking a new era of sustainability.

What does it take to design a car that’s ready for recycling before it even hits the road? In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn talks with Amanda Nummy, Senior Polymer Materials Engineer at Hyundai, about how nature’s ideas are inspiring better vehicle design — and how recycled and bio-based plastics are helping shape the cars of tomorrow. From battery enclosures to biomimicry, Amanda shares how Hyundai is moving closer to its sustainability goals, one part component at a time.

A washed-out road. A forgotten cemetery. And a community working to preserve its history. In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn visits St. Louis to see how dedicated volunteers, thoughtful design, and recycled materials helped restore access to Greenwood Cemetery-- one of the oldest African American burial grounds in the country. This episode highlights preserving history, honoring families and building a more sustainable path forward.

What if recycling facilities had better brains? In this episode, recorded live at SXSW, Mia Quinn sits down with leaders from Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Dow, and Greyparrot to unpack how artificial intelligence is transforming the recycling industry. From sorting technology that sees what humans miss to real-time data that powers better packaging design and policy, this is a conversation about what's working, what's broken—and what's next.

Part 2 of our interview with Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel of Google X, the Moonshot Factory explores Moonshot thinking— from circular textiles and synthetic biology to bioplastics made from old clothes. They share their wildest Moonshot Madness ideas, why failure is a critical part of the process and what the future of smarter, sustainable materials could look like.

Recorded live at SXSW, this episode features Rey Banatao and Peter Chauvel of Google's X, The Moonshot Factory — two of the brightest minds on an ambitious effort to reinvent how we use materials. They walk us through how they're using cutting edge tools like AI and molecular data to build better systems that keep materials in use and out of the landfill, what it takes to engineer real world change and how rethinking waste could unlock massive economic opportunity.

Live from SXSW in Austin, Mia sits down with Rich James of Dow and Gina Oliver of the American Chemistry Council to talk all things automotive recycling. They break down how new plastics are making vehicles safer, lighter, and more efficient—and discuss breakthroughs that are keeping valuable materials out of landfills. This episode explores the path to sustainable automotives and why America has a real opportunity to lead the way.

To kick off this season of Sustainably Speaking, we welcome Ross Eisenberg, President of America's Plastic Makers, back to the podcast. In this episode, Ross and Mia reflect on the challenges and successes of the plastics manufacturing industry throughout 2024, as well as highlight industry goals to advance sustainability and innovation, this year and beyond.

Coming together to transform lives. On this special episode of Sustainably Speaking we’ll hear from Matt Campana, CEO of Hands of Gratitude, on how his organization brings people together to assemble prosthetic hands for people in need around the world. Developments in 3D printing technologies have made it possible to make more life changing prosthetics for those in need and distribute them globally.

While electronics devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives, Cody Oliver is working to make recycling these devices just as common. On this episode, we’ll hear more about how the plastic in our electronics is being diverted from landfills and repurposed into new materials.

Paper or plastic? It turns out the answer is not so black and white. In the second episode of our two-part series, Adam Minter, award-winning journalist and author of two, critically acclaimed books on global recycling, dives into this great sustainability debate.

In the first installment of our two-part episode on Sustainably Speaking, author and Bloomberg columnist Adam Minter shares his remarkable journey–from working in his family’s scrap yard to becoming an award-winning journalist and author of two critically acclaimed books uncovering details about the world’s waste industry. On this episode, hear Adam discuss his global adventures in recycling and his own personal mission to get the facts out.

From failing fast and bio-based glitter to designing for recyclability, Brian Schmatz is tackling some of recycling’s biggest challenges with an exciting approach. He’s a chemist bursting with creativity and his entrepreneurial spirit comes through in his work. On this episode we’ll find out about the new technology from Brian and his team and how it can enhance the recycling industry.

Everything’s bigger in Texas—and Austin’s ambitious zero waste goals are no exception. The city is blazing a trail when it comes to transforming traditional waste management into sustainable resource recovery. On this episode, Maddie Morgan from Austin’s Circular Economy Program shows us how the city is creating a more sustainable future. As you’ll find out, Maddie’s approach to improving the circular economy in her hometown is emblematic of Austin’s innovative, creative, and collaborative culture. We hope her outside-of-the-box ideas and success stories spark solutions in other communities.

It all started with a boy. When Keefe Harrison took a job at her college’s recycling office, little did she know that the trajectory of her entire life had changed. Fast-forward to today, Keefe is the CEO of The Recycling Partnership, a non-profit she started 10 years ago to bring people together to increase recycling in the U.S.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, Jeremy DeBenedictis shares an inspiring story about what it takes to become an environmental entrepreneur. As President of Alterra, Jeremy leads and mentors his team which has developed an innovative technology to help keep used plastics out of landfills through advanced recycling. As Jeremy points out, there are many obstacles to increasing plastic recycling. Yet, the role of technology in recycling more efficiently and effectively cannot be overstated. Simply put, advanced recycling technologies like Alterra's help build a more sustainable future by creating value for what was once considered waste.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn explores the critical role that science is playing when it comes to identifying solutions for microplastics pollution. Dr. Jeanne Hankett, Sustainability Lead, North American Biodegradation & Microplastics Center of Excellence at BASF, joins the show to discuss efforts to study and mitigate microplastics' impact. Our conversation explores what we’re learning about the life cycles of plastics and efforts to enhance the scientific study of microplastics.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, Ross Eisenberg, president of America's Plastic Makers® at the American Chemistry Council delves into his journey, sharing his experience advocating for circular and sustainable solutions and looking at priorities for this year and beyond. He also shines a light on the challenges of implementing federal and international policy on sustainability. Ross and Mia also go head-to-head on a game of sustainability trivia, sharing fun facts about the history of recycling, sustainability, and plastics.

In this episode of Sustainably Speaking, host Mia Quinn explores innovations in sustainable architecture with guests Heidi Kujawa and Jordan Goldman. Heidi, CEO of ByFusion, discusses their innovative approach to using plastic waste to create building materials, highlighting the need to reduce environmental impact. Jordan Goldman, Engineering Principal of Zero Energy Design, sheds light on the challenges and opportunities in designing high-performance, energy-efficient homes, emphasizing the value of long-term thinking.

In this episode, guest host Susan Jackson delves into American’s opinions on recycling, in particular, technologies called advanced recycling. Advanced recycling transforms used plastics into new plastics and offers a promising solution for harder-to-recycle plastics. As Susan explained “It's really about taking the power of science and converting used plastics into new products that can be recycled again and again.”