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Summary

With continued interest in and development of sustainable plastics, it is clear that not everyone is working with the same lexicon. Terms such as 'degradable', 'bio-degradable', 'recyclable', and 'compostable' are subject to misunderstandings, misinterpretations, or outright fraudulent claims. This webinar will address how ASTM standards are being used to create a common understanding based on science and testing. We will also address the commonalities and differences among standards, certifications, and regulations. This webinar is part of SPE's ongoing "Sustainability & Plastics" series.

About the Speaker

Kelvin Okamoto is President of his own consulting firm, Green Bottom Line, that focuses on sustainable materials and packaging. Kelvin has over 30 years of experience in the plastics and packaging industries working on materials, equipment, process and packaging development and commercialization. Kelvin is also founder and CEO of Gen3Bio, a startup company focused on producing biobased chemicals and subsequent bioplastics from microalgae. Previously, Kelvin was Chief Technical Officer for bioplastics manufacturer Cereplast where his primary responsibilities included material formulation, technology strategy and evaluation, intellectual property coordination, quality control and regulatory certifications. Prior to that he managed materials and process development for Solo Cup (since acquired by Dart Container). He also worked for TaylorMade Golf, Trexel, Packaging Corporation of America (now Pactiv), Himont (now LyondellBasell) and GE Plastics (now SABIC).

Kelvin holds a Ph.D. Chemistry from Cornell University and a B.S. Chemistry from Stanford University. He is a member of the American Chemical Society, is an Honored Service Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers’ (SPE) and is the chair of the ASTM D20.96 subcommittee that deals with biodegradation and biobased standards for plastics. Kelvin is also on the USDA Biopreferred Program Technical Advisory Council and is a reviewer for DOE SBIR applications. Kelvin is a registered patent agent, holding 17 patents and nine additional patent applications. He is also a published author, having written a book on microcellular foam processing.