In March, the SPE Foundation reached a significant milestone in its mission to provide Positive Plastics Education™ by hosting a high-impact STEM event for the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. Serving more than 80 Girl Scouts in the greater Houston area, the event focused on the science of polymers, the circular economy, and the diverse career opportunities within the plastics and packaging industries.

Designed to connect classroom learning with real-world innovation, the program is part of the Foundation’s growing partnership with Girl Scout Councils nationwide. Through its patch initiative—built around STEM, Life Skills, Outdoors, and Entrepreneurship—the SPE Foundation is helping inspire more young women to pursue futures in engineering and sustainability.

“Experiences like this are powerful because they help girls see themselves as innovators and problem-solvers in real time,” said Kathy Elliott, Sr. Manager of Girl Experience and Program Innovation, Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. “They build not only critical STEM skills, but the confidence to make an impact in the future.”

The Houston event drew strong support from industry partners. Niagara Cares and Niagara Bottling served as lead supporters, with employees assembling custom educational kits for each participant. The Houston-based Five Star Family of Companies—Starpak, Polytex, Superbag, FreshPak, and Anduro—also played a key role, showcasing the PLASTICS Industry Association’s Recycling is Real campaign and demonstrating how circular economy solutions are already in action locally.

“We believe education is one of the most powerful tools for driving sustainable change.  Supporting the SPE Foundation Sustainable Packaging Patch program gives young women the opportunity to explore how innovation in packaging can positively impact our environment, economy, and everyday lives,” said Melanie Koltermann, General Counsel, Five Star Family of Companies.

Participants worked toward earning a Sustainable Packaging Patch, developed by the SPE Foundation and the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP), exploring packaging innovation and lifecycle thinking through the Waste Hierarchy (Prevention, Reuse, Recycling, Recovery, and Disposal). A career panel featuring industry professionals—including experts with backgrounds at ExxonMobil, Sealed Air, and Dow—gave Girl Scouts a chance to engage directly with leaders in the field during an energetic Q&A session. 

This Houston success story is part of a strategic national expansion. The SPE Foundation is currently active in five Girl Scout Councils across Illinois, Indiana, Texas (Dallas and Houston), Florida (Greater Tampa), and Western Pennsylvania.

“We aren’t just giving out patches, we are showing these girls that they can be the ones to solve the environmental problems of tomorrow,” said Eve Vitale, SPE Foundation’s Executive Director. “By turning support dollars into tangible education, we are building a workforce pipeline of confident, character-driven leaders.”

The SPE Foundation extends its thanks to Niagara Cares Foundation, Niagara Bottling, DuPont Tedlar, PMMI Foundation, Celanese, and the SPE Flexible Packaging and Blow Molding Divisions for their support.