ClimeCo announces its expansion into the plastic credit market with the hire of Chris Parker as Director of our new plastics program. Parker will be working with partners on projects worldwide to recover and recycle plastic waste. This program expands financing mechanisms to scale the transition to a closed-loop economy, while providing companies with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)/ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) solutions that support ecosystem restoration.
“ClimeCo’s core mission is to address environmental challenges with market-based solutions,” says Derek Six, Chief Business Officer for ClimeCo. “The problem of plastic waste is an environmental challenge that is personal for many of us at ClimeCo. As an avid boater and fisherman, the waters of our planet and the wildlife they contain are precious, and this program is our contribution to protecting them.”
Plastic waste is the most visible of our environmental concerns, which has caused it to move significantly to the top of many corporate sustainability, CSR goals, and ESG mandates. Plastic is incredibly versatile, with properties that make it ideal for many applications. These same qualities have also become an environmental issue, with more than 11 million tons of plastic waste ending up in our oceans each year. Without change, plastics will undoubtedly impact our ecology, economy, health, and livelihood.
“The effort of governments and philanthropy is not matching the scale of the plastic waste problem,” says Parker. “The emerging plastic credit market will direct private sector funds to help scale waste recovery and recycling. ClimeCo’s clients can support these frontline projects and address their plastic footprints on a path to a circular economy.”
Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in Corporate Finance & Investment Management from the University of Alabama. He has more than 20 years of experience in energy and commodity markets, sustainability, conservation, and ESG. Before joining ClimeCo, he consulted and led sustainable economy-focused projects that created business solutions for clients in both the corporate and environmental non-profit sectors.
