About Us

Our Mission

Plastic Pollution Coalition is a non-profit communications and advocacy organization that collaborates with an expansive global alliance of organizations, businesses, and individuals to create a more just, equitable, regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

Our Vision

We envision a world in which:

Earth’s air, soil, and water are free of plastic pollution in all its forms and across the endless toxic existence of plastic. The food, drinking water, and bodies of all creatures are free of plastic and its chemical compounds.
BIPOC, rural, and low-income communities are no longer disproportionately harmed by the petrochemical and plastics industries.
Individuals, NGOs, businesses, and policymakers embody zero-waste values and work collaboratively to eliminate waste from our current socio-economic and political systems.
Human culture has reestablished a harmonious relationship with nature, where nothing is wasted and all of life and Earth’s resources are valued, protected, and replenished.
Businesses design goods to be package free or use packaging that is non-toxic and reusable or truly biodegradable and regenerative.
Corporations deliver their products using non-toxic refillable and reusable systems.
Governments enforce regulations and legislation to support a circular economy.
Fossil fuel industry dependence is diminished, and the global climate is protected.

Who We Are

Plastic Pollution Coalition was founded in 2009 by a small group of artists, activists, scientists, and leaders to dispel myths and euphemisms such as “marine debris” and “litter” and instead, call it what it is: plastic pollution. The group pledged to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution crisis and highlight solutions.

Co-Founders & Current Leadership

Dianna Cohen
Julia Cohen

Co-Founders

Lisa Kaas Boyle
Manuel Maqueda
Daniella Russo

Founding Advisors

Ed Begley Jr.
Jackson Browne
Mark Christy
Anna Cummins
David DeRothschild
Sylvia Earle
Marcus Eriksen
Ben Harper
Chris Jordan

Captain Charles Moore
Joanna Moore
Wallace J. Nichols
Enric Sala
Todd Sali
Leslie Tamminen
Beth Terry
Richard Walden
Alice Waters

Learn more about our Team and Coalition.

Today, as the first and most established organization focused solely on plastic pollution, Plastic Pollution Coalition provides a broad tent for organizations, businesses, and individuals to join together, change business as usual, and support policy and legislation to stop plastic pollution. We have thousands of members in 75 countries—all working for a healthier, more just, and equitable world.

How We Work

Plastic Pollution Coalition works to tell the true story of plastic and advance systemic solutions in business, culture, and policy to create a more just, equitable, regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

Plastic Pollution Coalition is a project of Earth Island Institute, a 501(c)3, non-profit organization, organized and existing under the laws of California (Federal Tax ID #94-2889684). Since 1982, Earth Island has been a hub for grassroots campaigns dedicated to conserving, preserving, and restoring the ecosystems on which life depends. Earth Island provides comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and project support to a vibrant network of activists and social entrepreneurs promoting ecological sustainability and environmental justice. Earth Island provides an organizational home in which project leaders can develop campaigns and programs supported by an experienced team of nonprofit professionals. An alternative to dozens of separate nonprofits each duplicating basic administrative functions, Earth Island projects function with programmatic autonomy while sharing critical services including: governance and compliance, financial management and administration, training and technical assistance, as well as a supportive peer learning network. For more information about Earth Island, please visit www.earthisland.org.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals

In working together to end plastic pollution, we can help achieve nine of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 3, 6, 9, 11–15, and 17. Meeting these SDGs can support building a healthier, more just, equitable world for all people.