PHCA Community Meeting | Hidden Impacts of Plastic Building Products
Plastics are almost entirely derived from fossil fuels and generate pollution throughout their life cycle, including greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change, toxic chemicals and microplastics that impact human health and the environment, and waste that lasts for centuries on land and in waterways. Many individuals and organizations are becoming increasingly concerned about plastic pollution, but most people don’t realize that the building and construction sector is the second largest user of plastics behind packaging, and plastic use in our buildings is rapidly growing. This is undermining efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases—locking fossil fuels into the same structures we’re trying to decarbonize. In this webinar, we will examine what we know about plastic use in the built environment, the impacts across the life cycle, and how the building industry can transition to healthier, more resilient alternatives.
Learning Points
- Explain the human and environmental health impacts of plastics across their life cycle.
- Identify the building sector’s contributions to plastic pollution and example plastic products.
- Apply tips for reducing plastics impacts in buildings.
- Use Informed product guidance to identify and select healthier materials.
Presenter
Rebecca Stamm is Principal Researcher at Habitable where she’s been part of the research team since 2015. She leads and contributes to research projects on a range of topics including plastics, life cycle chemical impacts of materials, and environmental justice. Rebecca works with the team to develop frameworks for distilling complex information into actionable guidance for safer material selection. She actively shares her insights and advocates for healthier materials and sustainable practices in building and construction.
