Matt Seaholm Shares His Passion For Proactively Promoting The Plastics Sector
Matt Seaholm, President and CEO of the PLASTICS Industry Association shares his passion for proactively promoting the sector.
Could you tell me about your career history, and its evolution to your current role?
Becoming the President and CEO of the PLASTICS Industry Association (PLASTICS) wasn’t really something that I had planned. I started out working in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Throughout my career I did a mix of politics and policy, and that turned into public affairs and communications work, which in turn, led to me joining PLASTICS to run a division. That opportunity led to government affairs and ultimately my current role.
My career trajectory has led to the accumulation of several skills that have proven particularly useful in my day-to-day role. Much of what we do is like a campaign in many regards, requiring preparedness to combat attacks against our industry and plastic as a material. There’s so much that I’m still learning in the association management space, but we’ve had a good couple of years of growth. It’s fun to be where we are and I’m excited for what’s to come.
Tell me more about how you support the plastics supply chain in the US
PLASTICS is the voice of the industry in the United States. We represent the entire supply chain, including equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, processors and recyclers. We can build consensus for the industry and that’s a responsibility we take very seriously. Where possible, our industry needs to speak with a unified voice and strive to facilitate that.
PLASTICS’ mission is to protect, promote and grow the plastics industry. I think the protection side is clear, and it’s evident that we need to advocate for the right types of policies and fight against the wrong types. With so much misinformation and negative messaging being thrown at our industry by activist groups, much of our advocacy work does end up being in defense of the industry. On the promotion front, there are so many things we can say not just about the benefits of plastics, and all the positives of the plastics industry, but all the great things that the industry and the people within the industry do to innovate, create, grow and build. There’s really no limit to what our industry can do. It’s our job to advocate on its behalf. The third part of our mission is growth. We create opportunities for our members to grow their businesses. The most obvious one is NPE. It’s the largest trade show in the Americas for the plastics industry and gives us an opportunity to amplify all the great things the industry is doing. It’s an important way to support the entire value chain by bringing them together and giving them a chance to collaborate, buy and sell, partner, and ultimately grow together.
Can you elaborate on the importance of plastics to the US and global economies?
Our Size and Impact Report shows the US plastics industry is the seventh largest industry in the country and one of the economy’s largest sectors. The US plastics industry accounts for over one million jobs directly and more indirectly, including jobs supported by exports. It generates $548 billion per year in shipments and $678 billion including suppliers’ shipments to the plastic industry. The US plastics industry is a major player in world trade and we’re one of the industries with a trade surplus.
Our industry is critical to so many other industries, like automotive, construction, consumer products, and healthcare, both in the US and abroad, and the demand and need for plastics is expected to continue.
Plastic often gets vilified around its environmental impact but remains a crucial material. Can you discuss its place in the world and how it is evolving to be greener?
I think the most important thing that we all need to recognize is, regardless of what side of the issue you’re on, plastic is essential. We need plastic in our society. It makes it a better society. It makes it a safer society. It makes it a healthier society. What we don’t need is plastic in the environment. The biggest thing that we’re focused on as an industry at this point is sustainability. Often, sustainability is thought of as only an environmental issue, but it’s so much more than that. It’s making sure that we have a sustainable business model. That requires a consumer with a positive view of plastics, an economy that realizes the value of plastics, and a workforce that is robust and proud to be part of the entire process of the manufacture of plastic products.
The way we look at it, we must make sure everybody sees plastic for its benefits and its positive qualities. That can only happen if we also recognize that we must keep more of it in the economy and keep it out of the environment, which is where circularity and recycling come in.
We must recycle more plastic and collect more of it to make that happen. We must also make sure that there’s greater value in recyclable material. If we do that, we’re going to keep it out of the environment. That is what we’re committed to as an association, but there is no doubt our industry across the board is focused on a more circular economy.
Tell me more about what was discussed at the NPE show in May. What were the main themes and hottest topics at the event?
I think there were a couple of main themes. Sustainability was probably one, two, and three in many ways. Everybody was talking about the positive impact of their machines or their materials on the environmental footprint. It was about reduction of energy consumption. There was a ton of talk about circular materials. NPE had two sustainability and recycling zones. We had the Sustainability Hub, showcasing the great things that are happening across the lifecycle of plastics to make it better, not just for society, but for the environment too.
In addition, innovation was highlighted in absolutely every exhibit. The magnitude of those innovation advancements was partially because it’s been six years since the last NPE, and the typical innovation cycle is three years for our industry. That said, there was so much new technology, from automation to process controls using artificial intelligence to improve the systems. It was remarkable to see all the great technology that was helping on the operations side, as well as the sustainability front. Innovation and sustainability were certainly front and center, every single day of NPE and I expect that will be the case again in 2027.
How does PLASTICS advocate for and educate members, as well as work with government?
Our industry impacts and is impacted by many different sectors and markets. Plastics play a crucial role in the construction of a modern home. Pipes, wiring, flooring, wall covering, waterproofing, and valves are all made of plastic. For the housing market in relation to the demand for plastics, the outlook hinges on the trajectory of interest rates going forward. Economists and financial industry observers have debated the potential outcomes of the fed’s monetary policy tightening cycle, with a soft landing being seen as beneficial for the housing market and the plastics industry.
PLASTICS advocates in two primary ways when it comes to decisionmakers. One is direct lobbying. We are on Capitol Hill, we go into the statehouses, talk to policymakers and we advocate. We build relationships with lawmakers and their staff, and we make sure that they’ve got the necessary information to make the decisions that they ultimately must make. It’s our job to compile information from our members and then speak on their behalf.
The other part of advocacy is making sure our message is being heard. If there’s a story running in a major publication, we want to be there. If there is a story running in a trade publication, we want to be there. It’s our job to ensure our message and our facts and information get where they need to be to advocate for plastics.
Finally, we inform our members on what is happening on Capitol Hill or in their home state; how policies being enacted or introduced could positively or negatively impact industry and our environment. This past spring, we held a fly-in in Washington D.C. where our members spoke to their representatives directly about the importance of our industry. We strongly believe collaboration is key to reaching our shared goals. The plastics industry never comes to the table empty handed. We offer solutions, talk about innovations, and are always looking for ways to improve circularity and keep plastic out of the environment.
What are some of the main challenges faced by industries trying to reduce their plastic footprint, and how can PLASTICS assist?
Anytime someone focuses solely on the plastic footprint, they will miss the mark on sustainability. Environmental footprint should be about every impact. It should be about energy consumption, emissions, water usage, recyclability, durability and the total lifecycle of a product. For industries trying to reduce their overall environmental footprint, I would advocate leaning into plastic use in many ways but then committing to greater circularity. When those two things are combined, and this has been shown in lifecycle assessment after lifecycle assessment, plastic wins. Plastic is the best material for nearly every application in which it is used.
If a leader of another industry told me their members want to move away from plastic, my first question would be: “What are they trying to accomplish?” If it is to reduce the overall environmental impact, we know arbitrarily eliminating plastic will increase environmental impact. If it’s about reducing waste, plastic remains the right answer. The preservation of food alone demonstrates the value of plastic. The protection of products cannot efficiently be replaced by other materials in most cases. Plastic serves so many important roles and I would always say that they should consider leaning into it rather than running away from it.
The other part is also finding ways to improve the private system to focus on circularity, such as designing for recyclability and finding ways to efficiently collect materials so they can be recycled.
This is part of our job in bringing the industry together. Our job is to lead on sustainability and work with our members to be at the cutting edge of what other industries are looking for.
Looking ahead, what do you think is next for the plastics sector?
I think the plastics industry is going to continue to grow. We are at the heart of the overall economy. Any macroeconomic headwinds are going to have an impact on the plastics industry. We are concerned about the trends in regulation and legislation trying to chip away at the industry or present the industry in a negative way, but our industry is needed. Plastic is needed. It is an essential part of society and, because of that, despite some of these headwinds that may exist in the short term, for the long term, I’m very positive on the outlook for the plastics industry.
If there was one critical message, you’d like a reader to take from this piece, what would it be?
That you can love plastic and hate plastic waste. If all sides of the public policy debate surrounding plastics recognized and admitted that we need plastic, that plastic is essential and that we need to keep more of it in the circular economy and out of the environment, it would put us in a place where we can focus on solutions and increasing our recycling rates. That’s really what we should be focused on. Sometimes policymakers get distracted by hyperbolic statements and pie-in-the-sky approaches like stopping the production of plastic. It’s not the right approach and won’t help us achieve our shared sustainability goals.