Adwoa Coleman: “It quickly became evident that there was huge opportunity in taking leadership in the role of product stewardship, especially where plastics were concerned”

In the latest instalment of our series collaborating with the Women in Plastics initiative, in which BP&R shines a spotlight on one of the platform’s inspirational interviewees, we share a conversation with Adwoa Coleman, Africa Sustainability and Advocacy Manager at Dow P&SP. Adwoa discusses her role at Dow, facing dialogue challenges with people who are anti-plastic and the real change which needs to be done to create mutually beneficial solutions when it comes to plastics.

Q: How did your career path lead to your current role?

I started my career as a chemical engineer in very hands-on operations roles at manufacturing plants. The practical aspect of engineering always appealed to me but after a few years of quite tasking shift work I searched for a balance in being able to apply my technical expertise with less tasking physical demands.

This led to my first role at Dow which was in the product safety organisation, where we handled human health and protecting the environment through stewardship for our products before and after they were sold. In doing this role in West Africa, it quickly became evident that there was huge opportunity in taking leadership in the role of product stewardship, especially where plastics were concerned, and this led to my keen focus on strategies to advance a circular economy for the material in West Africa and eventually across Africa.

Q: What does a typical day consist of as an Africa Sustainability and Advocacy Manager at Dow P&SP?

My role is tasked with implementing Dow’s global sustainability strategy for plastics in Africa where we aim to stop the waste and close the loop for the material. My day-to-day involves corresponding with the partners that we work with across the continent on projects to meet these goals, communicating internally for alignment on the strategy, as well as reporting results and engaging other like-minded organisations and individuals on external platforms such as associations, webinars on the subject matter. I also share thought leadership on my social media channels to help amplify the work being done in this important space.

I also have a few external responsibilities related to my role at Dow that I engage in frequently, firstly, leading the Ghana recycling initiative by private enterprises (GRIPE) as the President of the coalition, secondly, sitting on the steering board and technical committees for WEF’s global plastic action partnership in Ghana to advance a circular economy for plastics and leading one of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste’s thematic expertise groups for Africa.

Q: Could you tell us more about the launch of the feasibility study to examine plastics circularity in Nigeria by Dow, Empower and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)?

A key gap in enabling a circular economy for plastics across Africa is being able to collect the material at a viable scale for reuse, recycling, or other alternative end-uses. This is because widely across the region, separation at source is not practiced, enforced, or practical in some cases. This means that plastics are incorporated into the general waste management streams from households and businesses which unfortunately leads to them largely ending up in the landfill and environment, where they don’t belong.

Understanding the flow of the materials and enabling the traceability to capture them at source or other points in the waste value chain is key to ensuring they don’t go to waste. This study enables us to do this for several different plastics but also specifically for the sachet water application which is the “raw material” for Project REFLEXNG in Nigeria. The partnership with digital innovator, EMPOWER will enable us to scale up this project, which we launched last year in collaboration with Wecyclers an incentive-based material recovery social enterprise and Omnik a convertor and recycler, to recycle flexible packaging into post-consumer recyclates for use in non-food grade packaging.

Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment in your career so far?

I would say my biggest accomplishment is gaining an understanding of the nuances in plastic recycling in several key African markets. If we are going to enable a circular economy for plastics in Africa, the key lies in knowing how the markets function currently and what the motivation would be to turn the system around. Working for a plastic raw material supplier, I never expected to find myself going so far down the value chain into the waste supply chain. However, creating a real impact requires this and I am very proud not only of what we have found out in doing so but also of how we are using that information to create positive social, environmental, and business impact.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your career so far?

The biggest challenge I have faced in my career so far is enabling dialogue with people who are anti-plastic. The issue here is that there is a significant amount of the material that is ending up in the natural environment and landfill post-use of the products they are packaged with, which is unacceptable, however, the path to surmounting the issue will take a concerted effort of everyone within the value chain including people who currently have the view that plastics should be banned. The scientific fact is that for many applications, plastic offers the best environmental benefits compared to alternative materials when considered on a lifecycle basis, which is why so many things are made of plastic.

So, how can we work together to solve the issue of plastic waste post-use? Understandably, on the side of anyone viewing the issue of plastic waste and its effects on wildlife and the environment, there is a raw emotional response, but real change will only come about if all parties work together towards a mutually beneficial solution. To be honest, this solution is not one single action but many different interventions that will need to happen concertedly across the entire value chain.

Q: What are your hopes for 2021? Do you have any upcoming projects?

In 2021, I hope to scale up some of our existing pilot projects and replicate some of the successful models in new countries and markets. Tackling the issue of plastic waste requires strategic intent, significant funds, and scale, and the pilots we have put in place reflect the great potential for achieving this. I am also looking to enable the diversion of more volumes of plastic from landfill and the environment through my projects in the region and to enable more recycling and high-value end-uses that can ensure continuity in value for the material throughout its lifecycle.

Q: How important do you feel female role models are to the younger generation and did you have one?

Female role models are extremely important for the younger generation in enabling them to see people in roles and careers that they can aspire to one day.

I have been fortunate throughout my life to have always had great female role models, from organic examples like my mum whose work ethic I try to exemplify. She unfailingly woke up at dawn every day to ensure my sister and I were prepped for school before setting about to her craft of millinery, where she would work sometimes late into the night to complete client orders while still putting meals on the table for lunch and dinner. Throughout my education, female professors who had skilfully mastered complex subjects and were more than eager to offer help to anyone who needed extra tuition to get through classes, also provided huge amounts of inspiration. I have also found mentors in amazing leaders and colleagues throughout my career, who have shared their expertise, who reflect attributes I can only aspire to, and who would never miss an opportunity to speak on my behalf when I am not in the room.

Q: Do you feel there is enough information/opportunities for the next generation to be encouraged to have a career in your line of work?

No, there isn’t, and this is a gap that we need to close as soon as possible. I find through my interactions with people I have mentored and people who engage with me after seeing me participate in panels, that there is very little awareness about the opportunities available in the sustainability field. I find that this is also owing to the fact that many people do not know what sustainability entails exactly; those who have a fair idea find it abstract because of the sliver of information available to them and even those who work in the space can at times be quite theoretical about their work.

The simple fact is that we live in a world with finite resources and growing populations, and being able to maintain the balance of meeting our needs today and tomorrow while protecting people, the planet, and prosperity requires us to make careful considerations towards how we live today and this carries through from individuals to corporations. In addition, the people who help to make this happen work in many different places; with the government on policy, with corporations on enabling circular economy, with environmental and research groups on generating data around key themes, and so on. There are many different avenues future generations can explore to do this fulfilling work and, like me, hopefully also find a passion for their work in the sustainability space.