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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

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