GILBERT, Ariz. (March 18, 2021) — Footprint, a sustainable technology firm specializing in materials science engineering, today announced the appointment of Craig Leeson, Darin Olien, Dr. Leonardo Trasande, and Lina Constantinovici to the Footprint Advisory Board. This group offers collective expertise in sustainability strategy and overcoming the harmful effects that plastic has on the health of our planet and people.
As an award-winning journalist and filmmaker, Craig Leeson’s extensive understanding of plastic waste on our environment is showcased, both in terms of ocean waste and also climate change, in his latest documentary, The Last Glaciers. Leeson is the Global Chief Evangelist at Plastic Oceans, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit; a producer and director of many films, including A Plastic Ocean; and is an international correspondent for Al Jazeera English.
“It is my mission to foster sustainable communities and Footprint is enabling major companies to implement sustainable alternatives in communities worldwide,” said Leeson. “I believe that change starts locally, and Footprint’s products are creating change at the kitchen table and at restaurants. Troy Swope, and the entire Footprint team are shifting the way we view single-use packaging and it’s an honor to support their vision.”
Darin Olien brings nutritional expertise to the group, focusing on human health and the connection nutrition has with nature. Darin is a renowned superfoods hunter, supplement formulator and author of the New York Times bestseller, SuperLife: The five fixes that will keep you healthy, fit and eternally awesome. He also explores sustainable living practices as the executive producer and co-host of the Netflix docuseries, Down to Earth with Zac Efron.
Advisor Darin Olien says, “Being involved with Footprint has changed me on a cellular level. The work being done here is on the front line of change to a problem that has plagued humanity. We have to fix this problem and positively impact the environment, and the world, by changing the way this industry has functioned.”
The effect of plastic on the human body is intimately understood by Advisor Dr. Leonardo Trasande, the director at the NYU Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards and author of Sicker, Fatter, Poorer. Dr. Trasande is known internationally as a leader in children’s health, focusing his research on identifying the role of environmental exposures in childhood obesity and cardiovascular risks. His vast work includes studying the massive economic effect from plastic chemicals impacting a baby’s IQ and finding that people with high levels of BPA are 49 percent more likely to die during a 10-year period.
“The innovative products being developed by Footprint have promising potential to lower the exposure people have to harmful chemicals found in plastic, which can have negative effects on the reproductive system and increase the risk of chronic diseases,” said Dr. Trasande. “By producing plant-based alternatives to plastic packaging without toxic chemicals, Footprint is fostering health in both the environment and every person who purchases a product or quick meal wrapped in the company’s packaging.”
The global impact of toxic materials is top of mind for Advisor Lina Constantinovici, the founder of innovation 4.4 and BVC Fund. As an innovator, investor, futurist, and pioneer in biomimetic innovation, Lina has directed tens of billions of investment and philanthropic dollars towards solutions that create better futures for all and are aligned with 4.4 billion years of research and development that nature has evolved. Lina has advised national governments, the United Nations, Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and NGOs on the nexus between innovation, capital deployment, and achieving the global goals we have agreed to as a human society: the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
“Footprint is igniting the fast change we need to eliminate non-essential, single-use plastics and improve the health of our planet,” said Constantinovici. “This team is making a concept like zero waste possible in a modern, convenience-based world. That, in itself, is astounding.”
For more information about Footprint and the advisory board that is helping to create a healthy planet, visit www.footprintus.com.
About Footprint
Footprint has a clear vision: eliminate single-use and short-term use plastics. Footprint designs, develops and manufactures technologies that are biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. We make it easy for companies to switch out of plastic to preserve our future. We love our oceans and our planet, that’s why we are revolutionizing industries to eliminate plastic pollution. The company was founded by former Intel engineers Troy Swope and Yoke Chung and employs more than 1,200 people. In 2019, Footprint was announced a winner of the prestigious NextGen Cup Challenge for its Plant-based alternative manufacturing process for making cups and lids. Footprint was also named to the 2020 Fortune “Change the World” list and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Innovators Community. Footprint has already helped eliminate over 61 million pounds of plastic. The company is based in Gilbert, Ariz. For more information and a complete portfolio of Footprint solutions visit www.footprintus.com.