Jeff Wooster
Global Sustainability Director — Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics
Jeff Wooster is the Global Sustainability Director for Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics. In this role, he collaborates with the entire value chain to promote and improve the sustainability value of plastic packaging, drive to a more circular economy, and keep plastic waste out of the environment. Jeff has played a key role in the formation and launch of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global cross-value chain initiative working to eliminate plastic waste from the environment. He is a past president of AMERIPEN and is on the Board of Directors for GreenBlue. He serves on the steering team for the Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas Alliance signature initiative on marine debris was a founding member of the Materials Recovery For the Future (MRFF) collaborative. Additionally, Wooster previously served as chair for American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division Packaging Team and in various leadership roles with many other industry groups.
Wooster joined Dow in 1988, where he spent five years in Polyolefins Product Research. In this role he designed new polyethylene resins and packaging structures and worked to understand fundamental materials science and polymer processing. In 1993 he transferred to the Plastics Technical Service & Development team, where he has held technical responsibility for many of the Company’s key polyethylene customers. He has developed and implemented new technology for various application areas such as stretch film, heavy duty shipping sacks and fresh-cut produce packaging. In 2007 he moved to Marketing & Sales where he assumed responsibility for sustainability for Dow’s North American plastics business and was named to his present position in 2011.
Wooster holds 45 U.S. and foreign patents and has published more than 100 technical papers and presentations. He is a frequently invited guest speaker on the subjects of sustainability and sustainable packaging. Wooster has also been recognized for his many efforts to advance sustainability practices including the American Chemistry Council Responsible Care 2015 Employee of the Year and an inaugural person of the year Trashie Award from the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. When he isn’t staying safer at home, he enjoys traveling beyond Texas’ boundaries to enjoy his favorite hobbies, including football, snow skiing, trying new restaurants, and contributing to the economic development of the world’s top tourist destinations. Jeff especially enjoys spending as much time as possible in Park City, Utah enjoying the mountains and clear, dry air. When not traveling he and his husband Randy live in Galveston, Texas.
Wooster received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology.
