From Ocean to Action: Expeditions & Solutions for Ocean Plastic

Co-hosted by Capgemini's Applied Innovation Exchange & the French American Chamber of Commerce California and its Sustainability Committee

Every minute, 19 tons of plastic waste enter the ocean. It's showing up in the deepest ocean trenches, on remote Arctic ice, and inside the marine ecosystems that absorb a quarter of our CO₂ emissions. The crisis is massive — but so is the momentum to solve it.

Join us for an afternoon that moves from the frontlines of the problem to the cutting edge of solutions, featuring two French explorers who have witnessed the plastic crisis firsthand, a live podcast recording spotlighting startups building the next generation of materials, and a networking happy hour to keep the conversation going.

Keynotes: The Scale of the Crisis Legendary polar explorer Jean-Louis Étienne — the first person to reach the North Pole solo — shares what decades of expeditions to Earth's most remote environments have revealed about the reach of plastic pollution and its impact on ocean and climate health. Fabien Lamaison, Executive Director of Plastic Odyssey Fund, brings insights from the Plastic Odyssey Initiative's three year, 30 country expedition deploying field tested recycling solutions in the communities most affected by plastic waste, and outlines the organization’s next large-scale missions with UNESCO to restore biodiversity in critical marine hotspots.

A fireside chat moderated by Miguel Sossa, Capgemini's Deputy Sustainability Lead for the Americas, will dig deeper — followed by audience Q&A.

Live Recording: "Hardware to Save a Planet" Podcast Dylan Garrett, President of Synapse (Capgemini Invent) and host of the Hardware to Save a Planet podcast, leads a live panel spotlighting the innovators turning the tide. Hear from the founders and design leaders behind Sway (seaweed-based packaging), Mango Materials (biodegradable biopolymers), and frog on how new materials, bold design, and consumer demand can reshape manufacturing — for good.

Networking Happy Hour Corporates, investors, green tech startups, and sustainability enthusiasts — stick around to mix, mingle, and explore what's next.Speaker BiosDr. Jean-Louis Étienne (b. 1946) is a French physician-explorer and leading polar specialist. In 1986, he became the first person to reach the North Pole solo, and in 1989–90 co-led Transantarctica, the longest dog-sled crossing of Antarctica (6,300 km). In 2010, he completed the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean by balloon. A committed environmental advocate and prolific author, he continues to lead scientific expeditions aboard his vessel Perseverance, with campaigns planned through 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-louis-etienne-66093914/Fabien LamaisonFabien is a social and climate entrepreneur and the Executive Director of Plastic Odyssey Fund, the U.S. nonprofit arm of the global Plastic Odyssey initiative. He co-founded the organization in 2024 to mobilize American philanthropy, corporate partners, and innovation ecosystems in support of large scale ocean plastic cleanup and marine ecosystem restoration. Based in San Francisco, he leads the Fund’s strategy, partnerships, and fundraising efforts to support Plastic Odyssey’s global missions. https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabienlamaison/Media Partner: MerciSF https://mercisf.comApproved guests will require photo identification at check in.By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.