About Beth Gardiner

Gardiner is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of the book Plastic Inc., which examines the global plastics industry and its profound impact on human health and the environment. A longtime reporter on climate change, air pollution and environmental policy, her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Through deeply reported storytelling, Gardiner sheds light on the forces driving the plastics crisis and the solutions emerging around the world.

Plastic, the foundational material of modern consumerism, is everywhere in our daily lives. But the oil and petrochemical companies making it are hiding in plain sight. Because for all the vivid coverage of where plastic ends up, there is remarkably little discussion of where it comes from. Today, industry is pouring billions of dollars into plans to double, or even triple, the amount it churns out, even as individuals concerned about plastic’s out-of-control proliferation try to use less. As Big Oil stares down a future of diminishing demand for fossil fuels, plastic has become its financial lifeline.

Award-winning journalist Beth Gardiner gives readers an up-close look at the plastic industry’s relentless growth, its extraordinary profits, its toxic pollution and its hidden role in exacerbating climate change. Plastic Inc.’s gripping stories will reframe for readers a problem many of us think we understand, but which has deeper.