David Katz - Biography
David Katz is the founder and CEO of Plastic Bank, an internationally recognized organization dedicated to tackling ocean pollution.
Plastic Bank is a global network of micro-recycling markets that helps communities overcome poverty while addressing environmental challenges.
Plastic Bank’s model enables people to collect plastic waste and trade it as currency. This creates an ecosystem that combines social impact, environmental protection and economic participation. The organization’s global partners include IBM, Shell Energy and Henkel.
David Katz Speaking Topics:
Social Entrepreneurship
- Triple bottom line business. Doing well while doing good.
- A new tide. The rising consumer movement to do good.
Oceans
- The surprising solution to ocean plastic
Entrepreneurship
- From idea to multinational. The business story behind the Plastic Bank Core Values
- “Context”, and the power of clarity in decisions.
David Katz is the recipient of the United Nations Lighthouse Award for Planetary Health 2017 and was awarded the Sustainia Community Award at the Paris Climate Conference. He is also a former president of the Vancouver Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) and was named a Global Citizen by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
Salt Magazine ranked David Katz #4 on its list of the “World’s Top 100 Compassionate Business Leaders” — between Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus and Elon Musk. The magazine also recognized him as one of the world’s most compassionate entrepreneurs.
For his humanitarian work and his commitment to fighting plastic pollution, David Katz has received international recognition. He has been featured in Forbes, TIME Magazine, Fast Company and National Geographic. He has also appeared in an award-winning documentary and an international reality TV show.
David Katz is regarded as a dedicated advocate for protecting the planet and as a voice for people who gain new opportunities through social and environmental innovation.