American Chemistry Council picks new head of its plastics division

Joshua Baca

Chemical industry trade association the American Chemistry Council (ACC) has appointed Joshua Baca as the new vice president of its plastics unit, effective Sept. 8.

Baca replaces the longtime head of ACC’s plastics unit, Steve Russell, who announced his retirement in late 2019.

In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based ACC said that Baca “brings more than 15 years of experience developing and leading high visibility public affairs strategies designed to influence public opinion and legislative policy.”

Baca currently serves as the senior vice president, public affairs at the American Beverage Association (ABA) where he led the launch of a new sustainability initiative and helped advance community-based recycling projects. Prior to joining ABA, Baca served as a managing director at communications and research consultancy Marathon Strategies and as a senior vice president at DDC Public Affairs.

He began his career in government and politics, including working on Capitol Hill for former U.S. Representative Heather Wilson and culminating in his role as the National Coalitions Director for U.S. Senator Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.

“Joshua brings deep expertise on complex environmental and sustainability public policy issues that require coalition and consensus-building,” said ACC president and CEO Chris Jahn. “Nowhere is that more critical than helping to identify, advance, and implement large-scale solutions to solve the issue of plastic waste in our environment. Members of ACC’s plastics division have committed to ambitious goals around a circular economy for plastics, including a pledge to reuse, recycle, or recover 100 per cent of used packaging in the United States by 2040. Joshua brings the right leadership and collaborative approach to help us achieve those goals.”