Beverley Thorpe

Beverley has researched and promoted clean production strategies internationally since 1986 and was a co-founder of the United Nations Environment Programme for Cleaner Production. She was the first Clean Production liaison and technical expert for Greenpeace International on chemical and waste issues and during this time initiated the first English language campaigns against PVC plastic and PVC waste and helped achieve a global ban on ocean incineration of hazardous wastes. She has worked with the US farming community to produce videos and reports that highlight the risks of GMO crops from a farmer’s perspective. Her work to advance Extended Producer Responsibility for product waste catalyzed the uptake of this zero-waste strategy in the USA and she helped with the initial design of Bhutan’s zero waste framework. Her current focus is the promotion of Green Chemistry within government policy, company practices and in the workplace and she continues to train, teach and publish materials that advance more sustainable, non toxic and socially just production systems. Beverley received her degree in Geography from Leicester University, UK and is a regular guest lecturer at Lund University, Sweden. She is the co-coordinator of the Safe Markets Workgroup in the US, and a current board member of the Green Chemistry Network in the UK, Story of Stuff in the US and Greenpeace Canada.