SF Climate Week Event with Explorer Jean-Louis Etienne and Plastic Odyssey: 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.

Don’t miss this groundbreaking SF Climate Week conversation exploring the plastic crisis—from its devastating reach to the bold innovations turning the tide.

From Ocean to Action: Expeditions & Solutions for Ocean Plastic will kick off with inspiring keynotes from French explorers who have witnessed the crisis firsthand. It will be followed by a dynamic panel featuring cutting-edge startups and industry leaders advancing next-generation materials and solutions. The event will conclude with a networking happy hour—an opportunity to continue the conversation and connect with fellow sustainability changemakers.

Keynotes: The Scale of the Crisis

Jean-Louis Étienne – Legendary French polar explorer, the first person to reach the North Pole solo, will share insights from decades of expeditions into the planet’s most remote environments and the impact of plastic on oceans and climate.
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.
Fireside Chat & Q&A moderated by Miguel Sossa, Capgemini’s Deputy Sustainability Lead for the Americas. This conversation will dive deeper into solutions with audience participation.

Live Podcast Recording: “Hardware to Save a Planet”

Hosted by Dylan Garrett, President of Synapse (Capgemini Invent) and podcast host, this panel discussion will feature founders and design leaders behind Sway (seaweed-based packaging), innovative CPG brands using new materials, and frog, to discuss how bold design, materials, and consumer demand are reshaping manufacturing—for good.

Networking Happy Hour

Mix with corporates, investors, green tech startups, and sustainability enthusiasts to continue the conversation and explore actionable solutions.

Speaker Bios

Dr. Jean-Louis Étienne – Physician, explorer, and environmental advocate. Jean-Louis Étienne was the first person to reach the North Pole solo (1986), co-led the longest dog-sled crossing of Antarctica (6,300 km, 1989–90), and completed the first Arctic Ocean balloon crossing (2010). He continues to lead scientific expeditions aboard his vessel Perseverance.
Fabien Lamaison 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.