Gina McCarthy Joins UBQ Materials International Advisory Board

TEL AVIV, Israel -- UBQ Materials, global manufacturer of advanced materials made from waste, today announced the appointment of Gina McCarthy to its International Advisory Board, as the company pursues its expansion plans in the United States.

UBQ Materials' globally patented technology converts household waste, including all organics, into an advanced climate-positive material that replaces fossil fuel-based plastics in durable and semi-durable applications. The material, UBQ™, is used across building and construction, retail, consumer durables, automotive and supply chain and logistics industries with leading global brands including Mercedes-Benz, PepsiCo and McDonald's.  

On joining UBQ Materials, McCarthy shared, "UBQ's technology can help the U.S. transform its solid waste disposal practices in ways that eliminate the need for waste landfilling or incineration, reduce health and odor impacts on neighboring communities, and eliminate harmful methane emissions. By converting solid waste into a sustainable circular thermoplastic that acts as a plastic substitute, we can stop covering up our waste and start transforming and reusing it in safe, affordable and beneficial ways." 

McCarthy previously served as the first White House National Climate Advisor within the Biden Administration, leading the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy. Her leadership of this office led to the most significant action on climate in U.S. history, and subsequently led to new clean energy innovation and investment in the clean tech sector nationwide. Under the Obama Administration, McCarthy was nominated and appointed as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2013-2017), spearheading President Obama's global warming and climate change initiatives.

McCarthy previously served as CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the U.S.'s largest environmental advocacy organizations. She was also a Professor of the Practice of Public Health in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There, she served as the Director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment.

"Gina is heavy-hitter and a voice of influence advancing the U.S.'s climate action efforts. She has taken decades of government experience in the environmental and climate field and is creating opportunities to advance real solutions to the most pressing climate challenges," said Jack 'Tato' Bigio, co-founder and co-CEO of UBQ Materials. "Gina is already working side-by-side with us to expand the use of UBQ™ as a substitute for plastic content in durable and semi-durable products."

UBQ Materials' bio-based material is made entirely from residual mixed household waste, including non-compostable organics and hard-to-recycle plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills or incinerators. UBQ's solution can operate independently or integrate with existing recycling systems in both developed and developing markets. UBQ Materials' highly efficient process uses low energy, zero water and operates with no emissions, no combustion, and no effluents. This results in a carbon footprint 15-20 times lower than alternative resins.

McCarthy joins other influential voices on UBQ Materials' International Advisory Board, including Prof. Roger Kornberg, of Stanford University and the 2006 Nobel prize winner in Chemistry; Connie Hedegaard, former EU Commissioner for Climate Action who oversaw the creation of the Paris Agreement; John Elkington, author and world authority on corporate responsibility, known as the "godfather of sustainability,"; Dr. Glenn Frommer, renowned SDG consultant with a PhD. in aerospace and extensive experience in global transit; and Prof. Oded Shoseyov, professor at Hebrew University and nano-biotechnology pioneer with 45 patents in protein engineering.