Rebecca Prince-Ruiz is the Executive Director of the Plastic Free Foundation, a not for profit with the vision of a world without plastic waste. In 2011 Rebecca and a small team in local government in Western Australia created the Plastic Free July challenge which since grown to a global movement that has inspired an estimated 326 million participants in 177 countries to reduce single-use plastic.  
 
Rebecca is author of “Plastic Free – The inspiring story of a global environmental movement and why it matters” and the 2021 WA Local Hero. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the world of environmental and waste management, community engagement, and sustainability behaviour change. Rebecca has participated in plastic pollution research expeditions in Queensland, the Cocos Islands, and the North Atlantic Ocean, and explored innovative solutions to plastic waste worldwide during a Churchill Fellowship. Rebecca believes it’s critical to stop the problem at the source and behaviour change can lead to a collective impact and influence systemic change.