Lorena Catalán

Environmental leader who pioneered microplastic regulations in Latin America

Lorena Catalán (b.1978) is a Chilean marine biologist turned policy innovator responsible for the world's first national ban on microplastics in cosmetics. Her 2005 discovery of microbead pollution in Patagonian waters led to the WWF Chile partnership that produced groundbreaking research linking microplastics to seafood contamination. Catalán's 2010 documentary Plastic Tides (available on PBS) catalyzed public awareness campaigns that pressured Chilean lawmakers to pass the 2015 Microplastic Elimination Law - the first of its kind globally. She later co-founded the Marine Governance Institute in 2017, which has advised 12 Latin American countries on ocean protection policies. Her 2020 report Blue Economy Frameworks became the basis for Ecuador's marine conservation strategy. Catalán's work has prevented over 800 million microplastic particles from entering oceans annually through policy changes in 4 continents.