So far, 2020 is a good year for women in sustainability. According to GreenBiz, women now make up the majority of sustainability executives in large (58 percent) and small companies (54 percent). Pay gaps have also narrowed. But there are still plenty of systemic challenges to navigate for women, now more than ever, especially for women of color working in sustainability.
GreenBiz recently interviewed Eunice Heath, Corporate Director of Sustainability at Dow, Taylor Price, Sustainability Professional & Global Manager at Aptar, and Ezgi Barcenas, Global Vice President of Sustainability at Anheuser-Busch InBev. These three women, each at different stages in their sustainability careers, offered advice to women entering the field, how to make men allies, and develop networks in the time of social distancing.
Path into Sustainability
How do you enter the field of sustainability? All three women emphasized the need for technical skills, business acumen, and for people newly to the sustainability field, a relevant degree or certificate. In addition to these “hard” skills, “soft” skills like leadership, ability to work with diverse people (all three companies have a global footprint), problem-solving, and collaboration are essential.
Engaging with Employees Outside of Sustainability
A key part of working in sustainability at a large, global company is to be able to work across the organization, functionally and interpersonally. The three women emphasized that for sustainability strategies to be successful, it’s essential to be a connector of people, getting to know employees personally, and demonstrating the bigger picture to employees that otherwise would not be engaged on sustainability issues.
Some companies even offer sustainability academies that bring people from across the company to solve business problems in a sustainable way, and identify new opportunities. Others offer communities of practice on topics like the circular economy, R&D, and supply chains.
Engagement with the Larger Community
Part of the sustainability role is to engage outside the company and find partners, e.g. NGOs, that can help tackle a problem. At AB Inbev, they addressed the clean water crisis through a cause-marketing campaign called “Buy a Lady a Drink”, that brought clean water to 3 million women and their families around the world. Other brand cause-marketing campaigns address LBGTQ rights, more positive portrayals of women, gender-based violence, and clean energy.
The companies are incorporating diversity in their workforce through hiring and inclusion policies, and supporting women-owned businesses in the supply chain.
Men as Allies
Women in sustainability cannot work only with women. Engaging with male colleagues is essential for success. What are the best ways to turn male colleagues into allies? Women need to own their own careers and engage with male allies. For example, invite male colleagues to women’s groups and meetings. Try to link driving business growth by advancing careers of women. Ask men to sponsor women and challenge men to take a chance on hiring or promoting a woman to a non-traditional role. And ask men to call out other men’s behaviors that stifle women’s careers or advancement.
Intersection of Racial Injustice and Sustainability
There is recognition that some people (economically disadvantaged, people of color, people in developing countries) are more affected by climate change than others. AB Inbev believes in hiring diverse talent, listening to different perspectives from global teams, and focusing on actions in the right places, such as ensuring waste pickers that pick through post-consumer packaging that will be recycled, have a safe job and can work with dignity while achieving financial independence.
At Dow, there is an action plan to deal with systemic racial injustice from hiring a cross-functional counselor, to considering the needs of communities that live near Dow plant locations, to examining procurement policies that support black-owned businesses.
Staying Connected
Now more than ever is the need to stay connected and feeling like you belong in your chosen field. There are online networking opportunities such as LinkedIn that are geared specifically to women of color working in sustainability. Alumni networks are another source for networking and connection.
Attending sustainability conferences helps you find like-minded people as well as connecting to people with different perspectives. Find opportunities to keep learning and find inspiration and guidance from unexpected sources.
According to Eunice Heath at Dow, now is the time to “lean in” and put yourself out there. “Put your hand up for more opportunities, responsibility, and visibility. Get out of your comfort zone. We are charting the path for a low carbon economy and there are going to be bumps along the road.”