Heather Clancy

New Jersey

Editor-at-Large at Trellis

Storyteller. Chronicler of #climatetech and #corporatesustainability.

Articles

IKEA taps textiles leader as new CSO

6 days ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Send news about sustainability leadership roles, promotions and departures to [email protected]. Inter IKEA Group, which makes the wide range of home goods sold in IKEA stores, has officially named the former head of its textile supply chain strategy as its new chief sustainability officer. Lena Julle, who has been with IKEA for more than 30 years, had been acting CSO since September 2024, when Pär Stenmark stepped aside to prepare for a new, as-yet-undeclared, role within the company.
REI reaches key zero-waste milestone

1 week ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Outdoor retailer REI Co-op kept 90 percent of the discarded packaging and other waste generated at its 190-plus stores, distribution centers and warehouses out of landfills or incinerators in 2024 — delivering early on a 2025 goal and edging out other national chains including Walmart and Target that have made similar commitments. REI’s long-term vision is to become a zero-waste operation, although the 24 million-member co-operative hasn’t published a target date for its ambition.
Colgate-Palmolive CSO links sustainability and value creation

1 week ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Energy efficiency saved Colgate-Palmolive at least $1 billion over the past two decades. It is confident about meeting its 2025 goals, despite emissions increases in 2023.
Tylenol maker Kenvue integrates sustainability into product design process

1 week ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Replacement for Pamela Gill-Alabaster, the storied departing head of global sustainability, signals key strategy shift. Kenvue plans to prioritize the embedding of sustainability metrics during R&D. Gill-Alabaster’s advice for sustainability leaders: “Stay grounded in data and leverage it as a strategic advantage.” Send news about sustainability leadership roles, promotions and departures to [email protected].
ChargePoint names first sustainability director

1 week ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Mike Schwartz is the company’s first formal hire responsible for ESG issues. His job will include helping customers use data in their own emissions accounting. Send news about sustainability leadership roles, promotions and departures to [email protected]. ChargePoint, which operates one of the world’s largest electric vehicle charging networks, named former recycling executive Mike Schwartz to be its first director of sustainability.
How Kohler and Legrand embed circularity into product design

2 weeks ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Starting early is critical. Sharing methodology is helpful. Scorecards updated at every stage of the process can keep teams motivated and inform future research and development. Kohler, the 150-year-old bathroom and kitchen fixtures company, and Legrand, a 160-year-old maker of electrical supplies, are overhauling new product design processes to incorporate principles such as longer durability, simpler repair and disassembly and more recycled content.
Alphabet and Dow's new AI database will sort complex plastics

2 weeks ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

An estimated 7 million tons of plastic film and flexible packaging winds up in landfills because recycling systems haven’t been built to handle it. Training AI to improve sorting will increase the volume of plastic feedstock that consumer products brands can reuse in packaging. The technology requires recyclers, haulers and packaging producers to rethink existing collection, sorting and recycling processes.
Inside Amazon's blueprint for cutting building emissions

3 weeks ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Amazon is kickstarting low-carbon concrete and steel startups with investments from its $2 billion Climate Pledge Fund. The company uses five principles to drive building management decisions but tailors them to region and facility type. One potential blocker: Technicians trained to fine-tune new equipment and artificial intelligence tools. Amazon manages thousands of facilities across 20 different building types — from data centers to commercial offices to grocery stores to distribution centers.
Starbucks nears 10,000 greener stores goal

3 weeks ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Operations are among the biggest sources of emissions for fast-food restaurants. The Greener Stores framework outlines 25 practices store managers can use to reduce energy and water consumption, and minimize packaging and food waste. Starbucks focused first on new locations, but existing cafes are encouraged to embrace Greener Stores habits. Starbucks has verified 9,400 cafes for meeting strict requirements related to energy efficiency, waste diversion and water stewardship.
Microsoft is mining hard drives for rare earths and precious metals

3 weeks ago | trellis.net | Heather Clancy

Technology giants are “mining” rare earth elements and precious metals from old computer hardware and recovered electronics to meet waste reduction goals. Apple and Google are also recovering precious metals and rare earth elements. The company recycled or reused almost 91 percent of its decommissioned servers and other data center hardware in 2024.