Last month, I was honored to join my colleague Tom Marting and fellow sustainability leaders in being recognized as one of the first-ever Sustainability Changemakers by Keep Akron Beautiful and the Summit of Sustainability. According to these two organizations, a Sustainablity Changemaker is a person who is a driving force for leading their organization to make sustainable changes that are of value to not only that particular organization, but to the community as well.
I view a Changemaker as someone who sets a vision to attain big goals by encouraging and championing big steps. A Changemaker is someone who is leading the charge to bring everything together and is serving as a coach to support others in an organization in advancing social, economic and environmental sustainability.
The GOJO sustainability commitment is driven by our Purpose, is part of everything we do, and is everyone’s responsibility. We view sustainability as a journey requiring leadership, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement. We focus on understanding the evolving preferences of our stakeholders to establish priorities, setting stretch goals and seeking innovative ways to achieve them. For example, GOJO exceeded its 2015 sustainability goals, set in 2010, two years early. This resulted in the reduction of water usage by 40 percent, reduction in solid waste generated by 36 percent and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent. Building on this success, we are now in the process of finalizing an expanded set of goals to accelerate our progress through 2020. The new goals will advance GOJO Sustainable Value priorities defined through a materiality assessment conducted earlier this year.
In my role, I have the opportunity to make a positive difference and influence positive change. I partner with both internal and external stakeholders to develop and execute engagement strategies and drive innovation through sustainable practices. In addition, I work to raise awareness among those who are not thinking about sustainability issues every day and show them the positive impact sustainable practices can have within their respective organizations.
We all play a role in sustainability here at GOJO, and I’m happy to be leading the charge. Learn more about our sustainability efforts at
GOJO.com/Sustainability. Also, download the latest
GOJO Sustainability Report, and learn What Matters Most.