From Patagonia to Colgate-Palmolive, what climate pioneers have in common

Patagonia’s top sustainability strategist is a materials scientist. Colgate-Palmolive’s chief sustainability officer reports to the growth and strategy team, and PepsiCo’s CSO has managed profit-and-loss statements for billion-dollar commercial businesses. The 13 leaders I interviewed in 2025 for the Climate Pioneers series come from diverse industries and backgrounds but share a common priority: a mission to create new business value with their sustainability agendas — in the form of better products, new revenue opportunities, improved operations, stronger corporate cultures and more.  They are exemplars of an accelerating shift in the profession, one centered on quiet execution and practical results. “The new era we’re entering into for sustainability is really doubling down now on the business case, on the value creation aspect,” Colgate-Palmolive Ann Tracy told me in May. The business value theme is explored in a series of interviews I conducted during Trellis Impact 25 with sustainability leaders from Atlassian, Cox, Workday and more. It will also permeate forthcoming full-length Climate Pioneers episodes, including my interview coming up Jan. 8 with Hawaiian Airlines’ new CEO, Diana Birkett Rakow, who also leads climate strategy and low-carbon technology investments for parent company Alaska Air Group. Sign up for Trellis Briefing to be among the first to watch that conversation. Meanwhile, I encourage you to revisit how eight of this year’s Climate Pioneers are redefining corporate sustainability. Why Patagonia picked a materials scientist to lead sustainability Matt Dwyer, vice president of global product footprint, previously led materials innovation and development. Career advice from…

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