Carbon to Couture: LanzaTech's Carbon Recycling Journey

LanzaTech's Carbon Recycling 

Dunja Jovanovic: Sarah, you're working on the position of ESG Manager at LanzaTech, and I'm eager to learn more about your role and what LanzaTech does to combat climate change's impact on the environment. Can you give us an overview?

Sarah Ye: LanzaTech was founded in 2005 in New Zealand by Dr. Sean Simpson and Dr. Richard Forrester. Back then, it was a time when few believed it was possible to use waste carbon emissions as a feedstock or harness nature-based solutions for sustainable fuels and chemical production. Our mission is rooted in carbon recycling. We capture pollution and carbon emissions from sources like steel mills and transform them into raw materials or chemicals, serving as the building blocks for various products.

Brand Partnerships 

DJ: Can you provide some examples of the products LanzaTech's technology helps create?

SY: At our current commercial sites, we produce ethanol, which is then converted into products for well-known brands. For instance, we've made athletic wear and tennis shoes for Adidas, leggings with H&M, cleaning products with Method, and even perfume for Gucci. These collaborations showcase the versatility of our technology and how it can contribute to a more sustainable future.

DJ: What was LanzaTech's first major success or collaboration that put the company on the map?

SY: One of our significant achievements was creating a line of cocktail dresses in partnership with Zara. These dresses were a hit, and they sold out quickly. What's remarkable is that they were not only sustainable but also affordable, which resonated with consumers.

DJ: Speaking of accessibility, how do you educate your clients and the public about the importance of sustainability and LanzaTech's impact?

SY: Educating people about sustainability, especially when introducing new technologies, can be a challenge. At LanzaTech, we've recognized the need to make our impact tangible. One way we do this is through our "carbon-smart" products made using raw materials from our technology. For example, if you purchase clothing or detergent from a brand we collaborate with, you're actively supporting sustainability without sacrificing quality or style.

Navigating ESG at LanzaTech

DJ: You started as an ESG Manager recently. Could you explain your role and responsibilities in fostering sustainability within LanzaTech?

SY: I've been with LanzaTech since 2015 and have held various roles. My journey led me to the ESG Manager position, which I started about a year and a half ago. In this role, I oversee our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives. My responsibilities include tracking and reporting our ESG progress, ensuring compliance with ESG-related requirements from partners and investors, and developing our internal sustainability programs.

DJ: How do you communicate your ESG progress and impact to stakeholders and the public, especially since transparency is crucial in ESG reporting?

SY: Transparency is indeed vital in ESG reporting. Currently, we communicate our progress primarily through our annual reports, where we highlight both our successes and areas where we're working to improve. We also share snippets of our progress on social media. As we become more established as a public company, we'll continue to refine our communication strategies to keep stakeholders and the public informed about our ESG efforts.

DJ: Transitioning to a "post-pollution future" is a significant undertaking. How do you foster a company culture at LanzaTech that aligns with ESG principles and encourages sustainability?

SY: Fostering a sustainability-oriented culture is crucial, and it's a journey we're continually embarking on. One challenge we've encountered is striking a balance between our work at LanzaTech and our personal lives. When you spend your workday focused on sustainability, it's easy to become complacent outside of work. To address this, we've initiated small steps within the company, such as minimizing single-use items in the office, launching a quarterly sustainability newsletter for employee suggestions, and encouraging active commuting to reduce carbon footprints. These steps help engage employees and promote a culture of sustainability.

A Holistic Vision: LanzaTech's Path to Sustainability

DJ: Finally, what are your hopes and dreams for the future of sustainability in the cleantech realm, and where does LanzaTech fit into that vision?

SY: My dream for the future is one where more companies and individuals embrace the holistic view of sustainability. We should view sustainability not as a separate endeavor but as an integral part of revenue and profit generation. LanzaTech is helping to drive this paradigm shift by enabling a transformation in how we treat and value carbon. We want to see more companies adopting this approach, where economic, social, and environmental concerns are intertwined. LanzaTech's vision aligns perfectly with this future, as we work toward scaling our technology to have a more significant global impact.

0:00:00.000,0:00:07.160
Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Green New Perspective, your go-to podcast

0:00:07.160,0:00:11.600
to learn about cleantech, nature tech, and agritech's breakthrough solutions and the

0:00:11.600,0:00:15.240
marketing strategies used to accelerate growth.

0:00:15.240,0:00:20.280
We invite you to learn from and be inspired by the game changers, the disruptors, and

0:00:20.280,0:00:23.600
the pioneers who are redefining our future.

0:00:23.600,0:00:29.320
This episode is proudly sponsored by New Perspective, a next-gen marketing agency hailing from Boston,

0:00:29.320,0:00:31.840
Massachusetts, working with cleantech clients.

0:00:31.840,0:00:37.640
So if you want to learn more about our sponsor, check out the description below this episode.

0:00:37.640,0:00:40.520
So what are we going to talk about today?

0:00:40.520,0:00:45.880
My guest is Sarah Yee, an ESG manager of Lanzatech.

0:00:45.880,0:00:51.480
Lanzatech is a company that started back in 2005 when the idea of turning pollution and

0:00:51.480,0:00:56.800
carbon emissions from steel mills into materials for clothing, shoes, and fragrances sounded

0:00:56.880,0:01:01.920
like something out of science fiction, but today it's a reality.

0:01:01.920,0:01:07.560
So join us as we explore how Lanzatech's mission to recycle carbon is not only making passion

0:01:07.560,0:01:12.980
a little bit more sustainable, but also shaping a stylish and eco-friendly future.

0:01:12.980,0:01:23.840
So tune in and enjoy.

0:01:23.880,0:01:27.480
Hi, Sarah, and welcome to the Green New Perspective podcast.

0:01:27.480,0:01:28.480
Thank you so much.

0:01:28.480,0:01:29.680
I'm very happy to be here.

0:01:29.680,0:01:32.800
So Sarah, you're working as an ESG manager at Lanzatech.

0:01:32.800,0:01:37.480
So can you tell us a bit more about the company and what you guys do to combat climate change?

0:01:37.480,0:01:41.240
And of course, what is your role as an ESG manager means within the company?

0:01:41.240,0:01:42.240
Yeah, absolutely.

0:01:42.240,0:01:43.880
I would love to.

0:01:43.880,0:01:50.440
So Lanzatech was founded in 2005 in New Zealand by Dr. Sean Simpson and Dr. Richard Forrester.

0:01:50.440,0:01:54.080
This was at a time when no one really believed it was possible to use waste carbon emissions

0:01:54.080,0:02:01.400
as a feedstock, nor leverage any kind of nature-based solutions for sustainable fuels and chemicals

0:02:01.400,0:02:02.400
production.

0:02:02.400,0:02:07.480
So this was the time that the company was founded in.

0:02:07.480,0:02:10.780
And so what we are is a carbon recycling company.

0:02:10.780,0:02:15.160
And so we're able to capture pollution and carbon emissions, such as those from steel

0:02:15.160,0:02:21.460
mills, and we can transform them into a raw material or into a chemical that's the building

0:02:21.460,0:02:24.320
block for our material economy.

0:02:24.320,0:02:30.200
Lanzatech's carbon recycling technology from a concept that might be a bit easier to grasp

0:02:30.200,0:02:35.400
is like retrofitting a brewery onto an emission source, like a steel mill or a landfill site.

0:02:35.400,0:02:41.680
But instead of using sugars and yeast to make beer, we are able to convert the pollution

0:02:41.680,0:02:44.640
using a bacteria into a fuel or a chemical.

0:02:44.640,0:02:48.560
And so from there, we work with numerous downstream conversion partners, and we're

0:02:48.560,0:02:52.760
able to then transform that raw material into products.

0:02:52.760,0:02:55.800
And what type of products are you making?

0:02:55.800,0:03:00.600
At all our commercial sites, we're producing ethanol, and that ethanol is being converted

0:03:00.600,0:03:07.720
downstream into dresses for Zara, athletic wear and tennis shoes for Adidas.

0:03:07.720,0:03:13.000
We've made leggings with H&M Move, cleaning products with Mabelle, perfume from Gucci.

0:03:13.160,0:03:18.560
So far, there have been actually a range of various products with big name brands.

0:03:18.560,0:03:22.320
And what was your first collaboration, the one that put you on the map?

0:03:22.320,0:03:27.320
Well, some of our earlier collaborations were with cleaning products and packaging with

0:03:27.320,0:03:28.320
Mabelle.

0:03:28.320,0:03:32.560
But then also, what was pretty amazing was we were able to make these really beautiful

0:03:32.560,0:03:34.400
cocktail dresses with Zara.

0:03:34.400,0:03:41.560
Yeah, we've had a couple capsule collections, and they've all sold out, and the dresses

0:03:41.560,0:03:42.920
actually are quality.

0:03:42.960,0:03:46.040
We bought a bunch, and we have some here at the office.

0:03:46.040,0:03:51.600
And what's also really nice is they weren't, even though it was made from recycled carbon

0:03:51.600,0:03:55.360
or recycled pollution, there really wasn't a huge markup either.

0:03:55.360,0:03:56.360
So it was very accessible.

0:03:56.360,0:04:00.320
Yeah, I know that a lot of fast fashion brands have had those sustainability initiatives

0:04:00.320,0:04:05.560
in the past, didn't know that Zara had carbon-recycled dresses.

0:04:05.560,0:04:11.640
I know that a lot of brands have had recycled polyester made from plastic bottles that didn't

0:04:11.640,0:04:13.680
turn out to be sustainable at all.

0:04:13.680,0:04:19.680
But this sounds like a good idea, a good product, have to explore it more.

0:04:19.680,0:04:28.400
But can you tell me if you have had any bigger collaboration that transformed the company

0:04:28.400,0:04:32.720
that you were collaborating with, transformed their ways beyond capsule collections?

0:04:32.720,0:04:33.720
Sure.

0:04:33.720,0:04:38.480
But for this question, instead of focusing on a specific case or a specific company that

0:04:38.480,0:04:43.840
has used our technology, I'd actually really like to talk about the impact that we're having

0:04:43.840,0:04:52.040
and how we're really transforming the entire system of how we treat and value carbon.

0:04:52.040,0:04:57.680
And this is something we're actually very proud of, is we are changing how people think

0:04:57.680,0:04:58.680
about carbon.

0:04:58.680,0:05:04.160
We're at the option to recycle a so-called liability that is carbon or is pollution,

0:05:04.160,0:05:07.880
and we can turn it into a valuable and sustainable product.

0:05:07.880,0:05:11.880
We like to say that we see opportunity where others see waste.

0:05:11.880,0:05:17.080
And that transformation is one that we're hoping spreads to other companies and spreads

0:05:17.080,0:05:20.440
really is a change in our overall culture.

0:05:20.440,0:05:23.760
Was that the company's vision from the beginning?

0:05:23.760,0:05:26.520
And what were the challenges that you faced along the way?

0:05:26.520,0:05:31.200
So as I mentioned, the company started in 2005 back in New Zealand by Dr. Simpson and

0:05:31.200,0:05:33.080
Dr. Forrester.

0:05:33.080,0:05:38.080
And the two of them really, they came from a company that was focused on using biomass

0:05:38.080,0:05:43.360
to make fuels, but they thought it was a better idea to use something that had little to no

0:05:43.360,0:05:46.280
impact on land or food production instead.

0:05:46.280,0:05:50.560
And so they wanted to find something that was low cost and in a large quantity.

0:05:50.560,0:05:54.720
And so I think they came across this academic paper that showed it was possible for this

0:05:54.720,0:05:59.120
bacteria to consume carbon monoxide to produce ethanol.

0:05:59.120,0:06:05.200
And so light bulbs went off in their head and they said, well, is it possible to use

0:06:05.200,0:06:09.080
this biology at a large scale to consume waste emissions?

0:06:09.080,0:06:14.800
And so they were researching gas fermentation and they came across this rabbit gut bacteria,

0:06:14.800,0:06:17.560
which is at the heart of what we do here at Lanzatec.

0:06:17.560,0:06:21.000
It's called Clostridium autoethanogenum.

0:06:21.000,0:06:26.480
And this bacteria descended from the Earth's oldest organisms that subsisted off deep sea

0:06:26.480,0:06:27.480
vents.

0:06:27.480,0:06:34.040
And so the reason I bring this up is, you know, Sean, one of the co-founders, he's been

0:06:34.040,0:06:39.000
quoted saying how our climate future was created billions of years ago, which in this case

0:06:39.000,0:06:40.320
is very true.

0:06:40.320,0:06:44.080
The reason I bring this up is this was the creation of Lanzatec, right?

0:06:44.080,0:06:48.720
This is like, how could we make fuels from something that had no impact on land and food

0:06:48.720,0:06:49.800
production?

0:06:49.800,0:06:52.800
So thinking sustainability from the very start.

0:06:52.800,0:06:57.960
And while we started off focusing on fuels and sustainable aviation fuel, we realized

0:06:57.960,0:07:00.800
that there are other applications for our technology, right?

0:07:00.800,0:07:06.440
That the raw materials being produced from our commercial sites, you know, right now

0:07:06.440,0:07:11.920
being ethanol really is the building block to most things we use in our everyday life.

0:07:11.920,0:07:16.880
So what you've basically been sharing with me and our audience is the history of the

0:07:16.880,0:07:18.800
company and how you developed.

0:07:18.800,0:07:22.780
So can you tell me a bit more about the challenges that you encountered on the way for the other

0:07:22.780,0:07:26.580
people who are starting their own businesses in the cleantech space?

0:07:26.580,0:07:32.460
And also one more thing that I wanted to ask you is that when I talk with guests here in

0:07:32.460,0:07:37.900
the podcast who are all from the cleantech space, they're telling me that they have the

0:07:37.900,0:07:42.900
problems or challenges with communication because the technology they're developing

0:07:42.900,0:07:46.460
and selling, putting on the market is fairly new or totally new.

0:07:46.460,0:07:52.260
So it's important for general public and other companies or partners to understand what they're

0:07:52.260,0:07:57.020
doing and how they're helping solving climate change issues.

0:07:57.020,0:08:03.140
So can you tell us if you maybe had similar issues within Lanzatec and how did you deal

0:08:03.140,0:08:04.140
with them?

0:08:04.140,0:08:09.180
A challenge that we've faced with our consumer base and even with partners and even people

0:08:09.180,0:08:14.140
like myself, you know, I've been working at Lanzatec since 2015 and even I still find,

0:08:14.140,0:08:19.540
you know, the concept of carbon abatement in terms of tons to be rather amorphous and

0:08:19.540,0:08:20.540
hard to grasp.

0:08:20.540,0:08:27.340
You know, by end of year 2024, you know, we're anticipating that we'll have an annual carbon

0:08:27.340,0:08:29.860
abatement of 500 tons.

0:08:29.860,0:08:31.780
That's from all our commercial units.

0:08:31.780,0:08:34.380
What does that actually mean?

0:08:34.380,0:08:39.020
And it actually means about, it's comparable to removing about 110,000 cars from the road

0:08:39.020,0:08:40.020
each year.

0:08:40.020,0:08:47.300
But how, but to make it relatable to our everyday consumer and the people who really do have

0:08:47.300,0:08:53.940
an impact on helping to solve the climate crisis that we're all in is understanding

0:08:53.940,0:08:59.060
what they can do and understanding that they actually have an impact and that they can,

0:08:59.060,0:09:01.620
they themselves can take action.

0:09:01.620,0:09:05.740
In thinking about our consumer base, especially recently, what's been a key driver in our

0:09:05.740,0:09:09.980
external communication and in collaboration with our partners has been our carbon smart

0:09:09.980,0:09:10.980
products.

0:09:10.980,0:09:15.280
You know, these are products made using the raw materials produced through our technology

0:09:15.280,0:09:17.360
at the commercial facilities.

0:09:17.360,0:09:22.360
And so these products are a tangible way that allows our consumers to interact with the

0:09:22.360,0:09:24.800
company and our technology, right?

0:09:24.800,0:09:30.640
To know that you're wearing a Zara dress made in part from sustainably produced ethanol,

0:09:30.640,0:09:35.040
or you're, you know, spraying on a perfume made 100% from recycled carbon before a big

0:09:35.040,0:09:41.840
night out, like that is a truly tangible way and relatable way that you as a consumer are

0:09:41.840,0:09:43.280
making an impact.

0:09:43.280,0:09:47.640
And so I think from the education front, being able to have these products, being able to

0:09:47.640,0:09:52.660
touch them and feel them and hold them and wear them makes a huge difference.

0:09:52.660,0:09:58.760
And so, you know, today, because of our platform, you can literally walk into a store, go online

0:09:58.760,0:10:03.080
and purchase these things, you know, purchase clothing, purchase detergent and dresses all

0:10:03.080,0:10:05.440
made from recycled emissions.

0:10:05.440,0:10:10.800
And this always brings me back to something that Jennifer Holmgren, our CEO, used to say

0:10:10.800,0:10:16.960
or still says is, is she, you know, wants to create these carbon smart consumers and

0:10:16.960,0:10:22.560
she wants these consumers to be able to go into a store and just like you choose like

0:10:22.560,0:10:27.600
organic product or fair trade coffee, she wants consumers to be able to choose something

0:10:27.600,0:10:29.400
made from recycled carbon.

0:10:29.400,0:10:34.020
So if I understood correctly, most of the challenges are coming from explaining how

0:10:34.020,0:10:38.040
your technology works towards the consumers, the general audiences.

0:10:38.040,0:10:43.480
So are there any specific marketing strategies that you're using to convey those messages,

0:10:43.480,0:10:49.160
maybe simplify them and maybe using social media, maybe social media platforms are good

0:10:49.160,0:10:54.320
for that, to reach the audience first and then to explain what you're doing, which products

0:10:54.320,0:10:59.040
you're making or have a part in making?

0:10:59.040,0:11:03.080
We hired our communications director, a new communications director who is in charge of

0:11:03.080,0:11:08.480
all that and helping to revamp our overall communication strategy.

0:11:08.480,0:11:13.120
But yeah, on our Instagram, you can see some of our partnerships and what we've been able

0:11:13.120,0:11:17.960
to produce with the likes of H&M and Adidas and Gucci.

0:11:17.960,0:11:19.600
Well, great.

0:11:19.600,0:11:24.120
We're going to link all your social media in the description of this video so everyone

0:11:24.120,0:11:26.080
can check that out.

0:11:26.080,0:11:30.480
My next question for you is basically I'm repeating myself from the beginning of this

0:11:30.480,0:11:31.480
conversation.

0:11:31.480,0:11:34.720
So you are an ESG manager at Lanzatec.

0:11:34.720,0:11:38.120
What does it mean to be an ESG manager at all?

0:11:38.120,0:11:43.560
Can you explain that to our audience who may be not introduced to the term and what does

0:11:43.560,0:11:47.400
it mean in your company, in Lanzatec?

0:11:47.400,0:11:49.040
What's your role entail?

0:11:49.040,0:11:55.920
So I've been at Lanzatec since 2015 and I've had a whole host of roles since I joined the

0:11:55.920,0:11:56.920
company.

0:11:56.920,0:12:02.800
I originally started in corporate development and then that morphed into leading our project

0:12:02.800,0:12:07.560
management office and helping set up a lot of project management frameworks and really

0:12:07.560,0:12:14.360
during that time, getting a very good, deep understanding of the products, sorry, our

0:12:14.360,0:12:19.840
projects, our technology, being able to get in the weeds and work with the project managers

0:12:19.840,0:12:22.620
to help ensure the success of some of these projects.

0:12:22.620,0:12:28.940
So during the time while I was leading the PMO efforts, during that time, along with

0:12:28.940,0:12:34.980
a few other coworkers, I started Blend, which is our diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility

0:12:34.980,0:12:39.540
focused ERG and we hadn't had anything like this before.

0:12:39.540,0:12:44.720
And we also, even though we are at our core, we're a sustainability company where everything

0:12:44.720,0:12:50.940
we do, our mission, our vision, everything our team strives for on a daily basis is all

0:12:50.940,0:12:53.260
sustainability driven.

0:12:53.260,0:12:58.460
We realized that we had never taken a deep dive and looked at our operations to see if

0:12:58.460,0:13:00.660
we actually walk the talk.

0:13:00.660,0:13:05.780
Here we are externally developing this technology that'll help bend the carbon curve and solve

0:13:05.780,0:13:08.460
the climate crisis, but what are we doing internally?

0:13:08.460,0:13:11.440
What does our internal business look like?

0:13:11.440,0:13:18.660
And so just a group of five of us, we put together our first, and it was only internal,

0:13:19.260,0:13:24.660
our own internal sustainability report of sorts, looking at our waste.

0:13:24.660,0:13:26.100
How do we manage our waste?

0:13:26.100,0:13:28.860
How much is incinerated?

0:13:28.860,0:13:30.060
How we handle all of that.

0:13:30.060,0:13:33.100
We looked at our travel, our business travel.

0:13:33.100,0:13:38.620
We looked at a whole range of different things, really just to get a good grasp and an understanding

0:13:38.620,0:13:40.440
of where we stood.

0:13:40.440,0:13:46.340
And so all of this was done in our free time, in the midst of doing a full-time job, but

0:13:46.340,0:13:51.100
that actually, along with the earlier work that I was doing, kind of paved the way and

0:13:51.100,0:13:55.180
helped to create the role that I'm currently in of ESG manager.

0:13:55.180,0:14:00.420
So all the different facets of my past roles all came together nicely into this one position.

0:14:00.420,0:14:05.020
And I've had it since about Q2 of last year.

0:14:05.020,0:14:06.740
So it's a fairly new role.

0:14:06.740,0:14:11.920
Can you tell me about the progress that you've been making in this time?

0:14:11.920,0:14:18.560
If you compare your ESG report and how it looked like back then and how it looks like now,

0:14:18.560,0:14:19.560
how do you feel?

0:14:19.560,0:14:24.800
So, especially now, you know, with us being a public company as of February of this year,

0:14:24.800,0:14:31.520
you know, and mandatory CC ESG disclosures, you know, just around the corner, this is

0:14:31.520,0:14:33.900
a really important time for us.

0:14:33.900,0:14:39.720
And so I'd say in the past, let's call it year and a half, the focus really has been

0:14:39.720,0:14:42.760
on like developing some baselines, right?

0:14:42.760,0:14:48.200
As I mentioned, because we are a sustainability company and we have a diverse company to begin with,

0:14:48.200,0:14:51.480
I think when I joined, I'm not sure about now, but when I joined the company and we

0:14:51.480,0:14:55.800
had people from 20 different countries and you walk around the labs and you see like

0:14:55.800,0:15:00.380
just a range of, or a mix of all different kinds of people, it's really wonderful.

0:15:00.380,0:15:04.560
It was just a matter of quantifying it and being able to measure it.

0:15:04.560,0:15:10.720
And I think that has actually, you know, in terms of a shift or an evolution of my

0:15:10.720,0:15:15.520
role and what I've seen, it isn't necessarily, you know, a change in our mission or a change

0:15:15.520,0:15:21.320
in our vision, but it's how we view what it is that we're doing and then being able to

0:15:21.320,0:15:28.320
quantify it, being able to put data behind it and then make data-based decisions or data-driven decisions.

0:15:28.320,0:15:32.160
And so a lot of it was, oh, you know, well, we have a diverse employee body, great, well,

0:15:32.160,0:15:33.560
what does that actually look like?

0:15:33.560,0:15:34.860
And then we'll start tracking it.

0:15:34.860,0:15:38.760
And so it didn't require a whole lot of new effort because we didn't have to develop new

0:15:38.760,0:15:43.600
processes, but we did have to automate and we did have to set these numbers in place

0:15:43.600,0:15:46.520
and be able to start tracking and reporting against them.

0:15:46.520,0:15:50.520
So that was really the first step is what are we already doing and what are we already

0:15:50.520,0:15:52.520
doing well?

0:15:52.520,0:15:56.640
And then from there, because we partner with a lot of big names like, you know, Unilever

0:15:56.640,0:16:01.120
who's leading the charge in kind of doing well by doing good, is they have a lot of

0:16:01.120,0:16:03.120
requirements for their partners.

0:16:03.120,0:16:11.880
And so it's then being able to ensure that we are meeting the requirements of partners,

0:16:11.880,0:16:16.440
requirements that are attached to project funding from, you know, the government, from

0:16:16.440,0:16:18.240
like the Department of Energy.

0:16:18.240,0:16:21.480
So just being able to meet those needs.

0:16:21.480,0:16:25.240
And then from there, developing our own targets and our own metrics of where we'd like to

0:16:25.240,0:16:26.240
be.

0:16:26.240,0:16:29.800
So let's go back to the communications strategy.

0:16:29.840,0:16:38.000
So how are you communicating your results, ESG results, to the stakeholders, to the investors,

0:16:38.000,0:16:42.120
to the consumers since ESG reporting has to be transparent?

0:16:42.120,0:16:43.120
Yeah.

0:16:43.120,0:16:46.640
So a lot of it right now, and given that this, we both, you know, this role has only been

0:16:46.640,0:16:53.520
around a year and a half so far, it's been in our annual reports with snippets on social.

0:16:53.520,0:16:59.760
And then of course to, you know, as needed to various investors as well.

0:17:00.720,0:17:06.000
But mostly through the annual report, just communicating out sort of what we're doing

0:17:06.000,0:17:07.000
well.

0:17:07.000,0:17:12.120
But then in terms of the transparency, it's not just what we're excelling in, but also

0:17:12.120,0:17:14.240
potentially where some of our shortcomings are.

0:17:14.240,0:17:19.880
And then based on that, to develop an action plan to help address those.

0:17:19.880,0:17:24.600
One of the other transitions that you were mentioning, aside from developing like ESG

0:17:24.920,0:17:32.440
and developing some new strategies within the company to make it more sustainable, not

0:17:32.440,0:17:39.600
just creating sustainable products or enabling other companies to create sustainable products.

0:17:39.600,0:17:46.120
You were mentioning the transition to a post-pollution future, which of course involves not only

0:17:46.120,0:17:50.680
technological innovation, but also a shift in mindset and culture.

0:17:50.680,0:17:57.200
So how do you foster a company culture at Landsat that aligns with ESG principles and

0:17:57.200,0:18:02.960
encourage employees to contribute to a more sustainable world, which is practically an

0:18:02.960,0:18:04.160
internal education.

0:18:04.160,0:18:08.960
We talked about that a lot, but only in terms of educating the consumers.

0:18:08.960,0:18:16.080
This is something I've actually been thinking about like since we started our, what we affectionately

0:18:16.080,0:18:20.720
dub green group here at the company, that the group we started to take that deep dive

0:18:20.720,0:18:24.320
look into our operations.

0:18:24.320,0:18:30.200
And I have to say, sometimes I find myself doing this as well, is given that we spend

0:18:30.200,0:18:39.320
hours of each day working at a company and developing a technology that is helping to

0:18:39.320,0:18:45.040
find a solution to this existential crisis that is climate change.

0:18:45.040,0:18:47.600
Sometimes it's easy to be a bit complacent.

0:18:47.600,0:18:51.240
It's like, I'm already spending 10 hours of the day doing this.

0:18:51.240,0:18:56.760
I don't need to necessarily worry so much about what I'm doing outside of work.

0:18:56.760,0:19:03.040
And I feel like that culture is something that we're trying to work on, even in small

0:19:03.040,0:19:04.600
baby steps.

0:19:04.600,0:19:11.640
For example, in this past year, we've, and COVID hasn't helped as well, because COVID

0:19:11.640,0:19:18.000
has led to a lot of increased use in say disposable utensils and plates and bowls

0:19:18.000,0:19:20.320
and whatnot, just from a health perspective.

0:19:20.320,0:19:25.840
And some of that was slightly challenging in how do you bring that back?

0:19:25.840,0:19:29.840
And so some of the things that we introduced this year, just once again, really small steps,

0:19:29.840,0:19:35.200
small incremental steps was minimizing the use of all those single use utensils, plates,

0:19:35.200,0:19:37.880
bowls, cups around the office.

0:19:37.880,0:19:44.320
We're doing a quarterly sustainability newsletter where people can write in suggestions about

0:19:44.320,0:19:49.800
like how best, or suggestions they have about reducing things around the company, reducing

0:19:49.800,0:19:52.960
be it waste or our overall carbon footprint.

0:19:52.960,0:19:57.920
We have something called our Active Commuter Incentive Program, which the company incentivizes

0:19:57.920,0:20:01.960
employees to bike or walk or take the train to work instead of driving.

0:20:01.960,0:20:04.680
So it's just little things like this.

0:20:04.680,0:20:11.080
But we've had ideas come forward as a result of this from our employees about how to reduce

0:20:11.080,0:20:18.240
lab waste, how to reduce single use lab waste in the labs, which is a huge, which we produce

0:20:18.240,0:20:19.240
a lot of it.

0:20:19.240,0:20:21.000
And so every little bit helps.

0:20:21.000,0:20:24.880
And so it's really just how to engage the employee body.

0:20:24.880,0:20:32.160
How do we make people think twice before getting in the car to drive to work when they could

0:20:32.160,0:20:33.160
ride their bike?

0:20:33.560,0:20:35.480
How do we enable these small changes?

0:20:35.480,0:20:36.720
Well, that's interesting.

0:20:36.720,0:20:40.360
So can you tell me how do you measure the progress or are you measuring it at all since

0:20:40.360,0:20:42.920
this is a new program within the company?

0:20:42.920,0:20:46.920
We have measured some of it, for example, with that Active Commuter Incentive Program.

0:20:46.920,0:20:51.800
We track the number of miles that are biked, the number of participants, make it a competition

0:20:51.800,0:20:56.320
of sorts because there is a financial incentive there as well.

0:20:56.320,0:21:01.080
And so who's earned the most amount of money for the month or the quarter?

0:21:01.080,0:21:02.640
And so that certainly has helped.

0:21:03.120,0:21:04.120
Well, thank you, Sarah.

0:21:04.120,0:21:08.400
I'm really hoping that the info that you just shared here is going to inspire other companies

0:21:08.400,0:21:15.000
to include more sustainability or ESG programs within their workplaces, workforces.

0:21:15.000,0:21:17.240
And we've come to an end of our conversation.

0:21:17.240,0:21:22.240
So this is a time when I ask all of my guests here at the Green New Perspective podcast

0:21:22.240,0:21:28.680
the same question, and that is, how do you personally feel about the future of sustainability?

0:21:28.680,0:21:34.520
And another bonus question for you is, where do you see Lanzatec in the future and how

0:21:34.520,0:21:39.160
does Lanzatec fit into that future sustainability space?

0:21:39.160,0:21:46.000
I think, you know, in thinking in terms of the future, Lanzatec is really all about scale

0:21:46.000,0:21:48.000
and about scaling up.

0:21:48.000,0:21:52.140
Earlier this year, in February, we became the world's first public carbon capture and

0:21:52.140,0:21:53.880
transformation company.

0:21:53.880,0:21:57.560
And so we have three commercial units that are in operation, and there's an anticipated

0:21:57.560,0:22:00.360
three more coming online, you know, this year.

0:22:00.360,0:22:05.140
But at the root of it, you know, where we have impact is we really need more commercial

0:22:05.140,0:22:06.280
plants in operation.

0:22:06.280,0:22:11.780
The more commercial plants in operation, the more carbon or the pollution we can capture

0:22:11.780,0:22:16.120
and transport, the impact we have just all, you know, across the world.

0:22:16.120,0:22:22.000
For me personally, I'd like to start with a quote that I very much resonate with.

0:22:22.000,0:22:26.520
Our challenge is not to build a sustainable economy, but to develop a sustainable culture

0:22:26.520,0:22:28.220
that has an economy.

0:22:28.220,0:22:32.000
And that was said by Duncan Austin, who's an economist.

0:22:32.000,0:22:38.680
And to me, what that means, you know, and as I've talked about above, is really Lanzatec

0:22:38.680,0:22:41.560
is helping to drive that paradigm shift, right?

0:22:41.560,0:22:46.280
We're helping to enable this transformation of an entire system of how we treat and value

0:22:46.280,0:22:47.280
carbon, right?

0:22:47.280,0:22:52.640
This culture shift is what we're striving for and is what we want to help make happen

0:22:52.640,0:22:55.880
and make reality all over the world.

0:22:55.880,0:23:00.080
And a big piece of it is wanting to see more companies who are like us, right?

0:23:00.080,0:23:05.640
Who view sustainability in the context of revenue and profit and not as a nice to have

0:23:05.640,0:23:07.040
or as an afterthought.

0:23:07.040,0:23:09.800
And by no means are we the only ones doing this, right?

0:23:09.800,0:23:15.080
There are other larger companies who are, you know, leading the charge on this.

0:23:15.080,0:23:19.760
But I think it's important that rather than focusing just on the financial, you know,

0:23:19.760,0:23:26.600
financial bottom, you know, bottom line, we need to look at a lot of like the non-financial

0:23:26.600,0:23:27.600
metrics as well.

0:23:27.600,0:23:32.640
We need to look at the broader economic, social, environmental concerns that help measure an

0:23:32.640,0:23:36.880
organization's impact or the effect on its employees or the communities in which they

0:23:36.880,0:23:38.240
operate.

0:23:38.240,0:23:41.920
Like that's equally as critical and that's ESG for you, right?

0:23:41.920,0:23:44.600
It's environmental social governance.

0:23:44.600,0:23:49.000
It's looking at all three of these pillars in the context of one another and in the context

0:23:49.240,0:23:51.800
of revenue and profit.

0:23:51.800,0:23:59.080
They're intrinsically intertwined and really should not be viewed in isolation.

0:23:59.080,0:24:05.000
And I feel like to some, you know, and if you look in the news, you know, you have your

0:24:05.000,0:24:09.560
naysayers, but there is a lot of evidence out there that shows that this approach of

0:24:09.560,0:24:17.240
viewing all three in the context of one another and never separate has shown that it's possible

0:24:17.240,0:24:19.120
to make money by doing good, right?

0:24:19.120,0:24:22.000
Doing well by doing good.

0:24:22.000,0:24:28.680
And I feel, you know, in a world where profit is oftentimes emphasized over purpose, this

0:24:28.680,0:24:29.680
sometimes falls short.

0:24:29.680,0:24:37.960
So I think my dream and my dream for the future is one where more companies and more individuals

0:24:37.960,0:24:43.640
really adopt this notion of viewing it holistically.

0:24:47.240,0:24:55.840
We've come to an end of another episode of the Green New Perspective podcast.

0:24:55.840,0:25:00.960
I hope you learned a lot from my guest, Sarah Yen, ESG manager of Lanzatec.

0:25:00.960,0:25:07.160
I found her talk on carbon recycling really inspiring, and I really want to learn more

0:25:07.160,0:25:11.320
about the role of the ESG manager within the cleantech space.

0:25:11.320,0:25:17.640
So if you found this episode as enlightening as I did, please share, like, and subscribe

0:25:17.640,0:25:23.720
to our channel on your favorite streaming platform, leave us comments, leave us reviews.

0:25:23.720,0:25:29.040
We really want your feedback so that we can upgrade our content and continue producing

0:25:29.040,0:25:30.040
amazing episodes.

0:25:30.040,0:25:33.000
Thank you for watching once again, and see you next time.