There are 88 million jobs in green sectors, with women filling 29 percent of them in 2021. According to The Boston Consulting Group, the number of jobs is expected to go up to 155 million in 2030, but women’s involvement will go down to 25 percent. This is expected to delay the advancement of gender equality by 10 years to 15 years.

Luckily, members of our community are already making an effort to change these stats in the retail space. In honor of Earth Day, we at Women in Retail Leadership Circle (WIRLC) are highlighting 10 leaders making a difference when it comes to sustainability in our industry. Working in a variety of roles, these women are committed to a greener tomorrow:

  1. Sheryl Burke, Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility, CVS Health 
    Burke works to advance CVS Health’s expansive community presence to promote health equity and create a more sustainable world. She said CVS is playing a balanced role in combating the growing plastic waste crisis with the understanding that plastic is also valuable for safe care delivery and product quality.
  2. Carmen Gama, Director of Circular Design, Eileen Fisher
    Gama manages a diverse portfolio of initiatives spanning circular design, resource recovery, and recycled materials. She collaborates closely with internal and external partners and drives efforts to increase textile reuse and value recovery, contributing to sustainability objectives.
  3. Eurelle Hao-Kuczynski, Senior Director, Sustainability and Inclusion at Calvin Klein Global and PVH Americas
    Hao-Kuczynski drives the sustainability and inclusion strategies of Calvin Klein’s multi-year sustainable business goals and priorities. She leads strategy, governance and communications towards better packaging, more sustainable materials and inclusion.
  4. Francesca Mahoney, Vice President, Sustainability, Petco 
    Mahoney leads efforts to drive Petco’s sustainability innovations by prioritizing animal welfare across operations, addressing key environmental and climate-related issues like waste reduction and energy efficiency, and supporting advancements where sustainability intersects important social issues like DEI and employee health and safety.
  5. Bea Perez, Executive Vice President and Chief Communications, Sustainability and Strategic Partnerships Officer, The Coca-Cola Company 
    Since 2011, Perez has served as The Coca-Cola Company’s first chief sustainability officer. She continues to develop and lead progress on comprehensive sustainability goals with a focus on water stewardship, sustainable packaging, environment and women’s economic empowerment. She also directs the company’s philanthropic efforts.
  6. Jessica Rennard, Chief Merchandising Officer, Helpsy 
    Helpsy is the largest clothing recycling company on the East Coast. In her role, Rennard has core P&L responsibility and oversees multiple business channels to drive the greater mission of diverting clothing from the landfill while still being profitable.
  7. Carol Shu, Senior Manager, Global Sustainability, The North Face, a VF Company
    Shu defined and developed the company’s sustainability strategy in 2021, defining KPIs and targets with environmental consumer and business outcomes for the brand.
  8. Ann Starodaj, General Manager, Resale-as-a-Service, ThredUp 
    Starodaj is an expert in sustainability and circularity initiatives, zero waste programs, and metrics and reporting.
  9. Gayle Tait, CEO, Trove 
    Trove is a white-label recommerce platform for brands. Its mission is to help build a world where we get more use out of every item, a world with less waste. Tait leads all the Trove teams, including product management, engineering, data science, partnerships, operations and people.
  10. Kathleen Talbot, Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President, Operations, Reformation 
    Reformation, founded in 2009, infuses green measures into every aspect of the business — running the first sustainable factory in Los Angeles, using deadstock and eco fabrics, tracking and sharing the environmental impact of every product, and investing in the people who make such a revolution possible.

Do you know a daring, inspirational woman making retail more eco-friendly? Let us know! We would love to tell her story and share her ideas.