Sarah's Journey: Thriving in a Sustainable Career at Purina
Focusing on sustainable operations allows Sarah to thrive in a career that fuels her passions. From learning how we can improve our processes, to ensuring we meet our sustainability goals, Sarah guides us toward a more sustainable future at Purina.
What inspired you to pursue a career related to sustainability?
I’ve always been passionate about spending time outside, especially with my pets. Growing up, I knew I wanted to combine this passion with my interest in learning more about the world. For this reason, I pursued energy engineering and have focused my career on figuring out how we can reduce the impact of energy consumption on our planet.
Can you share some of the key sustainability initiatives or projects you’ve worked on
that you are most proud of?
Here at Purina, my work is focused on reducing the environmental impact of our factories. We host workshops to identify opportunities to reduce our energy and water consumption on site, as well as our carbon footprint. These have been great opportunities to gather coworkers with diverse backgrounds and disciplines, bringing their expertise to create project plans which will improve our factories in the long term.
How do you measure the impact of your sustainability efforts within the organization?
Manufacturing isn’t the single largest contributor to our carbon emissions, but it is one of the places where we can make significant changes and lead the way in reducing our environmental footprint. The ability to make improvements ourselves allows stakeholders to see we are committed to these initiatives. For me, the impact is getting to see real projects being completed to support a net zero future and showing support for all other sustainability efforts ongoing at Purina.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face in sustainability within your area?
In manufacturing, one of the most significant challenges is the decarbonizing heating processes. This is not unique to our industry, as many people are looking into how to create new drying and sterilization processes without fossil fuels. When evaluating new technologies with a smaller carbon footprint, we need to make sure that we are considering all impacts associated with its implementation. Sometimes, new technologies can seem like a simple solution, but once you consider safety, quality, usability, and other impacts, there can be significant challenges that prevent the adoption of the technology. This is why I think it’s an exciting field to be working in because you have to the chance to face these challenges and be creative with your solutions.
How do you engage and educate employees about the importance of sustainability
in your area of focus?
From what I have found, the most important way to engage coworkers in sustainability initiatives is to make sure they understand how it impacts and improves their work. Whether it's safety, cost savings, or making the world a better place, you need to understand your audience to let them know you are working to help them.
If you are inspired by Sarah's story and want to join a company that values sustainability and innovation, we invite you to explore our career opportunities and join our talent network today. You'll be part of a team that is making a positive difference for pets, people, and the planet.
