EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
Next time you use a Post-it Note , write this on it – MADE BY 3M .
And when you are using a Scotch-Brite dishwand to clean your frying pan , give thanks to 3M .
So now you know what this mega manufacturer makes – or at least two of its more than 55,000 product lines .
The firm , based in St Paul , Minnesota , US , makes so many of the products that we use , plus many more that we do not , driving global sales of US $ 31bn in 2023 .
Sustainability is a fundamental part of what 3M does , which is where Gayle Schueller comes in .
The SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer tells Sustainability Magazine about life as a nuclear physicist-turned-CSO and how 3M is making carbon reduction central to all that it does .
Q . PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND HOW YOU GOT TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE
» I am an undergrad nuclear physicist , so I did not see myself in this space . I have my PhD in material science and I joined 3M in our corporate laboratories , literally working at the bench .
I was doing research science and never saw this kind of job coming . However , during the course of my career at 3M , I ’ ve advanced into the electronics industry and the healthcare industry and consumer goods industry and explored a broad variety of businesses and leadership roles on a global basis .
Both of my parents were public school teachers and during the summers we would travel and camp across national parks around the United States and Canada . It gave me a profound appreciation for nature and the environment and even seeing signs of things changing over time .
So when our CEO was looking for a sustainability leader back in 2010 , he reached out to me .
Q . IT ’ S CLEAR THAT YOU LOVE YOUR JOB . WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT IT ?
» Well , I love that it is a science-based company and we have the opportunity to impact so much through our products . We have 55,000 products across basically every industry you can imagine . And that means that we get to touch people in unique ways . So whether it ’ s using your electronic device or your Post-it notes or driving down the road in a vehicle or an aircraft or folks who are manufacturing respirators during Covid , I love that it ’ s a company that can make a difference that way – and that , through sustainability , whether it ’ s environmental or social impact , my team and I get to really have a profound effect there .
Q . CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE BREADTH OF 3M ’ S SERVICES ?
» It ’ s based on 49 different technology platforms .
Our first product was sandpaper and then we realised , through working with and selling the products in the automotive industry , that there was
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