An Interview With Monica Sanders
Knowing what we don’t want is a good way to understand what we do want. In general, burning fossil fuels is leading to unprecedented weather events causing catastrophic damage. We know climate change is causing biodiversity loss. We witness how droughts, floods, and fires are affecting the most vulnerable. In simple terms, we don’t want suffering, loss, and damage.
According to the University of Colorado, “Those who are most affected and have the fewest resources to adapt to climate change are also the least responsible for the greenhouse gas emissions — both globally and within the United States.” Promoting climate justice is an incredibly important environmental responsibility that is slowly becoming more and more recognized. In this interview series, we are talking to leaders who are helping to promote sustainability and climate justice. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Trent Romer.
Trent Romer has been in the custom plastic bag manufacturing business for over 30 years. He was the 3rd generation co-owner of his family’s business Clear View Bag Co., Inc. founded in 1961 by his grandfather. The business was sold in 2021 to a private equity firm. Trent continues working for Clear View and serves as a sustainability operating partner for the private equity firm focused on environmental, social, and governance issues within portfolio companies. Trent is an undergraduate of Hamilton College and got his Masters in Education and MBA from the University at Albany. He has spoken at TEDX Boston and also holds executive education certificates in sustainability leadership from Harvard and Yale University. Learn more at www.TrentRomer.com.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
I grew up in a plastic bag manufacturing business — — making deliveries, running bag machines, learning from my Dad. My grandfather started it in 1961, my father owned it for 20 years and then my brother and I owned the business for 20 years. My father is 1 of 11. I have 32 first cousins so the business has always been very much family owned and operated.
Everyone has a cataclysmic moment or marker in their life which propels them to take certain actions, a “why”. What is your why?
The June 2018 cover of National Geographic depicted a plastic bag in the ocean sticking out of the water looking like an iceberg. The caption read “plastic or planet”. The cover and magazine articles enclosed exposed how plastic was increasingly finding its way into the natural environment. I had felt uneasy about the materials we sold for a few years prior, but this cover was the jolt I needed to do something. I began a journey to move our business in a more sustainable direction.
You are currently leading an organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change?
From 2018 to 2021, I and my brother began to move our plastic bag manufacturing business in a sustainable direction in both how we operated and the material we sold. We challenged our company to reduce our internal waste by 150,000 pounds, participated in community cleanup efforts, invested in more energy-efficient machinery, created a web page dedicated to our progress, joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, and brought three new materials to market: post-consumer recycled content, biobased material, and certified compostable material. Ultimately, we were trying to change our mindset to one that views sustainability as good for the planet AND for business in the form of lower costs, happier employees, and more products to sell. Our efforts led to a private equity firm investment in the business in late 2021. When the investment was made, I was offered a position as a sustainability operating partner (i.e consultant) where I now help companies under the private equity umbrella to engage in sustainability in their business.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I was fortunate to have an opportunity to speak at TEDx Boston in 2022. A lot of preparation and rehearsals preceded the event at the M.I.T. media lab. I began to sweat upon arrival the day of the talk in seeing the giant red TEDx sign behind the stage, the big red dot on the stage floor, and the large video screens behind the stage in an intimate theater room packed with spectators. I thought “What did I get myself into?”. While standing in line backstage, I began to chat with the person next to me to keep my mind busy. In asking what the person did, she replied “I am an astronaut.” Knowing there had only been about 500 astronauts in history, and knowing she was speaking next, only ratcheted up my nerves. After a few deep breaths and a few minutes, I went on stage. It went as well as I could have hoped but I was glad when it was over. I wondered on the way home what I would have said if she had a chance to ask me what I did. I think I would have said “I am not an astronaut.” And I think that is the point I learned that day. I do not hold a highly prestigious job. I may not have all the credentials that would speak to being an expert. In short, I am not an astronaut. I do not have all the answers, but I don’t think that means I cannot help. If we are all waiting for someone to act, it’s probably you we’re all waiting for. I have leaned into this idea that I don’t have to be an expert to drive change. I try to influence others to feel the same.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
I applied to and was accepted into the Harvard University Executive Education on Sustainability Leadership course in 2018. The weeklong training was on campus. It was an amazing experience interacting with 60 others from all over the world all interested in learning how to drive change. Leith Sharp was the leader of the program. The very first thing she said was “I will likely not teach you anything new but hopefully I will teach you how to think in a different way.” I had multiple conversations with her during the week and have stayed connected in the years since. Leith and the program made me think about next steps. She helped me realize that if I was waiting for the perfect path, there wasn’t one. Get moving — — we should not sacrifice progress in pursuit of perfection.
Thank you for that. Let’s now move to the central part of our discussion. Let’s start with a basic definition of terms so that everyone is on the same page. What does climate justice mean to you? How do we operationalize it?
I think about social justice as those with less being burdened with more of the impacts of climate change. Those who are the least responsible are the most affected. I try to act on social justice using the inverse. Those who have more need to do more as they are either in a position to enact change or they are the ones most likely contributing to the problem. I think the biggest hurdle to beginning to operationalize change is education. When businesses educate themselves about their stakeholders and take a stakeholder view of their business, the most important sustainability issues to address are revealed.
Science is telling us that we have 7–10 years to make critical decisions about climate change. What are three things you or your organization are doing to help?
I am now a sustainability operating partner interacting with 12 different companies owned by the private equity firm. Most of these companies do not have a sustainability plan. My job is to create awareness, educate, and then create actions to address each company’s most material (most important) issues. When companies view sustainability as a strategy and not simply philanthropy, the opportunity to enact change increases dramatically. Companies tend to view sustainability as a strategy when they are exposed to the value of gaining stakeholder feedback and going through a materiality assessment. A materiality assessment exposes the company’s climate risks and opportunities they can create from those risks. Stakeholders and materiality help create the business case for climate-related issues.
Are there three things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you in your mission?
Yes. First, emphasize the word transition. Transition provides some space to change and helps strip away the fear of feeling overwhelmed. Second, continue to talk, write, and report on climate issues. Awareness leads to education and in turn, leads to change. Third, smart regulation is needed to nudge all businesses to move more quickly.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
Materiality is fundamental to tying sustainability to profitability. Materiality is a process by which a company prioritizes its sustainability issues. Materiality unveils the sustainability issues that mean the most to the company and the most to stakeholders. Acting on prioritized issues reduces risk and opens a path to greater profitability. For example, our plastic bag manufacturing firm found that “plastic waste” was the company’s most material issue. To address the issue, we collaborated with raw material vendors to bring three new sustainable material options to market: Post-consumer recycled content, Biobased material, and Compostable material. Within 3 years, sustainable materials and our commitment to sustainability now comprise over 7% of the company’s gross sales. The percentage has steadily grown each year.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started promoting sustainability and climate justice” and why?
1 . There is a cost to inaction. Choosing not to act is a choice. I often ask companies I consult, “What if your competitor was counting their carbon, communicating to stakeholders their emissions reduction commitments, and offering to partner with others to reduce theirs in an authentic way?”. That question often prompts at least further thought and hopefully a path to taking action.
2 . There is no perfect path. Every action and every product has a shadow. I received an email from Delta Airlines on a recent flight that stated, “Do you want to see our sustainability plan?” They were talking to the right person. I clicked the link and the first sentence read “We are in a hard-to-abate sector.” They recognize that jet fuel emissions are their largest sustainability issue that at least for now is economically hard to change. That said, they have a large sustainability presence through initiatives like funding research for jet fuel alternatives, using less plastic, and building a more efficient fleet. Everyone can move in a more sustainable direction.
3 . Knowing what we don’t want is a good way to understand what we do want. In general, burning fossil fuels is leading to unprecedented weather events causing catastrophic damage. We know climate change is causing biodiversity loss. We witness how droughts, floods, and fires are affecting the most vulnerable. In simple terms, we don’t want suffering, loss, and damage.
4 . Actions influence others in hidden ways. Every action matters. I think many of us feel overwhelmed by environmental issues. We think our small actions have no effect. Each small action likely affects another’s actions in unforeseen ways. Solar panels on a roof may prompt thoughts about the environment for a passerby. Picking up loose trash may signal to someone who may be watching to be better about disposing of their waste. Volunteering in a cleanup effort and posting on social media may prompt another to do the same in their community.
5 . Communicate to continue the dialogue, to exchange ideas, to inform, not solely to convince. Climate conversations can turn into a divisive political debate. Communicating without an agenda opens the door for future understanding and lessens the angst. I don’t think anyone is against the environment. What we differ over is how quickly we should act to conserve/preserve. Armed with better information, understanding, and realism about transition without a goal of convincing provides space for dialogue and higher potential for longer-term change.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Nathan Lump, the current editor of National Geographic. I would like to thank him for the 2018 June cover as it provided the nudge I needed to begin my journey. Our business, my career, and my family’s future all changed because the cover and feature articles provided me not only a signal to change but also contained ways to move forward. I would also love to see an issue or article devoted to Superfund sites. 22% of Americans live within 3 miles of a Superfund site. My second sustainability book, This Is Our Home, is a story about my hometown and the devastating multi-generational effects of being next to a Superfund site. The site, just outside of Nassau NY, is still unresolved after 60 years. There are 1,300 plus Superfund sites in America today. The Nassau story is repeated all over the U.S. A National Geographic feature story about Superfund sites may raise awareness to help bring more immediate resolution to so many communities.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
Visit www.trentromer.com for information on my two books (Finding Sustainability and This Is Our Home), my online course devoted to helping companies develop their own sustainability programs, blogs, events, and a sign-up for my newsletter.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
How Trent Romer Is Helping to Promote Sustainability and Climate Justice was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.