Kim Marotta Featured in Crain's Chicago Business 2022 Notable Leaders in Sustainability

Kim Marotta Featured in Crain's Chicago Business 2022 Notable Leaders in Sustainability

By Lisa Bertagnoli

With concern mounting about climbing global temperatures, companies are devoting considerable resources to the "E"—environmental—of ESG. These executives across the Chicago area lead their organizations' efforts to keep climate change in check, including planning and implementing actions as well as recording and reporting data to stakeholders of all kinds. Among their strategies: diverting tons of material from landfills; establishing neighborhood-level power grids that integrate renewable energy; assessing the climate risk of real estate portfolios; creating green investment funds; working toward decarbonization through the construction of all-electric multifamily housing or reducing the embodied carbon in concrete; and countering the environmental impact of factory farming. Their work—fingers crossed—will help make Earth a livable place for generations to come.

Kim Marotta oversees the company's long-term environmental commitments, which are anchored in reducing its water, climate, forest, biodiversity and packaging footprints while establishing a positive societal impact. Key goals include surpassing net zero emissions across the entire value chain, 100% watershed replenishment, working only with suppliers that use sustainable practices and using 60% recycled materials by weight across the packaging portfolio. In partnership with Suntory Holdings, Marotta's team has developed carbon emission reduction targets that align with the Paris Climate Accord and have been verified against the 1.5-degree Celsius pathway set forth by the Science Based Target Initiative. The company is also implementing regenerative agriculture practices with Kentucky corn growers, European barley farmers and Tequila agave growers.