 So we're continuing this team of business in the SDGs and we're delighted to have Gail Shuler Who's the VP and Chief Sustainability Officer of 3M? It's a pleasure to join you today. Thank you Gail, thank you for being with us and We're really talking about with you one of the iconic companies of the world and one of the great problems, which is the chemical industry petrochemicals pollution Circular economy and so forth and you're right at the center of it. You're an expert on this on material science and unsustainability, so could you introduce what 3M is thinking about what the problems are the Legacy issues and where you're heading Yeah, so well 3M is a company that's been around since 1902 we were founded in northern, Minnesota by five industrious Businessmen that thought that they were going to establish a mining operation so it used to be Minnesota mining and manufacturing and The thought was they were going to mine that highly valuable hard mineral called corundum and and as Science evolves they found out that what the land they bought really didn't have corundum at all it had much softer virtually non economically viable material called an orthocyte and So they're their plans of creating sandpaper with that really didn't pan out, but what they did was they innovated through this and they found that the That they invented a wet or dry sandpaper because now instead of just using the mineral as the hard piece They created a coating on it that would create a new sandpaper. So 3M started as a failure Not having what they thought they had and innovated to make something brand new And so that's how sandpaper started that led to That's how wet or dry sandpaper. So if you're used to using sandpaper and it's okay to get it wet That came from 3M and then you know sometime later We were selling sandpaper a gentleman named Dick Drew was serving our customers and went into the auto industry as the auto industry was just starting and Help was helping them with abrasive solutions, but quickly realized that wasn't the real challenge that they were facing in that space and What the challenge was in the 1920s was creating cars that had two different paint colors on them But if you're going to put two paint colors on a car, how do you separate one from another? And so he went into the labs and figured out that if we removed the mineral We would take the backing from our wet or dry sandpaper and have just the right adhesive Suddenly you could create a masking tape That would allow for the masking of materials and have paint of one color next to paint of another color These things didn't exist before that time and we could go down through many things that have been innovations through the years whether it's Respirators to help people breathe clean air when they're working in challenging environments which then turn into filtrate filters in people's homes or Whether it's traffic signage that helps save millions and millions of lives all around the world by making signs visible Daylight and at night time under wet or dry conditions And so we continued we're a very science-based company That's at our core and we continue to reinvent things as as we evolve and as as our Environment isn't in place. We have Moving forward now and time in 1975. We set forward a program. That's called pollution prevention pays it was Revolutionary at its time to think that pulling things out of a product and reducing pollution would really Reduce not only the waste that's coming whether it's from material waste or or water waste soil waste air pollution But moving that out would also Actually save money And so over time we have saved over two billion dollars just in first-year savings alone from that products and 2 million metric tons of waste have been pulled out just on based on first-year savings In 1990 we sent forward our first Sustainability goals because we recognize that there were important things that we could do with our own footprint And so those goals at that time were really about our own footprint And what could we do to make sure that we were producing those products that help people save lives Whether it was through traffic safety or our safety and breathing for workers or health care applications But we we could also do better with our own footprint and so we focused there And so over time we've advanced those sustainable goals that we've had and continued to identify ways that we can Further advance so in 2015 we brought forward our current Sustainability goals based on five global challenges and there they're 14 of those We've been there they're set to mature in 2025 and we're making good progress overall some stronger than others and That well and then just this past year We've brought forward a new framework for us around sustainability We have our new CEO has been in the role a bit over a year Mike Roman is leading us and he brought forward in his first investor meeting commitments for us to to recognize the ability that we have to really address lives and impact around the world and we identified three areas to help with an ambition to improve every life and Use our science to do that So it was about science for circular to a help advance a circular economy and Then it was about science for climate which we're all here in New York and really focused on efforts on how do we help? adapt and mitigate climate challenges and Then it was about science for community Bringing those things forward to help in the health care space and help in the Help in various safety areas and ways that we help people all around the world So we tend not to think of ourselves actually as a chemical company, but more of a diversified Group we do have chemical operations. We have no patrolling of operations. Yeah, but we exist in 70 countries around the world we employ 90,000 employees all serving a common vision around Bringing together science and the latest in technologies that we can bring to bear collectively collaborating with others to help improve lives Could you give us a picture? You're leading the sustainability effort in the company How you view the regulatory and competitive environment because 3m's trying to do things right. There are a lot of companies that don't do things, right that are directly competing with you or Maybe a level playing field would be helpful for you in terms of a common global set of standards and so on So how does that play out? Tell us as you know, those of us in The policy community, what should we hear from you about how to make this work and how to make sure that you're doing the Right thing but also that the best companies are able to get the advantage for doing the right thing Yeah, Jeffrey. I really appreciate that comment because regulations are so important and Having the right regulations is really important because It helps the companies who are doing the right things and really advancing and challenging themselves to really Get full credit if you will and then it can mitigate risks in other places. We've been quite Active in areas where we're relevant. We believe in science-based regulations too often. There can be knee-jerk reactions and I'm As guilty as anyone is wanting to jump on board with some things that just seem like the right idea But then when you really learn all the science behind it You start to recognize that oh wait, we just made it impossible to do certain things that we do want to do So, you know, we've been really involved in helping with traffic safety, for example Helping with worker safety and in health care areas But you know that the concern is that sometimes there's unintended consequences if we go through regulations Without being fully informed so for regulators and people who are working in regulatory policy my consult would be to to partner To partner with those who are working hard in the space and really be informed about what can be done And what can't and what and the other thing that I I love to do when there's you know potential regulations at stake and gosh It seems like there are in every in every place where we're working these days is to partner with different groups So it's really important To make sure that we have the the groups that understand what's happening in the space from a manufacturing side as well as a Regulation side as well as a civil society side You know, you had a great discussion just now with Pat Brown and I love there's so many fabulous implications on Going with plant-based diets, but we need to pay attention to some of the unintended consequences with that as well and When we're looking at having nine possibly 10 billion people looking at living on the planet We need to be able to extrapolate in big ways with any things that we're doing and we also need to recognize the trends that are behind us and that One of the things that I look at from the sustainability area is to help make the things that are the right things to do truly Aspirational for people and I just that's something I love about impossible foods I think Tesla's gone a long way with electric vehicles I think there's a lot of things happening right now with renewable energy where they're the right things to do and So many people at first feel challenged by oh, that's change and maybe I'm concerned about it because of change But when you see how it can happen and how it really evolves into spaces that people want to be a part of that's a really exciting thing so many times companies have When a danger is found Have denied it until you know, they feel there's some answer or things have dragged on for a long time Big crisis and then you know finally maybe a solution is coming yesterday. I was part of a discussion about The ozone issue and how that was solved and that was a case where Dupont Was Making the chlorofluorocarbons and when the ozone depleting effects were Discovered they denied it denied it denied it and then re-engineered and finally came up with the an alternative Hydrofluorocarbons and then acknowledged it and then made a quite a dramatic change But given corporate culture and you're part of a giant iconic company How can we make that process work better so that it is? The companies are not so defensive at the beginning Also that there's a systematic process not a lobbying process, but just a systematic process of assessment And I think a lot of it also is how to keep again a Level playing field that the good companies aren't getting punished by the bad companies I just wonder if you you must live this Day by day year by year. What what what can you tell us about that? so We do always We're committed to working hard on our science We have approximately 10,000 scientists around the world working in a variety of things from health care applications to post-it notes to Things that help make electric vehicles possible And we we take our responsibilities around things really seriously. So if there's a new scientific Study or breakthrough that we're making we make sure that we're studying that well Is as you're probably aware? We had some chemistries that we had out in the 1970s that they were actually brought forward by the the US Navy under a commission wanting to find solutions to help people in confined spaces like submarines and to help put out fires and controlled spaces and We helped, you know, work with the Department of Defense to create Chemistry so we're able to that we're able to do those in ways fire retardants that helped Save thousands and thousands if not millions of lives over time But we did recognize with that particular chemistry is one example of something that we've studied with hundreds and hundreds of papers in the in the public literature that It had a persistent and bioaccumulative effect and that we were finding it in places we didn't expect so we actually went ahead and Chose to remove that from the market at the time And we chose to notify any peer companies who were producing in that space We actually brought forward to the EPA That that was going on and and and worked with them in a number of different ways, you know So in and then when we removed our product from the market We've seen a steady decline of that persistent material that we saw it's it's steadily declined and We've learned a lot more about it since then we continue to study that along with other products that you know We bring forward as we work on our our three pillars around sustainability, you know, we're constantly innovating in fact After we launched our strategic framework around sustainability with those three pillars We came out at COP 24 last year and announced that every new product that we launch Every new product that we commercialized starting in 2019 in this year must have a sustainability value commitment And so we work on what are the right ways to to help our scientists all around the world to make sure that Every new product we're launching has an advance versus its predecessor And so, you know some examples of that in the in the circular economy space So some of you may have familiarity with those classic scotch-brite sponges You know that the yellow sponge with the green scouring surface those as of this year those scouring fibers that the Sponges made from plant-based sources and has been for a long time and the fibers are now from 100 percent recycled plastics So things coming out of your former water bottles or or things, you know could be from the ocean or wherever So those are 100 percent recycled plastics. We're announcing This fall we are introducing thin salate made with a hundred percent recycled plastics So lots of new things coming. We just toasted one of our partners who's bringing in, you know The down-free outer wear and they're coming out with a hundred percent recycled or a hundred percent recycled material Parkas this year and they'll be down comforter down free comforters based with a hundred percent Recycled thin salate and things like that in the climate space, you know, we've launched products like Well, things that help electric vehicles last longer help cell phone batteries Yeah, yeah, and like waiting the vehicles themselves, you know with the materials. We also have can I ask you just about that? You're a major part part of that supply chain. Do you think the American automobile? companies are ready for a major transition to electric vehicles that this is That our industry is really gearing up for the reality of that or is it still are you feeling a big Surge or we're testing we'll see where do we stand on that right now that every Automotive company. I'm aware of yeah is working on electric vehicles now. There's different trade-offs They have different approaches some are farther than others And we're in conversations. I think we supplied a pretty much every out of a part of the battery side of that We have a piece in the battery side We have peace in the body, you know one of the things that happens as you lightweight vehicles whether it's to improve fuel and mileage or Or improve range and electric vehicles that you want to lightweight the vehicle And so you start shifting materials and we're a materials company So you shift from heavy materials like steel more and more to aluminum or polymer composite materials And what happens is with steel you use metal welds But when you move to aluminum or composite plastics you start to have different interfacial Challenges and so what happens is you start to use adhesives and set or tapes and so we're very involved Yeah, so things that stick it's to keep the car together, you know, and I'm telling you You know it came from sandpaper from one evolution after another You know it really and and ultimately that's a really important piece of how we adapted But also in the climate space where we're innovating in ways you might not expect We've been providing roofing granules to help it prevent, you know leakage into your home and protect your roof from Rain or hail for decades But did you know that that same technology that we use to coat the roofing granules to make them the color that you Want to coordinate with your house or your neighbors? We've now incorporated in there UV reflection reflecting to help reduce the urban heat island effect and also more recently we have Incorporated the ability to interact with smog in the air So particularly in places like Southern, California where there's a lot of air pollution in the air that the you can buy roofing granules Or buy your roofing shingles that look just like the ones you would have purchased anyway and they are actually engaging with the the pollutants in the air to Essentially the equivalent of one home is the equivalent of two trees Sorbents sorbents to pull Smog out of the air. So it's part of just continuing to reinvent recognize where we are today what technologies we have to bear how to be smarter about things and It's a continual reinvention and that's what makes it exciting Some Twitter question you're kind of covering them as they come in One is just to be how holistic really are you in your company? So people are just concerned about renewable energy sources for example or your supply chains like so it's good to have these Sparks of innovation in the product But in terms of just how comprehensive is this sustainable about them planning in your in your in your company? And the one was concerned about plastic And it's great that you mentioned that actually plastic is top if you know the chemistry is probably the most recyclable thing ever But you have one product, but how about their whole range of products? Is there still this plastic issue that you could try and yeah, yeah So great questions, and I'm really glad you brought up renewable energy because we've been a long time player Just like we've been in the car industry from the beginning or the electronics industry from the beginning We've been in the renewable energy components piece for the beginning and you know Ranging from things to help make them more reflective and last longer absorb Absorb a higher percentage get a higher yield essentially from your solar panels helping wind turbines last longer because of some Materials that are at the cutting edge of that and more durable But this year we announced and one of the goals that I mentioned from 2015 was to go to 25% renewable electricity and our global operations by 2025 It felt like a really big goal when we set it in 2015 Last year we surpassed it. So this year we have announced that instead of going to 25% by 2025 We're going to go to 50% of our global operations by But wait, there's more we flip the switch Second quarter so that our headquarters, which is one of our larger Using facilities of electricity went to a hundred percent right that day in partnership with our local utility Excel energy What's the source? It is wind from the state of Minnesota. So right there Minnesota win, Minnesota win And then we made a commitment with the RE 100 that we will convert our entire global operations to 100% renewable So we're really serious about that both from the supply side helping make it happen and From the use side of helping make sure we're walking the talk and we're advancing that and we're helping others do the same And I think that's one of the most important things around sustainability today is it is a partnership We talked about with regulators and civil society, but it's partnerships far broader than that It's with our customers. It's with our suppliers and and that's what we're working on So that brings me to the plastics piece because plastics is I do think one of the great challenges of our time We can debate about whether it's you know our meat footprint or the climate overall or plastics There are plenty of challenges and crises if you will to go around but plastics is one that I take really seriously and You know, I could give you two examples with you know our Scotch bright with insulate But there's a lot more and we have to do those in partnership with others one of the challenges with all of the plastic recycling that is conventionally done today is that each time you do a Recycling step you actually degrade the product and so, you know There were great examples earlier today in Indonesia with the plastics in the roads and we do things like that Benches and those are good uses, but the really higher place I believe to go and it requires a lot of science is to really reinvent to the same quality of Plastics and so we work with suppliers on how we do that We don't make plastics, but we do use them and we use them to help people Like I mentioned this group the worker safety a number of health care spaces Some of our packaging other things But what we're working on with our partners is chemical recycling and chemical recycling actually allows you to take the plastics Reprocess it to the same level that it had before and what that means is that That then creates the way for a truly circular economy, and I love that working with some of these Suppliers that we have and they do cross the chemical and Petrochemical spaces and and some of them have made the comment of you know if we were going to start today and re-event our Plastics supply chain we would not be pumping down Miles into the into the ground into the ocean and or fracking our way to produce the materials We would not be pulling this dirty Gunky oil out to create plastics. We would be pulling it from oceans. We would be mining it from landfills We would be doing so many things that it's so much closer to the end product So I personally like okay, so many of you in the room might not remember But I remember the days when aluminum cans would sit down You know on the side of roads and you would see aluminum as as a common waste material today That doesn't happen because we have a very smart Relatively efficient recycling process for aluminum I believe that in the course of our lifetimes and I would say all of our lifetimes We will close that supply chain for plastics. It does require us all to step in and have our role on it We don't make plastics, but we're a purchaser We partner with our suppliers to help close that loop and we need consumers that pull that and we know the science We know it's possible. Yeah, it requires things to be done differently, but that's what it's all about Gail, thank you so much very very exciting very encouraging. Thank you for being here Wow, I Think we heard a lot of great solutions and it's it's really wonderful to hear Thank you very much and