3M
Twitter: @3MNews
CEF Lead Executives
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GAYLE SCHUELLERList Item 1
CEF LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
SVP & Chief Sustainability Officer
Dr. Gayle Schueller started in 3M’s corporate laboratory as a product development engineer and has over 30 years of technical and business leadership experience. Her career spans a broad range of businesses from electronics to healthcare to consumer industries. She has led technical and business teams from around the world including Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America. Gayle’s previous assignments include Vice President of New Platforms for Growth and Commercialization, Directora General for 3M Mexico, and Vice President of Research & Development and Design for 3M’s Consumer and Office Business. She is passionate about making a positive impact in the world through science and technology.
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ANN MEITZ
Global Sustainability and Packaging Innovation Director,
3M Consumer Business Group
Ann Meitz is the Sustainability Director for 3M’s Consumer Business Group. As part of her role, Ann champions initiatives to improve sustainability in 3M consumer manufacturing operations, products, and packaging. She is also the Circular Economy champion for 3M, where she has set-up Circular Economy working groups to drive circularity in 3M’s products and operations. Prior to joining 3M’s Consumer Business, Ann served as the Sustainability Director for 3M’s Health Care Business. Over Ann’s 33-year career with 3M, she has held numerous R&D leadership and business management positions in the consumer, health care, and electronics industries. Ann’s previous roles include Technical Director for Infection Prevention Division, where she directed the development of medical device and drug products used in hospitals to prevent infections; Business Director for Drug Delivery Systems where she was responsible for the Transdermal Drug Delivery business, including the novel microneedle platform; and Technical Director for Optical Systems Division.
Ann has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University as well as an MBA in Marketing from University of St. Thomas.
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MAUREEN THOLENList Item 2
Sustainability Director, Safety and Industrial Business Group
Leading "Science for Climate" pillar in the corporate sustainability framework - 100% Renewable Electricity and RE100 membership. Leading partnership with SkillsUSA and WorldSkills career and technical education support. Leading Women's Leadership Forum Lean In Circles. Safety and Graphics Business Group Inclusion Champion.
Latest Sustainability Report
Q1 2024 Global Impact Summary (prior to completing the spin off of Solventum on April 1, 2024)
(March 2024)
Highlights
- Reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 43.2% in 2023 (2019 baseline).
- In 2023, increased renewable energy to 56.2% of total electricity use (2015 baseline), up from 51.9% in 2022.
- Improved energy efficiency 16.4%, indexed to net sales (2015 baseline).
- Helped customers reduce their GHG emissions by 135 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (since 2015).
- Reduced global water usage by 19.1% since 2019.
- 45.9% of manufacturing sites had attained zero landfill status by the end of 2023.
- Reduced use of virgin fossil-based plastic by 69.8 million pounds since 2021.
- In 2023, packaging reduction efforts resulted in a decrease of 198 metric tons of materials used.
Highlights
- Increased total diversity in non-production employees worldwide to 51.8% in 2023, up 0.5% from 2022.
- Increased total diversity in executive employees worldwide to 61.2% in 2023, up 2.1% from 2022.
- Increased number of women in global workforce from 36.9% in 2022 to 37.4% in 2023.
- Maintained 100% gender pay equity in all global regions and racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.
- Has provided 2.2 million STEM and skilled trade learning experiences for underrepresented individuals over two years of reporting, toward its goal of 5 million experiences by the end of 2025.
- Invested $13 million in diverse-serving organizations in 2023, bringing the total to $39 million of its 5-year $50 million commitment (by 2025).
- Recognized in 2023 as a High-Scoring Business in the Center for Economic Inclusion’s Racial Equity Dividends Index.
Recent News
2024
Announced its first Scope 3 target: to reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions 42% by 2030 from a 2021 baseline. 3M also announced the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has validated the company’s 2030 targets for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions. (Oct 2024)
2023
3M / SVANTE — Announced a joint development agreement to develop and produce Direct Air Capture (DAC) products for the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) industry. Svante has developed a process for coating solid sorbents onto sheets to make DAC filters for industrial plants that can be applied to 85% of the total carbon and capture removal sector. This agreement comes after 3M’s venture capital arm took part in Svante’s Series E fundraising round in December. (May 2023)
Announced it will exit per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) manufacturing and work to discontinue the use of PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. 3M’s decision is based on the increasing regulation of PFAS and changing stakeholder expectations. (Jan 2023)
2022
Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty — 85 organizations, including global businesses, financial institutions, and NGOs, have announced a common vision for an effective and ambitious Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution, which is expected to determine the trajectory of the plastic pollution crisis for generations to come. The endorsing organizations agree that the treaty must support progress on a number of key outcomes including:
- The reduction of plastic production and use through a circular economy approach;
- Increased circulation of necessary plastic;
- And the prevention and remediation of hard-to-abate micro- and macro-plastic leakage into the environment.
The coalition was organized by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WWF and includes CEF members 3M, Kimberly-Clark, PepsiCo, and Unilever. (Sept 2022)
3M launched a new integrated ESG reporting hub showcasing sustainability/ESG advancements made in 2021. By combining the company’s financial, Sustainability and DEI reporting in one place, the website demonstrates the company’s progress toward integrated reporting, a change that will also be reflected in its upcoming Global Impact Report. (March 2022)
The Recycling Partnership launched a Recycling Inclusion Fund to “close the equity gap” in the US waste and recycling system. It will provide access, education, and career advancement opportunities in the sustainability sector for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations. Initial funding partners include CEF members 3M and Procter & Gamble. (Feb 2022)
2021
The Department of Energy (DOE) launched a
Better Climate Challenge for companies, municipalities, states, and other organizations to set ambitious, near-term emission-reduction goals.
Signatories will commit to reducing portfolio-wide Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 50% within 10 years,
and the DOE will provide technical assistance and learning opportunities. CEF members
3M, Ford, General Motors, and
Schneider Electric are among the 32 founding signatories. (Nov 2021)
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The Department of Energy (DOE) released a
progress update on its
Better Plants program,
which aims to decarbonize the industrial sector. Over 250
manufacturers and water utilities
have participated in the program and
cumulatively saved $9.3 billion in energy costs and over 1.9 quadrillion BTUs of energy—more energy than Wisconsin uses annually. Program partners include CEF members
3M, Dow, Ford, General Electric, General Motors, International Paper, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble,
and Schneider Electric.
(Oct 2021)
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RE100 LEADERSHIP AWARDS – Four companies were honored by Climate Group’s RE100 initiative for “pioneering work in accelerating the global transition to 100% renewable electricity” (Sept 2021):
- 3M - Market Trailblazer Award
- The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. - Enterprising Leader Award
- Google - Changemaker Award
- Novo Nordisk - Key Collaborator Award
Joined the
Water Resilience Coalition and committed to
achieving a net-positive water impact in water-stressed basins, preserving freshwater resources, and engaging in public and corporate outreach by 2050. (Aug 2021)
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MORE 2 »
TPG —
Announced a
first close of $5.4 billion for the TPG Rise Climate Fund, the largest climate-focused fund in the world. Over
20 global companies—including CEF members
3M, ADM,
Alphabet, Apple,
Bank of America, Boeing, Dow, GE, General Motors, Honeywell,
and
TD Bank Group—participated in the close and will form a
Rise Climate Coalition. The fund will take a broad sector approach, focusing on growth equity to value-added infrastructure to
driving solutions for 5 climate sub-sectors. (Aug 2021)
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75 companies—including
3M, Apple, General Motors, Google, HP Inc., and Unilever—urged lawmakers to support a clean energy standard and require power companies supply zero-carbon electricity. Organized by
Ceres, the Environmental Defense Fund, and others, they wrote in an open letter, "A federal clean electricity standard should achieve 80 percent carbon pollution-free electricity by 2030 on the pathway to 100% clean power by 2035." (July 2021)
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RE100 — The RE100 companies, which are committed to 100% renewable electricity, now have an electricity demand greater than that of the U.K. or Italy and are on track to save CO2 emissions equal to burning over 118 million tons of coal per year. RE100 members include
CEF Members:
3M, Apple, Bank of America, Bloomberg, Dell Technologies, Ecolab, Facebook, General Motors, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP Inc., Johnson & Johnson, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Mastercard, McKinsey & Co., Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Siemens AG, TD Bank Group, Trane Technologies, Unilever,
and Visa.
(July 2021)
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Committed to reducing its use of virgin fossil-based plastic by 125 million pounds—more than 5 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower—by 2025. (April 2021)
Committed to create 5 million unique STEM and skilled trades learning experiences for underrepresented individuals by the end of 2025 to advance economic equity. Learning experiences to include scholarships, internships, and robust student services, varying experiential learning opportunities, volunteerism, and monetary investments by 3M. (April 2021)
Vision 2050: Time to Transform — WBCSD and over 40 of its members—including 3M, BASF, Microsoft, and Unilever—released an action agenda based on 9 “transformation pathways” essential to a sustainable and prosperous future. The pathways cover business areas essential to society: energy; transportation and mobility; living spaces; products and materials; financial products and services; connectivity; health and wellbeing; water and sanitation; and food. Each pathway includes 10 action areas for companies to take over the next decade. (March 2021)
Ethisphere released its 2021 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. CEF members recognized include (March 2021):
- 3M
- ADM
- Aptiv
- CBRE
- Dell Technologies
- Ecolab
- General Motors
- HanesBrands
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- Honeywell
- HP
- International Paper
- Kaiser Permanente
- Kimberly-Clark
- Mastercard
- Microsoft
- PepsiCo
- VF Corporation
- Visa
- Waste Management
A major new coalition, “America is All In,” launched to mobilize bold climate ambitions nationally and uphold the federal government’s commitment to climate action—specifically to cut U.S. emissions in half or more by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. Co-led by UN Special Climate Envoy Michael Bloomberg, the coalition effectively merges We Are Still In and America’s Pledge and is the most expansive effort ever assembled to support climate action in the U.S., involving U.S. businesses, cities, states, tribal nations, schools, and faith groups, health care organizations, and cultural institutions. Large companies involved include: 3M, Adobe, Amazon, Apple, ADM, Autodesk, BASF, Best Buy, Cargill, Carrier Corporation, The Clorox Company, Coca-Cola, Danone N.A., Dell Technologies, Dow Inc., DSM N.A., DuPont, eBay, Edison International, Facebook, Gap, General Mills, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Inc., IKEA U.S., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson Controls, Kellogg Company, LafargeHolcim, Levi Strauss & Co., L’Oréal, Mars Incorporated, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Mondelez International, National Grid, Nestle, NIKE, Novozymes, PG&E Corporation, PepsiCo, Salesforce, Siemens, Sony Corporation of America, Starbucks, Steelcase, Target, Tiffany & Co., Trane Technologies, Verizon, VF Corporation, Walmart, and Waste Management. (February 2021)
3M committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, reducing facility water use by 25% by 2030 (expected to save 2.5 billion gallons annually), and improving water quality after use in manufacturing operations. The company expects to invest approximately $1 billion over the next 20 years to achieve these goals. Interim goals include (February 2021):
- Reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2040
- Reducing water use by 10% by 2022 and 20% reduction by 2025
- Installing state-of-the-art water purification technology by 2023 at its largest water-using locations
2020 & prior
3M — Is collaborating with Ford Motor Company and GE Healthcare to expand production of urgently needed medical equipment and supplies, including Powered Air-Purifying Respirators and ventilators. (March 2020)
3M — Included on Ethisphere 2020 list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies (March 2020)
3M — Announced its first formal requirement that a "Sustainability Value Commitment" will be included in all new products introduced beginning in 2019. (Dec 2018).