This definition serves as a guiding light that informs a path forward, regardless of how complicated the scenario is. “Sustainability” as it is understood today is so dynamic and nuanced, but if everything we do works towards this goal, we ensure that everyone is paddling in the same, positive direction.
To me, sustainability is about staying tethered to this definition, at all times. I have tattooed this concept onto my brain so that when I’m at home, at work, or out for a walk in Central Park, I never forget to uphold it. I may get strange looks at cookouts when I try to inconspicuously pick recyclable materials out of the garbage and sort them accordingly, but at least I’m staying true to an important value. Plus, most of the time, the unintentional guilt this behavior evokes changes someone’s recycling habits – and that’s a positive outcome!
As the Sustainability Manager at Metsä Board Americas and a Metsä Board Sustainability Ambassador, I feel very fortunate that I am granted the opportunity to regularly update my colleagues and customers about the latest sustainability developments, both at meetings and industry seminars. I sincerely believe that the message I am relaying about our sustainability story is genuine and we are doing the right things. For example, the carbon footprint comparisons we conduct as part of our sustainability services suggest that we have one of, if not the most, carbon-efficient paperboards available in the Americas market. 
Finding ways to articulate our sustainability-related actions and the environmental impacts of our products to customers in an educational and digestible format is a fun challenge for me, and typically elicits an overwhelmingly positive response from them. Their reactions to hearing new, useful information give me a feeling that is hard to beat.
So, if you couldn’t tell, I love being a part of what we do here at Metsä Board. I love that my colleagues recognize my willingness to educate and my unabated passion to make a positive impact. And I love that customers trust me and my team to provide them with fact-based, transparent, practical information. Most of all, I love that I get to uphold one of my core values every time I step foot in the office.