Daily Sustainability Job Post

* The link and job description provided was active on June 29, 2021 – the date this was posted. Please refer to the employer’s website for up to date information. This is not our search, we are providing these links as a service to the community of sustainability and ESG jobseekers.

Position Overview:

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company’s brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands.

At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview
The Manager, Materials and Product Sustainability, will focus on the environmental sustainability of the raw materials we source, furthering our support of regenerative agriculture and driving our strategy and targets around biodiversity (science-based targets for nature). The role will also include supporting the implementation of Ralph Lauren’s strategy around designing more sustainable and circular products, increasing the supply chain transparency and traceability of raw materials, conducting environmental impact review of new product and material sustainability technologies and innovations.

The Manager will collaborate closely with key internal partners, including: Sourcing, Product Management, Innovation, Design and Marketing and external stakeholders, including: Textile Exchange, SARCA, Sustainable Fibre Alliance, Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC).

The Manager, Materials and Product Sustainability will report to the Director of Product and Circularity. Direct experience in the adoption of more sustainable fibers, familiarity with life cycle assessment and working in apparel supply chains is strongly preferred.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Partner with key business units/leaders to drive the implementation of Ralph Lauren’’s product and materials sustainability initiatives, with a focus on the achievement of our goals to source sustainable key raw materials.
• Engage with strategic multi-stakeholder initiatives and promote the adoption of industry tools and best practices where applicable
• Review, analyze and provide strategic recommendations related to improving adoption of environmentally preferred materials
• Evaluate new standards and certification schemes for adoption and lead engagement with standard setting bodies and organizations
• Support the Director, Product and Circularity to develop and deploy training materials to educate internal teams (including designers, supply chain, licensees, etc.) around sustainability claim verification and marketing
• Help prepare for internal forums and trainings to share insights, case studies, best practices and resources/expertise.
• Communicate effectively to build the business case for material specific sustainability initiatives with internal and external parties.
• Track and analyze key product and materials sustainability issues including micro and nano fibers generated by the apparel industry, leather supply chain traceability verification, regenerative agriculture and sourcing strategies that protect and preserve biodiversity.
• Support Ralph Lauren’s effort to drive traceability across its key raw materials.
• Leading the development of our biodiversity strategy including setting science based targets for nature and liaising with Textile Exchange and the G7 Fashion Pact on this topic

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

• Demonstrated ability managing product environmental or corporate responsibility-related programs in the supply chain; Knowledge of the apparel industry, consumer goods industry, product development or supply chain preferred
• Experience with product life cycle assessment tools and the application of life cycle analysis to business decision-making
• Knowledge of and experience working with product sustainability standards and certifications including GOTS, GRS/RCS, and BCI.
• Advanced MS Excel skills that can be used to combine and analyze data from various sources, and generate reports and graphics to help drive decision-making
• Previous engagement with the Textile Exchange, BCI, SAC, or comparable industry working groups
• Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative and team-oriented environment
• Strong problem-solving abilities with a solutions-oriented mindset
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Proven ability to work creatively and analytically to deliver results
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholder