In this episode of Ecolab’s podcast, “IMPACTful Dialogues,” host Dexter Davis talks with Calvin Emanuel, PhD, vice president and general manager, Sustainable Growth Solutions.

For Calvin Emanuel, finding purpose while still driving business growth is crucial to the work he does every day as the leader of our Sustainable Growth Solutions.

In the latest episode of IMPACTful Dialogues, Dexter Davis, senior vice president, Human Resources, Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, talks with Calvin Emanuel about the role our organisation and our associates can play in creating a sustainable future, while achieving our business goals.

Here are some highlights.

Dexter: So, considering you're a chemist and you approach customers with that background, how do you create chemistry with our customers?

Calvin: I love it. So I think the way I create chemistry with our customers, and it's a lot with our teams, is about how do you build and foster connections, how do you find common things that both parties can relate to?

How can we help them drive down energy? How can we help them drive down their cost? How can we help them be more efficient and effective in their manufacturing, reducing waste? That total value delivered is a part of what we do day in and day out, and I can tell you all of our customers are excited to understand the value that they can get by working with Ecolab.

Dexter: Twenty years from now — if you were to say the progress we’re making, the efforts we’re making today — where do you think we’ll be when you think about sustainability and leveraging our resources better? Will we be in a better spot? Do you think we’ll be having a different conversation? I’d love to get your perspective on that.

Calvin: So I tend to have a positive view, in that the people are recognizing the need for change now. We’re seeing new technologies. We’re seeing green hydrogen. We’re seeing green steel production. We’re seeing companies go after carbon capture. And so with technology science, and I’ll say a drive from consumers for change — and you’re seeing governments start to say ‘hey we need to start to see change,’ as well — you’re seeing stakeholders and businesses get engaged. So you’re seeing all the right movements, and I think now it’s getting to the place where people are starting to execute, to really drive a difference.

Dexter: As I think about diversity, equity and inclusion, one thing that I think is really fundamental is that people understand everybody can play a role, especially when you talk about being inclusive, being that person that’s open, who listens, is inclusive to everyone. What can we all do as individuals to make an impact on water conservation?

Calvin: As individuals, we can look at our own water use in terms of showers and water within your own household operations.

How do you help your company either utilize the best practices or make sure that your company values sustainability as a part of what they do and what they drive? I think the third place that we all as individuals play a role in is in governments. It's how do we urge our governments to protect the environments in which we're all living in a manner that still allows for business growth as well as the ability to grow sustainably? Meaning, you can grow while using less water, less energy and produce less waste. That's business growth that we all want to have.