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(Fin, SRE'18) is the Sustainability Manager for Anthropologie and was named to the 2024 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 list. We recently spoke with her about how the Social Responsibility and Ethics (SRE) Certificate shaped her career, what qualities make sustainability professionals successful, and how her proudest achievement so far links back to her learnings from Leeds.

CESR: How did your time at Leeds help in establishing the foundations for your career?

Sarah Reice: As I look back at how I ended up in this field, I can attribute all my ambition, success and trajectory to my time at Leeds. I’m in a unique position where I’m working in a science-oriented field, but I don’t have a science background.

Through my education at Leeds, I was able to get creative when it came to a finance career. My professors gave me confidence in the fact that I didn’t need to stick to a banking or financial institutions pathway. With the SRE Certificate I was challenged to envision a career that created value and aligned with my own, and approach business in a way that could be beneficial to the world. That’s kind of the Boulder way. That love and engagement with the environment was something I felt outside the classroom, too. So many of my fellow alumni are taking a similarly forward-thinking approach to business, and I don’t think that is a coincidence. I feel a lot of pride that not only myself, but my peers are challenging businesses to operate differently, and I really believe we owe that mindset to our time at Leeds.

"With the SRE Certificate I was challenged to envision a career that created value and aligned with my own, and approach business in a way that could be beneficial to the world."

- says Sarah Reice

CESR: Could you speak a bit more about the 2024 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 honor that you recently received? What does it mean for you and your career?

SR: I connected with Lauren Kotze (Fin, SRE ’16) (who was in the 2023 GreenBiz 30 Under 30) last year after she was a recipient, and our conversation left me feeling eager to pursue the recognition too. Having this encouragement to engage with the designation from another woman in the industry was important, because this work is often referred to as the “wild wild west”. The landscape is vast, there isn’t a clear direction, and the opportunities are endless. That’s why networking is especially valuable in this industry, and I’ve been lucky to connect with a ton of women doing similar work who are always ready to uplift you and help you find your footing.

After completing my first year with Anthropologie and looking back at what we were able to bring to life, I felt like I was ready to showcase my work outside of my existing network, like I really had something I could stand behind and be proud of. That’s why this recognition has a lot of personal value to me. It affirms that the impact we’re creating is there, and we are taking steps forward. Creating long-lasting change is hard, and to do so in an authentic way takes a lot of time. This designation gives me confidence that even though our change may not be viewed as flashy as or as quick to action as other companies, it is there, it’s meaningful, and it’s rooted in authenticity. That authenticity piece is critical to achieving success in this sphere.

CESR: What are some of your favorite projects in your job at Anthropologie? How do they relate to big trends in the fashion industry related to sustainability?

SR: My favorite project has been launching our regenerative agriculture work. This year, we really leaned into regenerative agriculture, and regenerative cotton to be more specific, as a key innovation in our sustainable fiber mix. What has been great is seeing the 360-degree way we approach the topic.

We started off in April of this year by launching our first line of regenerative cotton basics, and we did this in tandem with a new partnership with Kiss the Ground, a non-profit committed to regenerative agriculture, who we donated 100K too as well.

Our regenerative cotton line was done with basics because we wanted to make sure we were creating sustainable innovation in pieces that would outlive trend cycles, styles that would stay in your closet for years to come. This was really important to us as a team.  

Partnership was equally as important, because we wanted to be sure we were also uplifting the leading voices in this area. Kiss the Ground stood out to us because they approach regenerative agriculture in a creative way, and creativity really resonates with our customers. Once we saw their work, we knew they were the right fit for our new journey towards regeneration.

Beyond product and partnership, we also recognized that there is a huge gap in knowledge across our organization, our customers, and the population in general related to regenerative agriculture. To address this, we also created custom experiences geared towards education. For customers, this was in-store workshops, and for employees this was volunteer opportunities. It’s been inspiring to bring these experiences to life and introduce our community to something new. Education is so important!

What adds a more special layer to all of this is that I learned about regenerative agriculture at Leeds, and I’ve always been amazed by it. It’s a sustainability topic that I would come back to time and time again as something I hope to be involved in one day. Being able to bring it to life at Anthropologie almost a decade later has felt so full circle.

CESR: Could you speak a bit more about the 2024 GreenBiz 30 Under 30 honor that you recently received? What does it mean for you and your career?

SR: I connected with Lauren Kotze (Fin, SRE ’16) (who was in the 2023 GreenBiz 30 Under 30) last year after she was a recipient, and our conversation left me feeling eager to pursue the recognition too. Having this encouragement to engage with the designation from another woman in the industry was important, because this work is often referred to as the “wild wild west”. The landscape is vast, there isn’t a clear direction, and the opportunities are endless. That’s why networking is especially valuable in this industry, and I’ve been lucky to connect with a ton of women doing similar work who are always ready to uplift you and help you find your footing.

After completing my first year with Anthropologie and looking back at what we were able to bring to life, I felt like I was ready to showcase my work outside of my existing network, like I really had something I could stand behind and be proud of. That’s why this recognition has a lot of personal value to me. It affirms that the impact we’re creating is there, and we are taking steps forward. Creating long-lasting change is hard, and to do so in an authentic way takes a lot of time. This designation gives me confidence that even though our change may not be viewed as flashy as or as quick to action as other companies, it is there, it’s meaningful, and it’s rooted in authenticity. That authenticity piece is critical to achieving success in this sphere.

CESR: What are some of your favorite projects in your job at Anthropologie? How do they relate to big trends in the fashion industry related to sustainability?

SR: My favorite project has been launching our regenerative agriculture work. This year, we really leaned into regenerative agriculture, and regenerative cotton to be more specific, as a key innovation in our sustainable fiber mix. What has been great is seeing the 360-degree way we approach the topic.

We started off in April of this year by launching our first line of regenerative cotton basics, and we did this in tandem with a new partnership with Kiss the Ground, a non-profit committed to regenerative agriculture, who we donated 100K too as well.

Our regenerative cotton line was done with basics because we wanted to make sure we were creating sustainable innovation in pieces that would outlive trend cycles, styles that would stay in your closet for years to come. This was really important to us as a team.  

Partnership was equally as important, because we wanted to be sure we were also uplifting the leading voices in this area. Kiss the Ground stood out to us because they approach regenerative agriculture in a creative way, and creativity really resonates with our customers. Once we saw their work, we knew they were the right fit for our new journey towards regeneration.

Beyond product and partnership, we also recognized that there is a huge gap in knowledge across our organization, our customers, and the population in general related to regenerative agriculture. To address this, we also created custom experiences geared towards education. For customers, this was in-store workshops, and for employees this was volunteer opportunities. It’s been inspiring to bring these experiences to life and introduce our community to something new. Education is so important!

What adds a more special layer to all of this is that I learned about regenerative agriculture at Leeds, and I’ve always been amazed by it. It’s a sustainability topic that I would come back to time and time again as something I hope to be involved in one day. Being able to bring it to life at Anthropologie almost a decade later has felt so full circle.

"Credibility is everything in this industry and being willing to say, 'I don’t know. Let me get back to you,' builds that trust and shows you have a growth mindset. In a field where change is constant, this skill is underrated."

- says Sarah Reice

CESR: What are some of the attributes of a successful sustainability professional?

SR: A few qualities come to mind. There is a real need to build trust internally and externally when you work in sustainability, so the first quality is the ability and confidence to say, “I don’t know.” Credibility is everything in this industry and being willing to say, “I don’t know. Let me get back to you,” builds that trust and shows you have a growth mindset. In a field where change is constant, this skill is underrated.  

There’s also a ton of power in flexibility and resilience. Those two go hand-in-hand. You have to be resilient to challenges that will inevitably come your way, and flexible in your approach to solving them. It isn’t unheard of to be faced with data or budget challenges, but if you approach these with resiliency and flexibility in mind, you’ll find more wins than you expect.

The third thing is the ability to have boundaries with your work and take care of yourself. We are trying to solve complex problems often with limited resources. The people who have success are the people who can take breaks and make sure they’re still filling up their cup. It’s easy to make this work your identity, too, because it often aligns closely with our values, who we are as people. That’s another reason why boundaries and self-care are critical in this space.

CESR: What advice do you have for students who want to work in sustainability?

SR: I’m lucky to have a position that is fully dedicated to sustainability, though it took a few years to get here. I can feel for students who aren’t seeing the perfect job opening right at graduation.

But sustainability is a highly collaborative field. This work requires internal expertise within functions that may not have “sustainability” in their job title. When applying to jobs, think about the areas of the business that may work directly with the sustainability leads. This is how you can start to integrate this work into a more traditional function and gain the expertise necessary to make the pivot one day. Chances are that sustainability is showing up in these more traditional roles more often than you think!

CESR: Is there anything you would like to add?