Brodie 0:06 Welcome back to the Sustainable Design Lab Podcast. I'm Birdie

Chris 0:08 Van Der Dusen. And I'm Chris Bradley. And today, we're filming live from the three m Innovation Center in Minneapolis. Now, three ms is one of the most innovative companies in the world. They've truly been cultivating innovation for over one hundred years. Some of the biggest innovations that we use in packaging, including things like tape, were invented here. So it was fun to be able to tour the innovation center and speak to leaders here. And so excited to bring you into those conversations.

Brodie 0:35 We got a chance to talk to Amanda Yates. She's a senior director of global sustainability here at three m to learn how they're integrating sustainability within their r and d and innovation pipeline, what that looks like for them, how their sustainability goals are going, and how that contributes to their customer sustainability goals. So it's a great conversation.

Amanda 0:54 So let's get into it.

Brodie 1:03 We just got a chance to walk through the innovation center before this conversation. It was incredible. I could've spent another another three hours in there asking all the questions I wanted to ask, but last week, I got a lot of things going on today, so we gotta keep moving. You know, one of the things that stood out to me was how much material science is happening behind the scenes here at three m. For listeners who haven't had the pleasure of being here with us, can you describe what this space represents and the role that it plays inside three m?

Amanda 1:30 Yeah. So the world of innovation here is really our playground for material science and for technologies. It's it's the home to the 49 technologies that we have on our periodic table, which you probably got to see and really I think what it does is allow individuals to come and really understand not only the role of technology material science, but how they interact together and how one technology combined with another technology can create a whole vast array of different products that one thing can have infinite lives that come from it.

Brodie 2:02 Absolutely. The sustainable design piece was obviously my favorite bias, of course, but the tour guide said that, you know, you're rarely beyond 10 feet from a three m product Mhmm. And started naming all these things that I was like, that's less than 10 feet for sure, almost always. So it was very, very impressive.

Amanda 2:19 I've been in there probably 30 times in the amount of time I've worked at three m, and each time, I still learn something new. Like, you could spend days and probably still not taking it completely.

Chris 2:29 One of the things that's really interesting to me just even seeing how three m invented tape in 1925. So three m really has this long reputation for inventing things that really didn't exist before. And so from the inside, how does this kind of innovation actually happen here? t taking it completely. One of the things that's really interesting to me just even seeing how three m invented tape in 1925. So three m really has this long reputation for inventing things that really didn't exist before. And so from the inside, how does this kind of innovation actually happen here?

Amanda 2:47 Yeah. Well, it begins with those shared technologies. So I don't know if they mentioned that, but we have these 49 technologies, but they're not owned by any single business within the company. So all of our scientists, all of our engineers have access to all of them. That is, it's your playground, right, and it begins with this notion of starting with the technology and then collaborating with those who are experts and then in that technology. And so they can work together even across groups, across divisions or expertise areas that really then allows folks to find new opportunities because somebody else might spark an idea that because they know that technology well. And that's actually something I think that we hire for is kind of those soft skills. So you could be a scientist, you can be an engineer, but you have to have some of that willingness to collaborate and connect. Otherwise, it's probably not gonna be the greatest fit for you here because there is this expectation of shared and collaboration. And then we have something else, maybe they spoke about 15% time and that is really maybe not unique to three m any longer, but it's been something that we've had throughout our entire history where someone can anyone actually, including myself, can work on a project with 15% of our time. That is not a direct requirement of my job or it's not a part of my But if there's business value to it, then we can bring it forward. And we have a whole host of products that have come from that 15% time, everything from the post it note to things like direct air capture, material for direct

Brodie 4:09 air, carbon capture that came from a 15% project

Amanda 4:09 that somebody had started with. Wow. Can that came from a 15% project that somebody has started with.

Brodie 4:14 Wow. I mean, where would innovation be if not for collaboration? You can't have one and not the other, in my opinion. You know, one of the things is, you know, we walked through the center. We saw lots of examples of products like you mentioned and materials that are, like you said, across almost every industry, it feels like. Where is sustainability showing up most strongly in the innovation pipeline right now? other, in my opinion. You know, one of the things is, you know, we walked through the center. We saw lots of examples of products like you mentioned and materials that are, like you said, across almost every industry, it feels like. Where is sustainability showing up most strongly in the innovation pipeline right now?

Amanda 4:36 Yeah. I can safely say it's everywhere. So across all of those markets, um, everything that you saw, really, this stems from something called our sustainability value commitment. So since 2019, we've had this, we call it an SBC. And the intention is that every new product that's developed has some element of it, whether it's material or a process or something, maybe it's value proposition of the product that is meant to drive change for good. And so through that expectation, every single part of the company is thinking about sustainability when they're in that innovation and commercialization process. And we've seen it, again, be something that people generally want to do. Like, our scientists, our engineers, they want to be thinking that way, both from a business value perspective, but also, you know, like what's good for people and planet.

Brodie 5:22 Absolutely.

Chris 5:22 I would say, you know, one thing that we hear a lot from companies is that sustainable innovation or sustainable design isn't just about swapping out materials. It's really about rethinking the whole system around it. So how do your teams approach that challenge?

Amanda 5:37 Again, it's built into our systems. It's built into our process. So even, like, our new product development process, stage gates, and things that have to be considered from a sustainability perspective. But just recently and we're still in implementation phase, so I'm not gonna go super deep into it, but but we're actually implementing a tool that is going to allow our r and d teams to actually look at the impacts of materials, look at the impacts of processes, find hot spots, maybe look at alternatives, do scenario analysis in the innovation process. So before they're even in manufacturing, before they're being fully commercialized, and so we can make decisions now well ahead and really understand the impacts or the trade offs. You know? So you might lower your carbon emissions, but maybe it has a negative on water usage as an example, and we can see those ahead of time and make decisions to ensure that the product is gonna be least negatively impactful and most greatly impactful from a performance and usage perspective.

Chris 6:34 Okay. So many of the challenges around sustainability really require collaboration across the entire value chain. And so how does three m work with customers, suppliers, and partners to bring new solutions to market? ively impactful and most greatly impactful from a performance and usage perspective. Okay. So many of the challenges around sustainability really require collaboration across the entire value chain. And so how does three m work with customers, suppliers, and partners to bring new solutions to market?

Amanda 6:48 Yeah. And it's very basic even above and beyond sustainability. It really is starting with those customer requirements, and we have an amazing team of what we call application engineers who really do a lot of that bench to bench and engagement with our customers to understand what those needs are. We also have a team of researchers, so, like, customer insights teams that are are doing a lot of that work as well. So the base is what are their needs, what are their expectations, and then from a sustainability perspective, what journey are they on? What are their targets? What are their goals? And how is that gonna really define what they're purchasing, what the decisions are that they're making, and their expectations for, like, say, a carbon neutral product as an example? But marrying kind of that insight with then what we believe we can deliver is gonna be a key component of that because you can design for the sustainability's sake, but if there's not a business value to it, if there's not a value proposition that the customer cares about, then likely that's not gonna be a product that sells. And and so we want to make sure that we are starting with that core insight from the customer and bringing that forward in the design and innovation process.

Chris 7:53 Yeah. And I think those application engineers and I I've had the pleasure to work with a few of them over my career just for different. And to me, that was one of the greatest aspects of three m was access to that type of technical knowledge and expertise, which as an inventor myself really kinda helped me find the right material to make the product.

Amanda 8:11 Yeah. I'll just add if it's of interest, but we're just rolling out something called Ask three ms which is the AI version of that application engineer and bringing all the knowledge that they have into a space where somebody can now ask three ms kind of a problem or question, an issue that they might be trying to solve and get the beginnings of that insight. We launched it at CES and with great, you know, response because there was only a limited number of those application engineers and this maybe and hopefully opens up the the door to a lot more opportunity to pick the brains of three mers, if you will.

Brodie 8:44 Mhmm. A lot of our listeners either work in packaging, in design, sustainability, sometimes product development. Based on what you've seen here over the years, what advice would you give teams trying to build sustainability into innovation from the beginning? k the brains of three mers, if you will. Mhmm. A lot of our listeners either work in packaging, in design, sustainability, sometimes product development. Based on what you've seen here over the years, what advice would you give teams trying to build sustainability into innovation from the beginning?

Amanda 8:59 Yeah. I'd say take a holistic perspective. Right? Sustainability is everyone's job. It's not just the r and d team. It's not just somebody that has sustainability in their title. Understand what motivates each of those groups and how it can be beneficial to them. So with the r and d team, like this tool that I was mentioning earlier, giving tools that'll allow visibility and enable them to think in a different way earlier on is great. Working with marketers to help them understand what those customer expectations are and and the market shifting around sustainability and and how there can be growth opportunities embedded in that. So working with all of those different groups to really understand it. And then there is the systems piece that you mentioned earlier, which is, like, it has to be embedded into the expectations. And so for us, that meant actual fields very tactically, actual fields in gate review process that needed to be completed so that people built the habit of not only thinking about it, but documenting it and and making it real.

Brodie 9:54 I love that. I think in sustainability, we have such an opportunity to flex our messaging to who we're talking to in order to communicate better and be able to advance. That skill, I think, is so crucial to being able to get anything across the finish line. Absolutely.

Chris 10:09 And I love design labs, innovation centers, and so it's awesome to be here in Minneapolis at the three m Innovation Center. But if we were to come back here five to ten years from now, what kinds of technologies or materials do you think we would see?

Amanda 10:23 I think just at the base level, hopefully, you're seeing more solventless or solvent free products that are gonna not only help the environment, but it reduces emissions in the process of things like that. We're really spending a lot of time thinking about also from a circularity perspective, some of our adhesives and how do you enable end of life and the debonding of electronics as an example and enabling the circularity of those pieces. So I can't speak to any specific product that might be on its way, but I think we're thinking a lot about how we lower the impact of our products and, therefore, the benefits that those have to our customers and their customers as well.

Brodie 11:00 That's so important. And so I'm excited to hear that. Hopefully, you can come back in five to ten years and see all of that come to fruition. Anything you wanna talk about sustainability three m lives? roducts and, therefore, the benefits that those have to our customers and their customers as well. That's so important. And so I'm excited to hear that. Hopefully, you can come back in five to ten years and see all of that come to fruition. Anything you wanna talk about sustainability three m lives?

Amanda 11:09 We've been on this journey for a really long time and, uh, in impact since, like, 1975. Maybe they talked about our pollution prevention program, our three p program, but it's, uh, we've been working on this for a really long time because it's good business. It's not just good for the planet. It's good business. Right? And since 2002, we've reduced our carbon emissions footprint by 90%. So again, this is something that really excited about and we're on our journey towards carbon neutrality and actually hoping that in the next year or so that we'll have already met our SBTI, if you're familiar with that, our SBTI near gem targets. So, yeah, it's just great to be part of a company who cares about it and that, you know, it's time and effort into really making it real.

Brodie 11:52 What an accomplishment. That's huge. Congratulations to your team.

Amanda 11:55 Yes. That's that's a lot. Plenty more to be done.

Chris 11:58 What is your SBTI aspiration? I mean, is it twenty, forty or

Amanda 12:01 20? The near term is twenty, thirty, 52.6% for scope one and two.

Brodie 12:08 From a

Chris 12:09 what what was your baseline?

Amanda 12:09 2019.

Chris 12:10 2019. Wow.

Amanda 12:11 And then 42% scope three reduction based 2030 based on a 2021 baseline. So yeah, we think we'll hit all three of them.

Chris 12:22 That's impressive. Yeah. Very impressive.

Amanda 12:24 Yeah, we're excited about that, but then, you know, now we're to the hard part where it's, you know, like no more big swings. It's a lot of individual projects to to make the difference and get all the way there.

Brodie 12:35 Well, we're excited to see that announcement when you guys do hit it early, so we'll be cheering you guys on.

Amanda 12:40 Thank you. Appreciate that.

Brodie 12:42 We end each of our podcasts with a similar question. When you think about the future of packaging materials and sustainability, what is one thing that gives you hope? ee that announcement when you guys do hit it early, so we'll be cheering you guys on.

Amanda 12:40 Thank you. Appreciate that.

Brodie 12:42 We end each of our podcasts with a similar question. When you think about the future of packaging materials and sustainability, what is one thing that gives you hope?

Amanda 12:51 I'm hopeful by the fact that actually companies are thinking about their products and the impact of their products, and they're asking. They're taking ownership and accountability of their supply chains, and they're asking folks like three m, well, what's your road map for carbon neutrality for this product and working with us to figure that out. Even in the absence of regulations in some parts of the world, it's still top of mind for them. It's still something that they're thinking about and asking for and and on their own journey, and and that helps all of us to have the incentive to do that. So in a world where, you know, we're maybe up and down with sustainability right now, there's people that are still focused on it and it's still a meaningful part of the conversation and a and a driver for decision making and and that I think will work out for all of us in the end.

Brodie 13:33 Love that. Well, thank you for your time. We really appreciate the opportunity to come tour and talk to you guys and learn more about what three m is doing.

Chris 13:41 Yeah. We're excited to see what you guys come up with next.

Amanda 13:44 Thank you. Appreciate the time.

Brodie 13:54 I'm so glad we had an opportunity to talk to Amanda while we were here. Everyone we've talked to so far has this joy and a real drive towards innovation, which is apparent as you go through the tour and learn more about the history of the inventions that come from Hurryant.

Chris 14:09 Yeah. And there's a real sense of pride that you kind of hear from everybody that I think was really inspiring. Some of the cultural traits that they built into the company, I think, are truly aspirational. Like, I love this idea of the 15% rule where anybody in the company with a commercial idea can dedicate that kind of time to develop it. And I think just you get a sense of all of especially in packaging, so many things I saw here were actually invented here, like tape, uh, which we just take for granted. There's adhesive on every type of packaging and a lot of those kind of really cool technologies originated here.

Brodie 14:44 Absolutely. And I think that you touched on this like the culture piece. There's so much collaboration built within how they have built their culture here that I think you can't have innovation without that collaboration piece and I'm excited to see what continues to come from it. We've gotten a great tour of the legacy that has come out of three ms, but I feel like in some ways they're just getting started.

Chris 15:06 Yeah. And I think a lot of the sustainable packaging innovations that we're gonna see over the next five to ten years, my bet is many of those will come from three m. Yeah. So Totally agree. t tour of the legacy that has come out of three ms, but I feel like in some ways they're just getting started. Yeah. And I think a lot of the sustainable packaging innovations that we're gonna see over the next five to ten years, my bet is many of those will come from three m. Yeah. So Totally agree.

Brodie 15:15 So big thank you to three m for inviting us here and giving us a tour, and I'm excited to come back.