erin meezan
chief sustainability officer, interface, inc.
As Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO), Erin gives voice to the conscience of Interface Inc., ensuring that strategy and goals are in sync with its aggressive sustainability vision established more than 25 years ago. Today, Interface has evolved its thinking to go beyond doing less harm to creating positive impacts, not just for Interface and the flooring industry, but for the world at large. Erin led the company to unveil a new mission in 2016 – Climate Take Back, tackling the single biggest threat facing humanity: global climate change. This mission is focused on creating a path for Interface and others to reverse global warming, not just reduce carbon emissions.
As CSO, Erin leads a global team that provides technical assistance and support to this audacious goal and the company’s global business, addressing sustainability at all levels – from operations and management, to employees and customers, and in policy forums. Erin and her team also develop industry-leading approaches to measurement, driving transparency and innovation in the field of sustainability, while also capturing successes as the company nears its Mission Zero targets in 2020.
Erin is a frequent lecturer on sustainable business to senior management teams, universities and the growing green consumer sector. She has keynoted at a variety of conferences and forums including Bioneers, GreenBiz, VERGE, Greenbuild, Sustainable Brands, SXSW, SXSW Eco, Conscious Capitalism and others, and to business audiences around the world in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United States and Europe.
In addition, she serves as a guest faculty member at Harvard University for the Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program. She also serves on the Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA) program advisory board for the Vermont Grossman School of Business. Erin is a magna cum laude graduate of the Vermont Law School, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Studies in Environmental Law and her Juris Doctor degree.