New York, New York, August 3, 2017 - The Climate Collaborative today announced that Erin Callahan has joined as its new director.

The Collaborative, a three-year project of OSC2 and Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA), was created to catalyze bold action for climate change in the natural products industry. Erin will be joining as its first full-time director, responsible for management and execution of the Collaborative’s work, including all programming, communications, and outreach.  

 “The Climate Collaborative is bringing together the natural products industry in an unprecedented effort to drive bolder ambition on climate change and to scale industry solutions,” Erin commented. “Scores of leading companies have already made commitments in the few months since the Collaborative’s launch. I am thrilled to be carrying this project forward and working closely with OSC2 and SFTA to continue to grow the Collaborative’s work and impact and celebrate the leading companies who are helping transform their industry.”

From Annie’s to Wisdom Works, more than 80 companies, representing retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers in the natural products industry have made over 300 commitments to action since the Collaborative’s launch in March of 2017.

W.S. Badger Co., a personal care product company, is the most recent company to announce a commitment. Their family owner and VP of Research and Product Development Rebecca Hamilton said upon joining, “In the wake of our country’s decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, we now see that businesses have a responsibility to stand up and be vocal about our commitments. To inspire others to do the same, we are joining the leaders of our industry.”

Carlotta Mast, Senior Vice President of Content and Insights at New Hope Network and Climate Collaborative advisory board member said, “The urgency for business action on climate is greater than ever, and it is fantastic to see the natural products industry coming together and making bold climate commitments.”

As director, Erin will lead the Collaborative’s work bringing together the natural products industry and connecting companies to pathways of action on climate. She brings with her a wide range of corporate campaigning and sustainability experience. Erin joins the Collaborative from CDP, where she managed corporate engagement for the We Mean Business coalition’s commitments campaign. In that role, Erin worked with hundreds of the world’s largest companies, industry groups and investors, supporting them in making more than 1,000 leadership commitments to climate action.

Through her work with We Mean Business, she has engaged leading global brands on setting renewable energy targets, deforestation goals, and a suite of other action areas directly aligned with the Collaborative’s commitment’s platform.

She earned a master’s degree in international relations and economics, with a focus on international energy, resource and environment issues, from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Erin is based in New York and reports to the Climate Collaborative Management Board. For more information visit www.climatecollaborative.com, or email Erin directly at [email protected].

About The Climate Collaborative

The Climate Collaborative is a project of OSC2 and SFTA to catalyze bold climate action among natural products companies. The Climate Collaborative brings manufacturers, retailers, brokers, distributors, and suppliers together to build existing climate solutions to scale and to find innovative, new ways to help reverse climate change. Follow the Climate Collaborative on Facebook @climatecollab and on Twitter @ClimateColl.

About OSC2

A community of sustainably focused natural products industry CEOs and business leaders, OSC² was founded in January 2012 to support mission driven businesses and address the toughest sustainability problems facing the industry and planet.  Directors Ahmed Rahim, founder and CEO of Numi Organic Tea, and Lara Jackle Dickinson, Natural Products Industry Executive, founded OSC².  Lara serves as Executive director. OSC² projects include the Packaging Collaborative, Climate Collaborative, Rising Star Chapter, and OSC² Natural Products University.  For more information, please visit http://www.osc2.org.

About Sustainable Food Trade Association

The mission of Sustainable Food Trade Association is to build the capacity of the organic food trade to transition to sustainable business models. SFTA serves as a hub for businesses to learn, improve performance, communicate results, share common metrics and best practices. Thus, defining and driving excellence in environmentally sound, socially just business practices using a systems-based approach. For more information, please visit http://www.sustainablefoodtrade.org.