The Japanese phrase, ikigai, refers to one’s reason to live. Devon Leahy, the global head of sustainability at Ralph Lauren, found her ikigai at a young age on the ski slopes of Vermont: the outdoors and environmental issues. Devon took that passion, merged it with a business degree from Michigan Ross, and began crafting what these corporate sustainability roles could look like for major companies like Walmart and eventually Ralph Lauren. Breaking Schemas hosts Marcus Collins and John Branch sit down with Devon to discuss what a global head of sustainability does, why sustainability needs to be embedded in the fabric of the corporation and not just a PR campaign, and what the future holds for sustainability in the fashion industry. *Breaking Schemas is a production of the Yaffe Digital Media Initiative at Michigan Ross and is produced by University FM.* Episode Quotes: How Devon’s childhood in vermont shaped her passion for the sustainability 05:04: I really came into the corporate world and into business with a background and passion for environmental issues. I grew up in northern Vermont. I was a skier. I spent a lot of time outdoors. I started asking my parents why we were seeing forests degraded by what at the time was acid rain that I could see from the ski lift in my little hometown in the northern part of Vermont. And it was those moments, those sort of pivotal experiences, that became touchstones in my career. Communicating impact in the sustainability space 13:29: As our disclosures of environmental and social data become very looked at the same way as our financial disclosures, we have to be very mindful of how we communicate our impact, what numbers we use, what KPIs. And so it's this balancing within the guardrails, like how we still meet and deliver or exceed our stakeholders expectations and continue to find ways that this work creates value. Follow what your internal compass tells you 18:34: I think it's important to talk to outside voices that know you and also give you good advice. But, at the end of the day, you really have to follow what your internal compass tells you. Show Links: Devon Leahy on LinkedIn