FINDING SUSTAINABILITY

A plastic bag manufacturer embarks on an enlightening environmental journey in this debut book.

Romer, who co-owns a small family business that manufactures custom plastic bags for the retail market, describes sustainability as “a place where business meets faith” in this insightful account. Recognizing a “growing anti-plastic public sentiment” in 2018, he was struck by a National Geographic magazine cover highlighting plastic pollution of the ocean. He vowed to make a personal commitment to change his own company’s practices and embrace sustainability, beginning with self-education. Research, conferences, and an executive education program gave Romer the working knowledge and tools to create a “systems map” to analyze his company’s operations. This helped him implement sustainability-oriented modifications while recognizing that it was “more about a thousand small things and less about one big thing.” Romer charted a path that resulted in a new vision for his business, which he termed “Healthy Planet, Healthy People and Healthy Company”; this became the driving force behind six key initiatives, among them stocking sustainable materials, creating a design guide for sustainable packaging, and communicating sustainability goals to clients. In this book, Romer details 10 steps that he and his business took to reach their “stretch goal” of a 25% waste reduction. Just as important, he tells of how he engaged his clients in his journey, educating them about how sustainability ultimately benefits everyone. He generously shares what he learned with readers so they can adapt his methodology as well. Romer is an astute narrator, observing his own growing awareness of the importance of environmental awareness as the story unfolds. He writes with honesty and humility, unafraid to expose his own vulnerabilities as he took on a daunting challenge. Especially compelling is the example he sets as visionary leader of a small company that can have a surprisingly big environmental impact. Along the way, he effectively relates how his effort is just one piece of a larger whole: “Our thread in the sustainability fabric is a thread in the sustainability tapestry…knowing that we may never fully see the full tapestry we are helping to create.”

A perceptive, instructive, and inspiring business memoir.