Who is Amazon’s New Grocery Sustainability Leader?

After more than four years as Vice President of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market, Caitlin Leibert is moving into a new position at Amazon.

She is now leading environmental and social sustainability for Amazon’s Worldwide Grocery Stores (WWGS).

This portfolio of grocery brands includes Whole Foods Market, as well as Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go.

Caitlin Leibert’s career so far

Caitlin Leibert began her sustainability career in 2011 as Director of Sustainability at Chipotle.

She took on the role after spending three years as a Marketing Strategist at the company.

Caitlin built Chipotle’s sustainability department from scratch, creating and executing the company’s sustainability vision for more than 2,500 restaurants worldwide.

She oversaw the creation of Chipotle’s first sustainability report and worked with a network of key suppliers, partners and vendors.

She says she is driven by her passion for food and its role in shaping communities, both locally and globally.

Caitlin Leibert, now Global Head of Sustainability at Amazon Worldwide Grocery, says: “Shifting from extractive to more regenerative agriculture requires changes in farming techniques, financial investment and supply chain adjustments – all of which present challenges.

“Farmers often face upfront costs when adopting regenerative practices like cover cropping, rotational grazing and reduced tillage and it can take years to see the benefits.

“Additionally, access to education and infrastructure can be a barrier, as many farms need technical support and financial incentives to transition.”

Amazon’s environmental priorities

Amazon’s sustainability goals include a commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions across its operations by 2040, which is 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.

In its grocery stores, it is implementing improvements to its refrigeration systems to help meet its emissions goals.

Refrigerants like hydrofluorocarbon (HFCs) can be one of the biggest pollutants and can trap thousands of times more heat in the atmosphere than CO₂ according to the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council.

The company’s Amazon Fresh grocery store in Seattle, which is a zero carbon certified store, features a natural carbon dioxide-based refrigeration system which lowers the use of synthetic chemicals.

Amazon also prioritises sustainability when developing new grocery stores.

Before starting a new building project, it looks for opportunities to repurpose existing buildings which can significantly reduce the amount of carbon used in a new project.

More than 80% of Amazon’s grocery stores and a majority of its corporate office spaces were built in existing buildings.

In her new position, Caitlin will oversee the sustainability of Amazon’s grocery store portfolio, including the impact of the company’s operations on the environment and optimising waste and packaging.

Caitlin’s role at Amazon

In her new role at Amazon Worldwide Grocery, Caitlin’s responsibilities include managing climate and nature, supply chain sustainability, food waste, human rights and ESG reporting and engagement.

She says that collaboration is key to overcoming sustainability challenges, as her work involves working with industry leaders, policymakers, suppliers and stakeholders.

These strategic partnerships can help ease the pressure on farmers and help implement regenerative practices, supporting the entire food supply chain.

“The future of agriculture will be rooted in resilience, regeneration and innovation,” Caitlin says.

“As climate change accelerates, we need a stronger emphasis on soil health, carbon sequestration and biodiversity to protect farmland and food security.”