Season 2, Ep. 16 | Sustainable Thinking: A Conversation with Andrew Watterson
In this episode of More Elephant, we sit down with Andrew Watterson, founder of Blue CSR Strategies, an ESG consulting firm dedicated to helping businesses, governments, and nonprofits accelerate their impact on their environmental and sustainability strategies.
Andrew’s journey began with early inspiration from his grandmother and sixth-grade science teacher, both passionate about environmental stewardship and social justice. From there, he led sustainability efforts at KeyBank and GOJO Industries, navigating the unique challenges of driving change within large organizations.
We explore the real-world impact of ESG in business, from the importance of shifting mindsets to the critical role of producer responsibility in tackling plastic waste. Andrew shares insights on how companies can reduce, reuse, and recycle with a closed-loop approach, and how sustainability can drive innovation, attract talent, and strengthen brands.
Despite the current political climate, Andrew remains hopeful, pointing to continued investment in renewable energy, carbon reduction, and innovative solutions by major companies. He reminds us that sustainability is not just about the planet—it’s about our health, our communities, and our future.
We dive deep into the power of business leadership to drive progress, the strategic importance of learning networks and collaboration, and the promise of making sustainability a core part of every organization’s mission.
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Show Notes
Andrew Watterson is an experienced sustainability and environmental, social governance (ESG) practitioner who leverages his expertise in organizational development to guide organizations toward creating a positive impact on society, people, and the planet, while creating positive financial returns. He holds a deep belief in power of authentic leadership and being purpose driven to create enduring results.
Andrew launched Blue CSR Strategies in 2020 and leads client engagements to support positive sustainability impacts. His work includes helping organizations with sustainability strategy, program management, and disclosure. Blue CSR serves as an extension to many internal sustainability and ESG teams at companies both large and small.
Prior to launching Blue CSR Strategies, Andrew held leadership positions in both public and private sector organizations including GOJO Industries, KeyBank, BrownFlynn (now an ERM Company) and the City of Cleveland, OH. His responsibilities included sustainability, corporate responsibility, communications, diversity & inclusion, and community & governmental affairs. He holds an MS in Positive Organization Development from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and BA from Bates College in Environmental Policy and Economics.
Key More Elephant Takeaways in this Episode:
Sustainability is about more than just the environment—it’s also about social impact and strong governance, all of which can drive business value.
The most successful ESG programs see sustainability as a strategic advantage, unlocking innovation and differentiation.
Producer responsibility is crucial for tackling plastic waste; businesses must focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling in a closed-loop system.
Connecting sustainability to health and basic needs helps make these issues more relatable and urgent.
and more…
More About Blue CSR: Blue CSR | LinkedIn
Andrew Watterson : LinkedIn
Transcript
More Elephant Intro
[00:00:38] Jason Rudman: My guest today on the More Elephant podcast founded his company, Blue CSR Strategies, in 2020 to serve the rapidly growing needs of business, government, and nonprofit organizations to accelerate progress towards creating positive environmental, societal and financial impacts. Blue CSR Strategies is an ESG consulting firm.
And so, it's my delight to welcome Andrew Watterson to the More Elephant podcast.
[00:01:05] Andrew Watterson: Morning, Jason.
