How does a lifelong conservationist and fly fisher end up leading sustainability for a global plastics manufacturing company? Katie Distler didn’t stumble into the role. She swam upstream to get there. Katie is Chief Sustainability Officer at Technimark, a global leader in injection molded plastics for healthcare, consumer, and industrial markets with close to 5,000 employees across the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and China. For 25 years, she has turned purpose into action—from her earliest days catching snakes and surveying birds for a forest products company, to managing a global conservation portfolio at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to spending eight years at the Turner Family Foundation where she ultimately served as Executive Director. What’s remarkable isn’t the pivot from conservation to plastics. It’s the philosophy that connects every chapter: to make real change, you have to understand the business you’re trying to transform. At Technimark, Katie drives the company’s sustainability strategy across three pillars—people, planet, and product—with ambitious 2030 targets including a 42% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, zero waste to landfill across manufacturing sites, and ensuring 75% of consumer solutions are recyclable, reusable, or made from recycled materials. The company’s vertically integrated recycling subsidiary, Wellmark, processes nearly 60 million pounds of plastic a year. In this episode, we cover: How a love of wild places led to a career in the heart of manufacturing What Katie learned navigating Ted Turner’s multigenerational family boardroom—and why reading the room before you get to the room matters The presenter who froze in front of Ted Turner and the leadership lesson that stuck Why she chose a plastics company—and why the smartest environmentalists understand business How she frames sustainability as a value driver, not a cost center, for private equity owners The failure that taught her strategy without alignment will always fail Technimark’s ambitious 2030 sustainability targets and the real hurdles to hitting them Her advice to young professionals: expose yourself to everything, build your network, and have fun Plus: Why sustainability is now sitting at the table during top-to-top meetings with the largest brands in the world—and what that signals for the future of manufacturing. Time Stamps 02:16 - Where the love of wild places began: Christian upbringing and early exposure to the outdoors 04:15 - Starting in the field: catching snakes, bird surveys, and working for a forest products company 06:41 - Falling into the Turner Foundation and recognizing the power of Ted Turner’s brand 11:16 - Navigating the multigenerational Turner family board: reading the room before you get there 14:00 - The presenter who froze: adaptability over expertise 16:32 - How to think on your feet: distilling complexity and knowing when to say “I don’t know” 19:07 - What Technimark does: from concept to product across healthcare, consumer, and industrial markets 23:50 - Why a conservationist chose a plastics company—driving change from the inside out 28:25 - Building sustainability strategy around stakeholders, not starting from scratch 30:31 - Framing sustainability as EBITDA: energy as the second largest cost below labor 32:41 - Private equity and sustainability: Oak Hill Capital, Pritzker, and the business case 36:55 - The 2030 targets: 42% emissions reduction, zero waste, 75% recyclable products 43:06 - Favorite failure: the cost of moving too fast without alignment 46:09 - Advice to young professionals: get broad experience, build your network, and have fun Show Notes Technimark — Website: www.technimark.com/ Katie Distler — LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/katiedistler/ Jim Weaver — LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jim-weaver-36457418 Real Leadership Podcast: realleadership.oningroup.com Real Leadership — LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/104897916/ The Ōnin Group: oningroup.com/clients
