Long-time 3M chief sustainability officer retires

3M's longtime chief sustainability officer, Gayle Schueller, retired in early July after 34 years at the company. Amanda Yates, who had been leading 3M's global sustainability team, is taking over the role.

This is a corporate leadership change rather than a new product or program, so it doesn't require any action on your part. But it's worth knowing about because 3M makes materials that show up in home products, including films and coatings used in roofing and window treatments. Under Schueller, the company required every product released after 2019 to meet a "sustainability value commitment," meaning it had to cut a customer's greenhouse gas emissions in some way, whether through different materials or manufacturing methods. Examples from 3M's 2026 global impact report include a film technology that keeps steel roofs cooler in direct sunlight, which can lower cooling costs, and improved laptop display technology that uses less energy.

Yates has been at 3M since 2013 and has led the company's global sustainability efforts since 2021. In taking on the CSO role, she is expected to continue this same approach of building energy and emissions savings into product design. If 3M-made materials are part of a future roofing, window, or insulation upgrade you're considering, this leadership transition signals the company's efficiency-focused product strategy is likely to continue rather than change direction.