As we celebrate Earth Month and reflect on the strides made toward our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we turn our attention to Lila Kübler-Dudgeon, the Sustainability Data Analyst at Deckers Brands. Since starting at Deckers Brands in 2022, Lila’s journey has been defined by a commitment to ethical practices benefiting our business, communities, and the planet. Lila holds a pivotal role in producing content for our annual Creating Change Report, a document outlining Deckers progress in the areas of waste, water, climate and clean energy, materials, chemistry, gender equality, quality education, reduced inequalities, and human rights. Serving as a beacon for the “Together In Purpose” ethos, Lila exemplifies how collaborative efforts across departments can foster innovation and drive meaningful change. Join us as we delve into her role at Deckers.
1. Can you share with us your journey at Deckers Brands since joining in 2022? How has your role evolved, especially in the context of sustainability and data optimization?
After earning my undergraduate degree in environmental studies and geography from UC Santa Barbara, I first worked for a conservation data analysis company where my journey with data optimization began. I learned how to leverage automated workflows and machine learning models to process and analyze large acoustic datasets. The analytical skills I developed there provided the foundation for the work I would be doing at Deckers.
During college, sustainability was one of my focus areas as I became more interested in sustainable business practices. Because of my previous work experience, data optimization was an interesting way I could support these efforts. Learning about how businesses can operate successfully while minimizing environmental impacts and doing good for communities they affect is energizing to me. This is what makes sustainability exciting to me and pushed me to work in the field.
When I first started at Deckers, I initially learned all the existing coded modules being used in the sustainability program, and expanded upon these as I learned a new coding language. My role centers around increasing efficiency and reproducibility throughout the collection and analysis of environmental data related to the products we make and the associated operations.
2. Deckers Brands has set sustainable development goals (SDGs). Can you elaborate on how your role aligns with these goals and the strategies you employ to drive progress in achieving them?
We work cross-functionally with multiple teams, including our brands, to drive progress toward the goals Deckers has set. I view my role as a support function that measures advancements and provides information teams may need to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Deckers has set SDGs in the areas where the company can have the most impact, and my work closely aligns with the materials, waste, water, and climate & clean energy topics. If you want to learn more about our SDGs, more information can be found in our Creating Change Report, Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Report.
Each year we work with Carbon Trust, a third-party expert, to conduct our carbon accounting and monitor progress towards our Science-Based Targets. I help create the numerous datasets required by Carbon Trust to complete the analysis. The environmental impacts of the materials used in our products, shipping and transportation of products, and facilities energy usage are a few examples of the datasets incorporated each year.
Truly the brands and our cross-functional colleagues are critical in driving progress towards the goals Deckers has set, and I view my role as a support function that measures advancements and provides information teams may need to reach the SDGs.
3. The Creating Change Report is a significant annual release for Deckers Brands. Could you give us insights into the key aspects of the report and how your role contributes to its compilation?
The Creating Change report is an accumulation of incredible stories throughout the organization that share our progress from the past year and showcase our future targets. Our targets are across several categories (waste, water, climate and clean energy, materials, chemistry, gender equality, quality education, reduced inequalities, and human rights). The report creates a moment to celebrate the advancements we have made together by pulling in several years’ of data. Transparency in our progress provides an opportunity for teams to identify areas of impact where they can continue to contribute to help us reach our collective goals.
My contribution is two-fold: assembling and reviewing supporting environmental datasets that are used to create tables and charts for the report, and optimizing the compilation of those datasets. Behind the scenes I help compile the environmental datasets that will be used to showcase our metrics in the report. Typically this pertains to all materials data and any other operational datasets needed to calculate our environmental impact in partnership with Carbon Trust. Additionally, I help review environmental data for inaccuracies or data that doesn’t line up.
My role also involves optimizing the compilation of this data. For example, the report tracks metrics over time, so having tools that can quickly output the tables year after year with the most recent data increases our efficiency. The report includes many tables and charts so automating this piece is a huge lift for the team putting this report together! The environmental data I work on is only a slice of the work that goes into the report, and I am truly in awe of Juliana Ozur, Associate Project Manager, Sustainability, Sally Yingst, Sr. Manager Sustainability – Data & Materials Optimization, and our leader Brooke Beshai, VP Sustainability & Compliance, for their vision in crafting this comprehensive document.
4. Managing environmental data related to materials, climate, and water is a complex task. How do you approach the challenge of collecting and analyzing this information for Deckers Brands? Are there any innovative strategies or technologies you’ve implemented to enhance data accuracy and efficiency?
The complexity of sustainability data partly lies in the high number of data sources and the compilation of creating cohesive datasets. We use several strategies to gather data from different teams across the organization and our supply chain partners. We utilize a variety of data collection tools aimed at continuously improving our data quality.
Our lifecycle assessment (LCA) tool helps us evaluate the impact of each of our materials in the following three areas: fossil fuel use, greenhouse gas emissions with carbon uptake, and water usage. We rely on teams across the organization to provide data including product-level, financial, and facilities information. Sally created the foundation for the data collection and analysis processes for the environmental data I work on, and together we are creating code-based solutions that automate the processing, compilation, and analysis of these datasets mentioned above.
5. What do you find most rewarding about your work in sustainability at Deckers Brands? Are there specific achievements or milestones that stand out to you in terms of the positive environmental impact the company has made?
Working for a company where these sustainability initiatives are core to our purpose has been transformative. I admire that the company is transparent about our work in these areas – embodying the idea of progress over perfection and acknowledging there is always more we can do. I am proud of all the work our brands have done to increase preferred material content in their products, which is a massive lift and cannot be overlooked. Overall, one of my favorite parts of the role is learning about other parts of the business through the collaborative nature of sustainability work. I hope to be able to better serve our partners and collaborators as I continue to learn what is truly helpful to them.
6. Earth Month is a time for reflection and action on environmental issues. What message or call to action would you like to convey to Deckers Brands employees and customers during this special month?
Earth month is a time to celebrate the achievements from the last year, and identify opportunities where progress can still be made since there is always more to do. I encourage you to read the Creating Change report (found on deckers.com/responsibility) to reflect on and celebrate the company’s achievements related to environmental issues. This document is our team’s north star and point of truth; a reminder of the incredible work being done by many teams across Deckers and a point of direction for our future work. The collaborative nature of this work is very rewarding so I would like to give a special shoutout to the Ethical Supply Chain, Restricted Substance, and Materials Teams for all their support!
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