Celebrating Emerson’s Sustainability Superstars: Meet Rada Petrovan

At Emerson, we’re proud to have an organization of talented colleagues committed to driving sustainability and protecting the planet. Our goal is to leave the world in a better place than we found it – and without our dedicated colleagues, this goal would only be a dream.

To reaffirm our commitment to sustainability and celebrate our most passionate colleagues, we’re spotlighting a set of sustainability superstars who play a critical role in leading us to achieve this goal.

Next up: meet Rada Petrovan, Director of Strategic Planning Emerson Europe in Zug, Switzerland. Rada is empowered and energized by the prospect of making a difference for herself, those around her and the generations to come. Read more as Rada shares her sustainability journey.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Rada: Sustainability is the future – there’s no other way to put it. It’s a commitment we must continually strive for because there’s no planet B. The pursuit of sustainability might be uncomfortable now, but in time it can become a way of life, work and even fun. We feel good when we contribute to something greater than ourselves – take recycling, for instance. It’s a hassle most of the time, but when you do your part, you feel good about it. You feel like what you do truly matters and makes a difference … because it does! Sustainability also brings us together for a common, global cause. In the end, our impact on sustainability is the legacy we leave to the next generations – and we want them to know we made things better.

What are you doing to create impact in the sustainability realm and how can others get involved?

Rada: I’d have to say the biggest impact I make is through my work at Emerson. I’m very lucky to be able to infuse the passions I have as a person and the interests I have as a professional into what I do every day. A few examples of my daily impact in action are my support of the Sustainability Task Force, led by Veronica Constantin and launched in 2019, that helps our customers decarbonize; the launch of Emerson’s sustainability strategy in Europe, which soon expanded on a global level, and the formation of both Sustainability Champions and Enthusiasts, the Emerson colleagues who bolster our sustainability initiatives and drive both internal and external awareness around all the strides we take to create a better world and future.

How can we engage everyone in the workplace to partake in sustainability efforts?

Rada: On top of everything mentioned before, sustainability is also a mindset, and stimulating colleagues’ curiosity around it might be the quickest way to their hearts and minds. At Emerson, we discovered our people are personally invested in the topic and motivated to make a difference. For example, colleagues are very willing to volunteer for our Greening of Emerson initiatives; and our campus in Cluj, Romania, that’s been organizing recycling initiatives for years, now runs on 100% renewable energy. Sustainability is a full team effort that our colleagues truly embrace. Another way we drive sustainability with our colleagues is communicating with them and showing the results of their work. It’s important they see how their effort makes a difference in the world of Emerson, our planet and our customers.

What value have you seen from your sustainability efforts inside and outside the workplace?

Rada: Internally, I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to be directly involved in the design of the sustainability strategy for Emerson – that alone has been very rewarding. The fact that colleagues trusted me to develop programs around this initiative and subsequently lead teams in further enhancing it is so gratifying! We’re seeing sustainability on everybody’s lips nowadays – both inside and outside of Emerson – so it’s good to know we’re helping drive this change. Externally, our strategy and message are truly reaching customers. They are constantly asking questions and starting conversations with us around how we can help – and opening this line of communication and providing customer value is exactly what we’ve been trying to achieve. The road to sustainability may be long and uncertain at times, but we’ve managed to start something at Emerson that is now spanning far outside our company walls.

How is Emerson helping customers advance their sustainability initiatives?

Rada: There are a variety of ways Emerson is helping customers advance their sustainability initiatives. For the sake of time, I’ll only focus on our Emerson business. Two of the biggest areas we focus on are the decarbonization of existing operations through efficiency and reliability programs, and the acceleration of newly built-out clean fuels and green chemicals infrastructure. Through our impact on customers’ current and future operations, we help mitigate emissions and drive energy efficiency today while developing sustainable infrastructure for the future.

What do you want to see more of in the sustainability realm?

Rada: People are clearly very passionate about sustainability. They’re also very motivated to make a difference. We’ve made great progress so far but CHANGE takes time. So, I would like to continue to see people joining this effort, resilient in their motivation and trusting in the results of their efforts. We are in this for the long run.