The Future of Sustainability: France-Based Carbon Expert Dr. Caterin Salas Redondo Shares Key Trends
“How do we define a future when we live in a rapidly changing world?” Today’s woman dreamer, Dr Caterin Salas Redondo is a carbon expert and STEM outreach activist, with a dedication to being a role model for young women interested in the sciences. Born in Colombia in a low-income family, she reflects on her journey of hard work and dedicated passion, starting as a researcher to her work in semiconductor physics and sustainability, currently working at French startup Sweep. In this inspiring interview with Women Who Win, she highlights key future sustainability trends we all must know from carbon emissions to ESG investing and renewables. A must read - enjoy Cate’s story!
You are based in France and have an inspiring background as a Carbon Expert, STEM outreach activist, and social entrepreneur. Tell us more about your journey.
I was born in Riohacha, La Guajira, Colombia. Coming from a low-income family, I could pursue all my studies thanks to scholarships that I have been granted. I got a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering at the Technological University of Bolivar (Colombia). After working as a young researcher at the Administrative Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (Colciencias), I pursued a master's degree in Nanotechnology, in a joint program between the universities of the Politecnico di Torino, the Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble, and the École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). After completing my graduate thesis at the Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), I got a PhD in Physics from the Institut für Angewandte Photophysik (IAPP) of the Technische Universität Dresden.
I have been working in semiconductor physics and sustainability ever since. She currently works as a Carbon expert at Sweep, after having been a Senior Researcher at the technology transfer unit of the Institut Photovoltaïque d'Ile-de-France (IPVF) and a product designer at the company Intelligent Fluids GmbH.
Parallel to my professional career, firstly I am a proud mother and wife, secondly, I actively work on gender equality in the STEM areas, among other activities related to the outreach of science and technology. I am an active member in the Colombian chapter of the OWSD (Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World), the Latin American Open Chair "Matilda y las Mujeres en Ingeniería en America Latina” and greenlight for girls. Finally, I started a social business idea with the support of the GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) via the program “Business ideas for development”.
I have been invited to give numerous keynotes talks at conferences, and TEDx talks, nominated as a finalist in the Ten Outstanding Young People - TOYP Colombia program in the category of scientific development, and featured on the agenda of outstanding women in science and technology at SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics).
2. As a carbon and sustainability expert, what are some trends you are seeing? What does the future of sustainability look like to you?
The future is unpredictable, however, achieving sustainability in our daily lives requires much effort from everyone involved. Being sustainable and acting in a way that benefits future generations requires a great deal of forward-thinking. The issue becomes one of predictability - how do we define a future when we live in a rapidly changing world? How do we define something as sustainable when it may actually be doing more harm that we don’t yet know about? These are questions I do not have answers to. Nevertheless, one can help the decision-making process with methodologies like prospective and scenario-based life cycle assessments.
To have better guidance on the important global changes we must undertake, one should look at the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals). The best way to start making changes is by looking at one issue at a time. By starting to solve one issue, we are increasing the chances of making a more sustainable future.
I believe the biggest influence will be dominated by the private sector with the influence of the public sector. As always, individuals have the largest role to play. Our daily choices impact how businesses operate, and the cumulative impact of these choices has a huge impact on the earth.Sustainability will become a business model: Consumer demand forces businesses to change and adapt, where being a sustainable business can actually become a driving force rather than a positive outcome. In the future, more businesses will place significant emphasis on sustainability as not only a differentiator but their purpose.
By supporting businesses doing the right thing, we signal our intent to the rest of the market that profits do not come before the environment. The role of consumers will become increasingly important. In the future consumers will be more discerning, looking to reduce food consumption, wastage, and transportation. The current generation of children, who have grown up learning about sustainability and the challenges facing our planet will be hugely impactful in shaping sustainability. They will produce more items themselves, grow their own herbs and vegetables, and up cycle and recycle items like clothing and furniture. Community gardens will flourish and there will be a growing trend towards locally produced food that, due to lower transport requirements, is responsible for less GHG emissions and pollution.
Some notable sustainability trends I have observed are:
• Investing is being guided more and more by ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations and disclosures. Where such disclosures are one of the next aspects of sustainable business to be standardized.
• More climate change disclosures with Penalty actions for lack of climate action compliance: Reporting has become a critical part of any sustainability strategy and is a necessity for correct climate disclosures. The data analytics lifecycle keeps getting more nuanced to better measure, manage, record, and showcase results. As net-zero pledges become fashionable, data disclosure has to follow. Therefore, companies’ net-zero pledges will be put to the test
• Renewable energy is becoming more affordable with nuclear energy supporting the energy transition: The fossil-fuel-derived businesses are also under pressure to make the switch to a more sustainable form of energy supply and change their means of doing business.
• From net-zero to climate-positive: While cutting down on emissions and removing carbon dioxide is expected to check global warming, climate positivity is needed to enrich the environment to reverse degradation. Keeping a critical eye on the inclusion of carbon offsets in a truly net-zero climate strategy.
• Consumer sentiments on sustainable products: The consumer goods industry is already changing rapidly. It will continue to do so as more consumers become conscious of their environmental impacts and the recyclability of the products they buy.
• Innovation in nature-based solutions in parallel with enriching the environment, so we help nature to keep the balance
• Transition to a circular economy: In a world highly dependent on resources extracted in emerging and developing countries, eco-innovation and cross-sector collaboration is key to reducing costs of resource- and energy-efficient technologies. Moving from a linear to a circular world is not only a way to decouple economic growth from the use of resources and avoid unnecessary waste, but also a powerful tool to reduce emissions and combat climate change. Scarcity of resources, volatility of pricing, environmental damage, cost reduction, and reputational benefits are strong drivers for a greater transition to the circular economy.
3. How do you seek to empower women through your work, such as with your role as a Project Manager for Greenlight for Girls and involvement with OWSD?
Firstly, by being a role model, because you never know when, where, and how your life story inspires someone to stand out from the crowd and do something unbelievable. It's not easy to share your experiences and be vulnerable, but it can give voice to thousands of women. Secondly, by boosting their self-esteem and encouraging them to put forth their opinionsmake sure they know the value of their opinions so that they’re never scared to use their voice. Celebrate her self-expression from a young age.
With g4g, OWSD, and Matilda, I focus specifically on the role of women in STEM areas. Being myself someone who decided to pursue studies and a career in engineering and physics. Motivating them to break stereotypes, to don’t be afraid of choosing a career path that is supposed to be for “men”, to don’t leave behind their careers when they decide to start a family, to don’t be afraid of speaking up and make their voice heard, to feel capable of having access to leadership teams, support and recognize their values and give the spotlight to other women whenever possible.
4. How do you find a work/life balance? What do you do to relax and reprieve?
Balance, not everything has to be the completion and achievement of a task, it also must include self-care so that your body, mind, and soul are being refreshed. Work, family, hobbies, health, career, friends, and the list goes on ... How does it all fit together? That is a 1-million dollar question, I do not have an absolute answer to that question, but I am going to share what works for me!
• Much of my fulfillment comes from knowing myself. Specifically, I have spent a significant investment of time thinking about what I value, and honoring my values is an important aspect of balance.
• Define priorities: once that was clear to me and I accepted the fact that not everything is equally important, it was easy to draw a sharp line between what actually matters to me and the rest. Then, I systematically dedicated the amount of time and energy to each of them.
• Having a routine (with a certain range of flexibility) helps me organize myself. That is so important to me, this helps me make the best out of every hour of my days. I thought I did not like routines before I had my daughter, and that I would get bored. What I did not understand before was that having a routine does not necessarily mean that you do the same things at the same time, every day. Having a routine is to define some spaces (call it a timeframe, a day, a frequency) that you would "respect" because you would commit to keeping them for those specific activities. Don’t strive for the perfect schedule; strive for a realistic one. Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or spend time with your loved ones. Balance is achieved over time, not each day. (Side notes: Make clear your boundaries, don't be shy to ask for help (one cannot do everything by oneself!), and don't get nervous to say no if you do not want to engage/commit to something)
• it is also possible because of the support of my lovely husband and dedicated colleagues whom I work with. I apply the "divide and conquer!" method, so I can also leave many tasks that I would otherwise do, but it is not necessary because I trust the others will take over I work in-home office. This has allowed me to better distribute and organize the time between work and life. Also, we do our best to arrange times to spend as a family, as a couple, and as an individual. I sing in a choir, with weekly rehearsals and seasonal concerts. Also, I love doing sports, especially on weekends, when I use to go on biking trips and train on Stand Up Paddle. In the evenings, after a quiet time with my husband, I take some time for myself either with yoga or indoor workouts.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
All of life's excitement and growth come from knowing how to dream big — and making big dreams a reality, without holding back! I have many dreams, one of them is to put my scientific background and expertise but my next biggest dream is to see one of my social business ideas up and running.
Thank you Caterin for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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