Elizabeth Rhue
Vice President of Global Sustainability
Sonoco
Hartsville, SC USA
“Dream big. Take risks.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationElizabeth Rhue
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I grew up in Georgetown, South Carolina.
I went to Clemson University and studied packaging science.
While in school, I gained experience as an engineered packaging design lab intern.
After graduating, I started my career as an R&D engineer for global product development at Sonoco, a global packaging company.
After seven years in research and development, I wanted a career change but didn’t want to change companies, so I joined Sonoco’s recycling business and led our Sonoco Sustainable Solutions team.
I managed that team for about three years and then moved into a marketing role with Sonoco’s flexible packaging division.
Less than a year later, I got the opportunity to lead our sustainability organization, which is where I’m at now.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Vice President of Global Sustainability
I drive the sustainability strategy across all product platforms and regions for a global packaging company.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Environment & Nature
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
My work involves managing Sonoco's strategy around global sustainability and environmental compliance, including ensuring our teams are engaged in the right industry groups, customer conversations, and leveraging center resources to support our business strategy. In addition, my team is responsible for tracking industry and policy trends and regulations that could impact Sonoco, and ensuring we are in compliance, where applicable.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
There are so many paths to a role in sustainability that I can't suggest just one path. Many universities now offer sustainability-specific majors. However, a major in another functional area of interest with a minor or emphasis in sustainability or environmental studies would also make sense, as more and more organizations are hiring people with skills in other functional areas that intersect with sustainability.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"How did I get here? Do I belong here?"
Interviewed By
Leap & Grow
See what South Carolina has to offer
