Whole Foods sustainability chief on what she asks every potential hire

Caitlin Leibert led sustainability strategy at Chipotle Mexican Grill for a decade before Whole Foods Market came knocking and she took a leap of faith, moving to Austin, Texas, to join the organic grocer in 2021.

At Chipotle, Leibert’s team managed an initiative to help more than 2,750 restaurants cut their waste sent to landfill in half within three years. She also orchestrated key shifts in the chain’s ingredient buying, increasing its mix of sources among organic food suppliers and local farmers.  

“I was very happy in the role,” Leibert recalled during the Sept. 11 episode of Climate Pioneers, our live interview series. “I also know if my life’s purpose is to drive positive change in the food system, there really is no more important lever than retail to do that.”

Leibert’s rationale is that more than 80 percent of Americans get food from grocery stores. “What retailers say in terms of specifications and scope and scale, these things matter, and they’re what drive change,” she said. “That’s why Whole Foods’ legacy is not just what’s on the shelf but particularly what’s banned from being on our shelves.”

As of 2023, Whole Foods had banned more than 550 ingredients from food, supplements, personal care and household cleaning merchandise. More recently, it has announced a plan to protect bees, butterflies and other native pollinators from harmful pesticides. The approach, which takes effect in 2025, is part of Whole Foods’ “climate-smart agriculture” approach, which prioritizes farming and grazing practices that improve soil health and speed carbon capture. 

‘No’ time to be discouraged

Convincing an entire company to turn away from established processes or products requires sustainability professionals to play a short and a long game simultaneously — to convince other teams over time that changes are warranted, Leibert said. In the case of Whole Foods, the quality services team, which shapes procurement policies, is an especially important ally.

That’s why she asks every potential hire this question: What’s your relationship with “No”? If you’re easily discouraged, you’re not a good fit.

“Driving change is really hard, in systems. In business, driving sustainable change is even harder,” Leibert said. “I like to make sure the people I work with aren’t the type of people that get discouraged when they hear ‘No,’ they get curious.”

Know your superpower

Leibert asks this question to understand the leadership skills a candidate could bring to the team, as well as their self-awareness about their strengths: What’s your superpower? 

“I think it’s essential that you know yourself in general, but certainly when it comes to this work,” Leibert said. “So what do you really shine at? Help me understand, and hopefully the candidate has a really crisp, clear answer on that, and that’s really helpful to me.”

Leibert’s self-declared superpower is “infectious enthusiasm,” the ability to influence others within the organization to come around to her point of view and motivate them to act.

Advice for early-career sustainability professionals

Leibert, a Ph.D. candidate in addition to her full-time job, is researching the correlation between carbon abatement and ecosystems services for her doctorate in sustainability studies. She advises sustainability professionals, especially those early in their career, to study both the science of climate change and carbon mitigation practices specific to their chosen industry.

“You have to deeply understand the science, and you have to be equally successful in the art,” Leibert said. “How we get those things done is really where you will set yourself apart as a practitioner.”

Read about Leibert’s strategy to blend climate and nature goals.