Stephanie Gongora, BSC Associate

Current Degree Program: M.S. in Forest Biomaterials
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Areas of Interest in Sustainability: Next-Generation Fibers, Sustainable Textiles and Materials Development, Textile Waste Management, Supply Chain and Sourcing, Circular Economy, Sustainable Packaging Development

What does business sustainability mean to you? What do you think sustainability should mean to businesses?

Business sustainability means integrating social, environmental, and economic considerations into core operations and decision-making—not as afterthoughts, but as fundamental to how a company defines and measures success. It’s about aligning mission and values with concrete actions that balance the impacts of business choices across all three dimensions. This extends well beyond mitigating natural resource depletion and reducing carbon footprint; it includes creating work environments rooted in support, connection, and respect for its people.

I believe the most critical shift is refusing to allow profit to be the sole metric for defining success. When businesses operate exclusively for profit maximization, they distort their capacity for meaningful social, environmental, and economic impact. This narrow focus excuses harmful practices—exploitative labor conditions, environmental shortcuts, regulatory loopholes—and reduces employees money-making machines, reducing their worth as human beings. A business grounded in sustainability means that the milestones made, big or small, toward the bettering of life, people, and planet is what drives momentum, and that the work culture is about valuing and harnessing the multifaceted pool talent and treating each other with dignity and respect.

What sustainability challenge would you most like to solve?

I want to help address and solve how we measure product design success. Performance oftentimes drives design decisions, framing the success of the product itself on meeting performance. I would like to challenge that framework and embed regenerative design as the foundation – an approach that mimics natural processes, uses resources efficiently, and creatives positive outcomes for both people and the planet. Environmental impact and carbon footprint are no longer just an after-thought, as they are becoming core metrics upon which product design is framed around. However, I think it is still an uphill battle that is prevalent in today’s products. The framework of a product should be built upon material footprint, end-of -life pathways, and community impact, upon which performance is built around There is no need to overengineer, although gaining a competitive edge can be disputed for. However, each incremental ‘improvement’ could be a further toll on natural resources. Rather than design in isolation, products should be designed with larger ecological and social systems in mind. I want to see competitive advantage redefined through regenerative design principles. Instead of racing toward overperformance, why not race toward minimizing waste and carbon footprint while still delivering full functionality? This requires rethinking incentives across the design industry, but I think this is a systemic shift worth shaping toward.

Who do you admire for championing positive change through business?

I deeply admire Stella McCartney for how she’s championed sustainability in fashion as a viable business model that proves ethics and profitability can coexist. Since launching her brand in 2001, McCartney has refused to use leather, fur, or feathers while building a commercially successful label that competes at the highest levels of the industry. What sets her apart is her refusal to compromise: she’s pioneered innovative materials like mushroom leather and regenerated cashmere, partnered with companies like Bolt Threads and Parley for the Oceans to develop sustainable alternatives, and consistently pushed her supply chain toward transparency and circularity. McCartney doesn’t treat sustainability as a marketing angle—it’s foundational to her business strategy. By proving that a fashion house can thrive without animal products, maintain high design standards with lower-impact materials, and lead the industry in environmental reporting, she’s demonstrated that championing positive change through business means building solutions so compelling that the market shifts to meet them, transforming an entire industry’s understanding of what fashion can be.

Moving forward, how do you plan to use business as a force for good?

Moving forward, I plan to use business as a force for good by embedding regenerative and human-centered principles into every layer of my work—from the products I help design to the teams and systems I’m part of shaping. In my design practice, I’m committed to advocating for frameworks where environmental impact and material footprint aren’t negotiable trade-offs but foundational criteria. Within the workplace, I’m committee to fostering a space for connection, collaboration, and support, in which every team member feels empowered and seen. I hope to use both my academic and professional experience to help tackle design challenges with waste diversion and systemic change at the forefront.

What do you think are some challenges with sustainable businesses or becoming a sustainable business?

I think there are multiple challenges being faced today by businesses, both already sustainable and aiming to be sustainable. These challenges span from being profitable, remaining competitive in the market, scalability, and transparency. Unfortunately, it seems that more often than not, the cost behind being sustainable comes with a ‘green premium.’ Being sustainable is often more expensive due to factors such as ethical sourcing and higher production costs. This then creates a ripple effect on being less competitive in the market. In terms of scalability, whether it be a product or service, the lack of funding or general public acceptance can be a huge obstacle to overcome. Lastly, since sustainability is still broadly defined, making sure that businesses are transparent regarding their carbon footprint and labor practices is also a challenge,  especially given the complex supply chains that exist across many industries. 

What’s your advice for fellow students who might be interested in sustainability, but don’t know where to start?

My best advice is to not only learn about the many various career opportunities and pathways that exist within sustainability, but to also be very open to networking and reaching out to people who are already working in the industry! There are so many industries that tap into sustainability in their own, unique way that I myself was very surprised that it expands across almost every industry imaginable. Whether you want to be involved in consulting, design, business management, or research (to name a few), the right role for you is out there! Once you start to identify the roles that might be of interest to you, you then have to see which resonates the most to your own persona, skillset, and professional aspirations.