“You have to take baby steps.” … That’s how Dr. Neall Digert, vice president of innovation and market development at Kingspan Light + Air, describes Solatube International’s approach to sustainability—a journey that has been underway for 26 years and recently earned them recertification as both a California Green Business and Green Innovator.
In this episode of Editor’s Corner, Neall joins Metal Architecture’s Anthony Capkun to reinforce that sustainability isn’t simply about meeting targets. It’s about building a culture where employees are encouraged to think differently, challenge established practices, and contribute their own ideas.
The conversation explores the challenges of sustainability’s early days, including greenwashing and difficulties obtaining reliable material information from suppliers. Neall explains why sustainability shouldn’t be a top-down directive, how long-term thinking can benefit the bottom line, and why employee engagement matters.
And then there’s Solatube’s own Innovation Olympics, culminating in the Pitch It to Win It competition where employees compete to turn their ideas into meaningful improvements for the business.
This interview is part of an ongoing Editor’s Corner series that explores how metal building-product manufacturers are approaching sustainability: what they are achieving, where they are encountering challenges, and what we can all learn along the way.
Hosted by editor-in-chief Anthony Capkun, Editor’s Corner is where curiosity meets construction. Each episode explores ideas, technologies, challenges, and questions shaping the built environment through conversations with the people behind them.
