Navigating a turning point in sustainable manufacturing

One of your personal mantras is that “every day is a new day in sustainability.” How would you describe the current sustainability landscape and how Flex is evolving?

Conversations about sustainability are changing in complicated ways. Some issues now feel more urgent, while others are approached with more caution. Even with uncertainty about the future, many companies aren’t slowing down. They’re taking a fresh look at their priorities and continuing to make progress, not just because of regulations, but because they believe acting responsibly is the right choice for both their business and society. 

With over two decades of sustainability investment, Flex is at a point where we’re building on strong reporting foundations to further integrate sustainability into everything we do. This includes further exploring how sustainability issues affect our business, how our business impacts people and the planet, and strengthening partnerships across our operations and value chain.

With a global manufacturing footprint that spans diverse industries and regions, we recognize the nuances of sustainability challenges firsthand and are committed to staying aligned yet adaptable. We’re focused on remaining resilient, future‑ready, and able to meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders.

Speaking of evolving, can you speak to Flex’s Earth Day Challenge as an example of how employees can drive meaningful sustainability impact? Any standout lessons from past years and insights on why we’re refocusing our program this year?

For eight years now, Flex’s Earth Day Challenge has helped build a culture of action around sustainability, with employees leading the way. In 2024 alone, our teams around the world partnered with NGOs and site groups to contribute more than 5,000 volunteer hours toward environmental conservation, protection, and education across four UN SDG targets. The lesson is clear: empowering employees to take an active role helps drive meaningful, lasting sustainability progress in the communities where we operate.

Flex’s Earth Day Challenge Impact (2018–2025)

304,000+

employee participants

64,000+

volunteer hours

3M+

beneficiaries

For 2026, we’re sharpening our focus on environmental efficiency and productivity. We’ve asked sites to highlight existing efficiency projects tied directly to waste, water, and energy, areas essential to operational excellence and our broader sustainability strategy. This shift acknowledges that many of our most meaningful impacts are already being created on the factory floor. It’s also a way to celebrate teams making a difference in their day-to-day work and to inspire others to replicate their success.

You often emphasize that sustainability must be integrated into everyday operations. Where have you seen the strongest examples of teams embedding sustainability into their decision-making or day-to-day processes? 

We’re seeing powerful examples of teams integrating sustainability into their operations through technology, data, and people-power across multiple regions: from the technology-driven circular economy ecosystem that helped our Sorocaba, Brazil site become the country’s first WEF Sustainability Lighthouse; to award‑winning water conservation efforts at our headquarters in Austin, Texas; to sites in China earning National Green Factory certifications by combining automation, AI, and green manufacturing technologies.

What excites me most is the growing use of data to drive action. Our sustainability scorecards give sites clear visibility into their performance, enabling them to identify opportunities and collaborate across regions. A shared commitment to sustainability is a part of how our teams deliver results.

Why is transparent communication so critical to sustainability progress, not just for Flex but for the entire industry?

Transparency builds trust, and trust is everything in sustainability. When we align our annual sustainability reporting to global frameworks, undergo third‑party verification, and share our ratings and rankings scores openly, we’re demonstrating accountability. For Flex, transparency has always been a priority. It strengthens our relationships with customers, investors, and our own employees. It also helps the industry mature. The more companies share what’s working, and even what’s challenging, the faster we all can progress toward meaningful impact.

That year we also achieved Prime (C+) from ISS ESG, which is above the electronic component industry average. ISS ESG is widely used by investors to benchmark company performance across “Environmental, Social, Governance” or ESG.

Sustainability is increasingly a collaborative effort. What types of partnerships are most essential right now?

Collaboration must happen across the entire value chain. That includes our customers, suppliers, investors, employees, and future talent! And it includes global organizations, frameworks, and consortiums that help standardize expectations and drive alignment.

No company can solve environmental challenges alone. Partnerships enable us to accelerate innovation, increase transparency, and scale solutions faster than any of us could individually.

What are you most excited about as we look at the next phase of Flex’s sustainability journey?

What advice would you give to manufacturing teams around the world who want to take a more proactive role in advancing sustainability at their sites?

Stay hungry to learn. Sustainability is never a single discipline and limiting yourself to topics like emissions or waste only limits both perspective and impact. Expand your understanding into areas such as legal, supply chain, and operations. In manufacturing, understand how a factory line works, how materials move, how compliance shapes choices, and how data guides performance. These perspectives are what drives meaningful sustainability progress at a company like Flex, where impact depends on integrating sustainability into the heart of how products are designed, built, and delivered.