What does it actually look like to build a career around reducing waste and do it inside a major retailer?

Pen Turnbull didn't plan a career in sustainability. She started by volunteering five hours a week at a tiny social enterprise salvaging timber from earthquake rubble in Christchurch. That one email changed everything.

Now she leads waste minimisation and circular economy programs across a large retail group keeping unsellable product out of landfill, shifting how thousands of employees think about materials, and proving that real change happens inside big organisations, not just small ones.

In this episode

• How a late career pivot led to her most purposeful work
• Why she chose corporate over social enterprise and why it was the right call
• The emotional weight of caring about the planet as part of your job
• What circular economy actually means in a retail context
• Why she'd tell her 20-year-old

If you're drawn to environmental work, sustainability, or any role where your values and your job need to align this one's for you.

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