Colgate-Palmolive: Imagining a Healthier Future for All

Ann Tracy's work at Colgate-Palmolive is reinforcing what effective corporate sustainability leadership could look like.

Her fifth-place ranking in Sustainability Magazine's Top 250 Leaders 2026 reflects a Chief Sustainability Officer who consistently connects environmental goals with healthcare outcomes and commercial performance.

Leading Colgate-Palmolive's Global Sustainability & Social Impact strategy, she is guiding one of the world's best-known consumer goods companies towards a net zero, circular and more inclusive future.

"We are Colgate-Palmolive, a caring, innovative growth company that is reimagining a healthier future for all people, their pets and our planet," Ann said in the foreword of the company's 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report.

"Our purpose and the promise of a healthier future energise our sustainability efforts and our people. For example, some of the children we meet at BSBF events receive their very first toothbrush of their own and then share another toothbrush with their siblings or parents at home.

"Our sustainability efforts also help to strengthen our business. We believe that some consumers favour brands from companies that act responsibly and will recognise our leadership in this space and choose our brands."

Read the full Top 250 Sustainability Leaders 2026 list.

Three decades of operational expertise

Across more than 30 years at Colgate-Palmolive, Ann has developed extensive operational knowledge that she now applies to the sustainability agenda, with experience across manufacturing, customer service, logistics and global supply chain.

Trained as an engineer, she has shaped her career around the convergence of technical problem-solving and wide-scale organisational transformation, offering her a unique perspective on embedding sustainability within complex, multinational operations.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Sustainability Officer, Ann held the position of Vice President, Safety, Sustainability and Supply Chain Strategy, where she led environmental, health and safety, responsible sourcing and supply chain transformation across Colgate-Palmolive's global operations.

Her reach also extends outside Colgate-Palmolive. Ann chairs the board of UN Global Compact Network USA, supporting the US business community's alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and participates in global platforms including the Consumer Goods Forum and climate conferences.

All sustainability, net zero and sustainable supply chain leaders should attend:

• Sustainability LIVE: The Net Zero Summit - QEII Centre, London, March 4-5
• Sustainability LIVE: The US Summit - Navy Pier, Chicago, April 21-22

Co-located with Procurement & Supply Chain LIVE, these events brings together CSOs, ESG leaders and senior decision-makers at a moment when sustainability, supply chains and commercial performance are increasingly interconnected.

Tickets can be booked online today for The Net Zero Summit and The US Summit. Group discounts available.

Science-based climate commitments in action

Under Ann's stewardship, Colgate-Palmolive has adopted science-based climate goals, pledging to cut absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30% by 2025 and 50% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, with a target of net zero carbon emissions across the value chain by 2040.

The company is also pursuing 100% renewable electricity for its global operations by 2030, with meaningful progress already recorded.

Packaging and waste represent core elements of this strategy. Colgate-Palmolive is advancing towards making all packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable, reaching approximately 90% by the end of 2023 as it approaches its 2025 goal.

The company's TRUE zero-waste approach commits to producing all products at sites certified under the US Green Building Council's Total Resource Use and Efficiency initiative by the close of 2025, with 80% of facilities already certified by 2023.

Colgate-Palmolive's sustainability and social impact framework encompasses 11 actions and over 50 targets, covering emissions reduction, renewable energy, water stewardship and responsible sourcing.

Balancing responsibility with commercial opportunity

Ann's approach is characterised by an integrated view of impact that addresses environmental, social and economic dimensions.

She regularly stresses that a brand reaching six out of 10 households globally carries both a duty and a chance to influence consumer behaviour towards more sustainable decisions, whether through lower-carbon offerings, improved packaging or more transparent communication.

Simultaneously, she maintains that there will be no stepping back from ambitious commitments, even amid economic uncertainty. On climate and plastics, Ann emphasises that Colgate-Palmolive is "staying true" to its objectives, refusing to "dial back" as target dates near and instead concentrating on delivery, innovation and partnership across the value chain.

This combination of technical knowledge, operational authority and unwavering commitment is what places her among the Top 250 Leaders 2026. For Colgate-Palmolive, it results in a sustainability strategy that is not only comprehensive in design but fundamentally integrated into how the company develops, manufactures and distributes everyday products on a global scale.