Implementing global initiatives at the local level is no easy feat. For global companies like Michelin, moving the needle requires a multi-pronged approach, and for sustainability leaders like Kara Fulcher, it’s a very grassroots approach.

Demand for sustainable technologies is on the rise in the United States and in South Carolina. In a quest to gauge the economic impact of sustainability, Sustain SC commissioned a study led by Joseph C. Von Nessen, Ph.D., a Research Economist at the University of South Carolina.

In 2021, Sustain SC partnered with The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University to establish the Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI). The SLI focuses on developing the qualities leaders need to steer South Carolina through unprecedented changes in human and natural communities.

Demand for sustainability-related skills in the job market has increased by nearly 40% since 2015. These unique skillsets are needed in energy, manufacturing, transportation, IT, finance, insurance, health, hospitality and tourism, marketing and communications, agriculture, business services and government jobs.

Incorporating a clean energy mix into South Carolina’s infrastructure has become a cross-sector priority. In recent years, South Carolina has seen more than $9 billion in capital investments in the EV industry. This is an industry that crosses political boundaries as it provides both environmental and economic benefits and signifies the arrival of the sustainable revolution in the state.

Global companies like Coca-Cola Consolidated are harnessing the economic opportunity in South Carolina and helping build the circular economy by capturing plastic waste. In March 2023, Sustain SC and Coca-Cola Consolidated installed a Litter Gitter on the University of South Carolina’s campus.

In 2022, Sustain SC launched the Land and Water Action Platform (LWAP), a new conservation platform dedicated to protecting South Carolina's precious natural resources.