ABOUT ME
Cara Chacon
Intentum Consulting Founder and Principle Consultant
Since 1998, Cara has worked in the corporate responsibility industry as an executive, consultant, trainer and auditor at Patagonia, STR (now UL Responsible Sourcing), PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bureau Veritas C.P.S. and CSCC. After an 11-year run at Patagonia leading their sustainability initiatives, Cara has launched her own consultancy business, Intentum Corporate Responsibility Consulting, focused on helping companies develop their strategic plans, goals, metrics and programs for human rights and environmental responsibility.
As Patagonia’s Vice President of Social and Environmental Responsibility, Cara led a global team of sustainability professionals in setting strategy and implementation of Patagonia's social and environmental supply chain, brand and product sustainability initiatives. Responsibilities included guiding Patagonia's social and environmental supply chain programs that protect people and our planet (factories, mills, farms), ensuring animal welfare, traceability and content claims assurance of sustainable materials, maintaining footprint metrics, B-Corp/B-Lab certification and reporting, and development of sustainability website content. Cara led and co-developed Patagonia’s first companywide integrated sustainability strategy, including their first climate strategy and 2025/2030 goals, eradicated debt bondage/human trafficking with key Taiwan textile suppliers, implemented and scaled the first Regenerative Organic certified cotton program in their India cotton farms, she brought Fair Trade Certification to the company, and grew from a one-person team to a global network of advocates, partners and direct team members working towards shared sustainability goals. She was also the founder and co-chair of Patagonia's first Footprint Council, a group of C-suite executives that set Patagonia’s corporate wide sustainability strategy.
One of Cara’s passions is to serve on Boards to affect systemwide sector change and is why she spent time on the Board of Directors of Textile Exchange (2017-21), Organic Cotton Accelerator (2020-21), Fair Labor Association (elected by industry peers 2012-16), and Advisory Councils including Fair Trade USA Standards Committee (2020-21) and the Fair Labor Association’s Monitoring Committee (2012-2016) among several others.
At STR (now UL Responsible Sourcing), Cara held the position of Global Director, Training & Education and led a large global team dedicated to the planning, development and execution of sustainability educational and factory capacity building (improvement) engagements around the world for brands and suppliers and internally for over 300 auditors. In her career, Cara has conducted over 1,000 supplier social and environmental compliance assessments and capacity building engagements in over 35 countries across 25 different industries.
Cara has a Master’s degree in International Affairs and a Bachelor’s degree in Government from California State University, Sacramento. She has lived abroad in Madrid, Spain and has traveled to over 60 countries around the world.
Expertise: Corporate Responsibility, Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), Supply Chain Risk and Crisis Management:
Strategic Planning, Goal Setting, Smart Metrics
Integration and operationalization of sustainable practices into all aspects of business
Climate Strategy (Scope 1, 2, 3) and intersection of Climate Risk and Human Rights
Risk management, change management, conflict resolution
Supply chain/supplier management (monitoring, improvements, building successful partnerships)
Responsible sourcing
Materials traceability, certification, sustainability marketing claims substantiation
Crisis management (reputational issues)
Industry Collaboration
Animal Welfare
Human trafficking in supply chain
Living Wages
US Customs Border Patrol Withhold Release Orders
ESG reporting and story telling
B-Corp Certification
Honors/Awards
2020 – MB 100 Awards – Meaningful Business Community – Recognizes business leaders combining profit and purpose to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
2020 - 22 Women Leading the Environmental Movement – Temboo.com –Female corporate leaders using their influence, knowledge, and expertise to make the world a greener, more vibrant, and more sustainable place.
2020 and 2019 – CSR Top 100 Leaders – Assent Compliance – Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders
2017 – Glossy 50: Sustainable Fashion – Leaders transforming fashion, luxury, beauty and technology
2014 – Outdoor Industry Association, Sustainability Working Group - Individual Contribution Awards for development of a step wise program for companies to develop their own supply chain human rights and environmental programs.
Education
Master of Arts, International Affairs, December 1997 – California State University, Sacramento
International Education, August 1995 to June 1996 – Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain (part of Master’s Program)
Bachelor of Arts, Government/Political Science, May 1991 – California State University, Sacramento
Job History
Please see Cara’s LinkedIn page for a full summary: