Julia Farber

Julia Farber is a sustainability and standards development expert with nearly 20 years of experience in the field. Julia’s professional interests range from global energy systems to corporate sustainability, financial data management, and social and environmental justice issues.

She currently works for a large materials recovery and manufacturing organization called Eastman, where she focuses on advancing a circular economy. In her current role, she leads standards development efforts on ISO, ASTM, UL, and other committees to define the guidance, definitions, calculations, and test methods associated with expanding the circular economy, including for the packaging, consumer goods, textiles, building and construction, and biodegradable polymers industries. She also leads the strategy for Eastman’s compostability and biodegradability advocacy efforts in the United States.

In 2020, she was a contributing author to the book Circular Economy for Dummies. In 2016 and 2017, she supported the creation of a podcast called “Imagine If,” which connected teenagers to experts in the field of climate change and was supported by National Geographic and the North America Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).

Previously, she worked for a large building products manufacturer called Legrand and as a sustainability consultant. She has also worked for a marketing agency as a consultant with Google, and has served as a strategic consultant on change management in diversity and inclusion, as well as advising the Nest hardware team and the small and medium business team.

She spent seven years working for Underwriters Laboratories, where she helped launch UL Environment as Head of Global Marketing and PR. In this role, she managed the global marketing, branding, outreach, and communications launch for the business unit. She later joined the Global Government Affairs team, where her portfolio broadened to cover all 37 industries served by UL, and introduced her to new disciplines including trade, labor rights, workforce training, urban development, cybersecurity, anti-counterfeiting, and public safety.

Prior to UL, she worked as a polling analyst for the Obama for America Campaign and managed client relationships and portfolio investments at Carbonfund.org. She also served as a research assistant for the Ad Council and interned with the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, the Renewable Energy Policy Project, and Senator Carl Levin (D-MI).

Julia holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Michigan, and an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University in the City of New York. She has a deep passion for urban development and community design.

Education

• Master of Public Administration (MPA), Environmental Science and Policy, Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs
• Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science, minor in Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Residential College