James Souder

James Souder (MEM ’18) focused on industrial ecology and green design while at FES, where he specialized on closing the loop in business supply chains toward a more circular economy. He led the GreenLight design and innovation workshop series at Yale and completed consulting projects with Apple, TerraCycle, Lyft, We Are Still In, and Yale Hospitality during his studies. He was a finalist in the 2018 Patagonia Case Competition, where his team outlined a strategy for the company to reach carbon neutrality by 2025. He was also an Environmental Research and Education Foundation Scholar for his research on sustainable waste management practices.

James completed his summer internship at Fifth Season Ventures in San Francisco, a venture capital firm that funds environmental clean tech startups. He was a Global Talent at UNLEASH, the innovation lab working to brainstorm and implement solutions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Following graduation, James works as a sustainability consultant for Metabolic in Amsterdam focused on business opportunities for the circular economy. He is also working on a startup venture to connect people across supply chains, identifying opportunities for waste reduction and byproduct upcycling.

James is from Virginia and studied environmental and social sustainability for his undergraduate degree, with minors in biology, economics, international development, and photography. He worked for three years with environmental organizations in Pittsburgh, Washington DC, and Burkina Faso before coming to graduate school at FES.