After joining Camira in 2015, Paraskevi Fotoglou has since become the company’s Sustainability Engineer; working on product sustainability, testing and life cycle assessments to measure the environmental impact of a product from raw material to end-of-life.
Paraskevi Fotoglou | Sustainability Engineer
Paraskevi initially worked in the financial sector in Greece after completing a degree in statistics, but soon realised she wanted to change sector:
“I wanted to do something more meaningful, especially around the environment. I moved to Spain to do a Masters in economic development and sustainability. After relocating to the UK, I started in the customer service team at Camira as they needed a Spanish speaker. I really liked the company and how their values aligned with mine so when the sustainability role came up, I applied and got it!”
Paraskevi has also completed some short courses, including one at University College London on life cycle assessment and another on sustainability at the University of Cambridge.
She is currently doing a course with the UN Global Compact about human rights and mapping supply chains. Sustainability is an evolving sector so continuous learning and knowledge exchange is helpful.
“I love being in the space between academia and industry. Camira manufactures most things in-house, so we have the flexibility to experiment. If I want to try a new fibre or process, I usually can. The ability to test things and push for change is really fulfilling. I also love the constant learning – there’s always a new webinar, course or event to attend.”
In her role as Sustainability Engineer at Camira, Paraskevi works on product sustainability – making sure textiles meet ecolabel and third-party certification standards. She handles testing, collaborates with product development, design and marketing teams, and helps introduce new products. A large part of her role is working on life cycle assessments (LCAs), which measure the environmental impact of a product from raw material to end-of-life.
Carrying out these life cycle assessments is one of the main aspects of Paraskevi’s role. They involve collecting emissions data from every stage of a product’s life – like farming for wool for natural fibres or production for synthetics.
Paraskevi works full-time, partly from home and partly from the Camira headquarters near the factory in West Yorkshire.
Some days involve doing admin, filling out ecolabel applications or analysing data for LCAs. Other days Paraskevi is out at conferences, running webinars, delivering training, or visiting customers – sometimes internationally.
Key skills needed in Paraskevi’s role include project management, data analysis, and strong maths skills, as well as a good grasp of chemistry.
To work as a Sustainability Engineer, analytical thinking is a key skill as the role involves lots of data-heavy projects and complex information. A good understanding of chemical compliance is useful, as well as the ability to interpret technical documents.
“People might not realise how important chemistry is in sustainability work, you really need to understand what chemicals you’re working with.”
Sustainability has always been important to Camira, but there’s more awareness across industry now. Customers are more informed and are asking the right questions. There’s also more industry-wide focus on reducing emissions and cutting out harmful chemicals.
In terms of her next steps, Paraskevi wants to oversee sustainability more broadly across the Camira Group, not just product sustainability. This would mean looking at emissions, net zero, and aligning with industry standards on a bigger scale.
There aren’t as many dedicated sustainability roles as you might expect, however a lot of people are doing sustainability work as part of other roles and there is a skills-gap in sustainability practice.
Connecting with likeminded businesses and individuals within industry on platforms like LinkedIn is a great way to learn more about this sub-sector and hear about job vacancies. Attending networking events and conferences is another way to make connections and learn about job opportunities.
