Patricio R.
Environmental Sustainability Fellow
At PayPal, we’re committed to building the next generation of leaders by unlocking their potential and providing opportunities for our colleagues like Patricio R. to contribute to our long-term goals. Patricio R., a former Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps fellow with PayPal’s Social Impact and Sustainability team, played a key role in advancing the company’s goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.
During his fellowship this past summer, Patricio brought his passion for sustainability to the forefront. He says, "I was excited to contribute to the company’s climate strategy and apply my skills to such an important cause."
"Collaboration drives success. When people share their perspectives, great things come to life."
The complexity of aligning different perspectives challenged him but also gave valuable exposure and opportunities to collaborate across teams.
“To succeed in this environment, I focused on establishing key points of contact who could provide guidance and mentorship,” he reflected. This approach helped him establish crucial connections that enabled smoother collaboration and more impactful project outcomes while at PayPal.
During his 2024 Climate Corps fellowship Patricio strengthened the company’s net-zero strategy by improving Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) reporting for greater accuracy and transparency, evaluating Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to enhance procurement, and refining the operational control framework for better emissions allocation. His efforts supported PayPal's greenhouse gas target refresh and contributed to climate risk management, while his stakeholder engagement ensured continued leadership commitment to achieving PayPal’s net-zero by 2040 goal. His work also led to potential improvements in renewable energy procurement, impacting 120,000 MWh of electricity consumption annually. A highlight of his fellowship was working with the Environmental Working Group, a diverse, cross-functional team. "This group is the backbone of all the environmental work at the company and brings together people from every corner—finance, risk, legal, product, facilities, data centers, IT, sourcing, and social innovation. It was exciting to collaborate with so many departments and tackle sustainability from different angles," Patricio shared.
His experience reinforced his belief in the power of collaboration, which he saw as essential to achieving meaningful, lasting change.
Click here to learn more about PayPal’s corporate sustainability and impact.