Scaling through partnership | What it takes to really move sustainability forward

Ali Mize is the Senior Director of ESG, Belonging and Corporate Philanthropy at Neiman Marcus Group and while that might sound like a lot to juggle, Ali credits the group's sustainability advancements to a highly specific approach. And as you’ll hear, they’ve made some incredible progress.

There’s so much good advice in here, but here are some key takeaways:

• Scaling sustainability progress requires partnerships at various levels, including individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal
• Engaging customers as partners in sustainability efforts is crucial, and providing transparency and options for shopping in line with their values is key
• Prioritization is essential in tackling sustainability challenges, and a materiality assessment can help identify the most impactful areas to focus on
• Making difficult decisions (maybe stepping away from something old) often means there’s something new, and perhaps even more beneficial for the business right around the corner
• The socio-ecological model for change provides a framework for understanding and addressing the interplay between different factors that influence human behavior and change
• Corporate political responsibility is an important topic that should be addressed in conversations about sustainability and ESG

In our chat we discuss the importance of having buy-in from the top (and from investors) and a materiality assessment in place, and about scaling sustainability progress through partnerships. She highlights the socio-ecological model for change and emphasizes the need to consider individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal factors, and outlines step-by-step how they’re doing that very thing at NMG.

Ali shares success stories, such as a unique dual reporting system they’ve put in place, the development of their Fashioned for Change and Conscious Curation edits they’ve rolled out across all shopping channels, a perhaps surprising partnership with the Humane Society of the United States, and more.

Ali’s approach is thoughtful yet systematic, and ambitious yet achievable, and when you take a look at the progress they’re making across so many parts of the business, you’ll be inspired to get to work! And that’s exactly what she’s hoping.

Related Links Worth Clicking:

• Neiman Marcus Fashioned for Change Edit
• Neiman Marcus Group’s 2022 ESG Report
• Neiman Marcus Group’s FY23 ESG Report
• A source to learn more about the Socio-Ecological Model
• Supplier Leadership on Climate Transition (SLOCT)
• Principles for Responsible Investing (UNPRI)
• The Sustainable Fashion Forum
• Bergdorf Goodman Conscious Curation

Produced by our team of experts at thinkPARALLAX.
Intro/Outro music by QubeSounds from Pixabay.