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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.

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. 

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

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.

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Got a topic you’d like us to explore on the show? Get in touch with us at thinkparallax.com/podcast.