Iñiguez Ma, the head of people and organization at UNIFi3D, said that the leadership team in her company drives the business towards sustainability goals by clearly communicating their vision and their goals of utilising digitalisation to expedite the digital transformation of fashion brands. They can then easily translate their directions into specific action points for implementation.

Iñiguez Ma further elaborated on how her company implements internal and external sustainability practices. These include conducting educational workshops for their staff, publishing an annual report on their ESG implementation and actively sharing their experiences with other businesses at events. The company also prioritises partnerships with suppliers with similar values. 

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With her experience as a quality and ESG manager at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney, Handley said involving more departments to drive sustainability efforts is crucial, as it aligns with the management’s targets for the entire company.

She recalls that when she first joined the hotel, people in the company were reluctant to make changes until she brought up the targets the parent company had set to reach by 2030. She pushed for most departments to get involved, from housekeeping and sales to food and beverage.

“Every department has a role to play in this. Nobody can sit back and be a bystander with any of this, and later on, they start to realise they do have to do something,” she said.

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At JLL Hong Kong, Morphet said the company has an ongoing training and development process to prioritise sustainability. She also co-chairs the company’s Eco Club, which aims to drive ESG initiatives across its offices in the city.

“Behavioural change is always going to be progress; it’s never going to end. Because in the corporate environment, your employees will always change, and so will your management teams. So, there must be training development and encouragement to go after these goals, be it sustainability, be it broader DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) practices and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) practices,” she said. 

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As the first person to lead the hotel’s ESG practice, Handley emphasised the importance of being a passionate advocate and serving as a role model to drive changes, even when facing resistance from traditional voices that support decades-old practices.

“You have to have a passion for what you do because if you don’t, no one else will believe what you do, especially if you’re one of the minority doing this kind of work. It’s tough,” she said. 

Handley recommended that teams leading sustainable initiatives keep the staff updated on progress and changes. “Once you start to loop them in bit by bit, they will realise what your role does, what you are trying to implement and that they are useful. They will take interest and get involved in what you want to do,” she said.

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