Creating Real Value: Corporate Sustainability Beyond Compliance

Happy New Year, everyone! 🌿

Wishing you a 2026 filled with clarity, courage, and meaningful change as we continue to rethink sustainability in fashion and beyond. What better way to kick off the new year than with an inspiring conversation that reminds us real progress is possible?

In this eye-opening first episode of The Conscious Cut for 2026, I sit down with Joy Phi, a former global marketing leader at powerhouse brands like Kimberly-Clark, Fossil, Four Seasons, and LVMH, who made the bold leap to pursue her Master's in Sustainability at Harvard. Joy candidly shares her personal journey—from initially underestimating circular economy as "just recycling," to discovering its profound depth through rigorous, live-interactive studies that reshaped her perspective on design, systems thinking, and true business resilience.

Inspired by that transformation, she founded Crimson Impact Collective right here in Hong Kong, bridging Harvard-level insights with Asia's real-world needs to help senior leaders shift sustainability from a compliance burden or cost center into a powerful driver of value, innovation, and long-term impact. We dive into the tough realities our industry faces: who truly shoulders the cost of sustainable change, the importance of collaborative supplier partnerships, innovative models like Patagonia's capital investment funds for decarbonization, and why building strong relationships across the entire supply chain is essential for meaningful progress.

Joy also spotlights exciting initiatives through Crimson Impact Collective and HKU Business School: her recent sold-out webinar on designing for circularity (which drew nearly 200 passionate attendees), the upcoming session on sustainable finance and green investing in mid-January—sign up here: https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9mDf1Trtw4sbno2—and the Value-Driven ESG executive masterclass launching in March 2026 with Harvard professors. This flexible, high-impact program is designed to equip leaders with cutting-edge strategies that integrate sustainability into core business for both planetary and financial wins—learn more and enroll at: https://execed.hkubs.hku.hk/hku-x-cic-executive-masterclass-in-value-driven-esg-strategy-vesg/.

This conversation is a passionate reminder that real, lasting change starts at the top, with open-minded executives who see sustainability not as an expense, but as smart, future-proof strategy. If you're a leader, executive, or changemaker ready to rethink resilience in fashion and beyond, tune in—let's keep cutting through the noise together in 2026. 🌿

Listen now: [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube]

What's one value-driven sustainability shift you're inspired to explore in your work this year? Share in the comments—I'd love to hear your thoughts! 💬