Millie Richards

Millie Richards trained as an industrial designer, which means she came to sustainability from the making side rather than the reporting side. Her logic is almost stubbornly simple: the biggest impact most of us have is buried in the everyday products we buy, so she decided she'd better learn how to make them — and how to make them better. "We don't need more stuff," she says. "We need better stuff." As Head of Sustainability at Bared Footwear, she has planted herself squarely inside the thing most people would rather point at from a distance: "I purposely chose to work in mass-produced consumer goods, because that's the problem."

The frustration that follows her around is adoption - the stubborn gap between what makes environmental sense and what makes commercial sense. "A lot of things make complete environmental sense but don't make commercial sense, at least not at the start," she says. "Without legislative pressure, I don't think many companies will adopt new approaches on goodwill alone." Her instinct is to close that gap with conversation rather than campaign. "A marketing campaign is big, loud, and easy to tear down. A conversation invites nuance - it brings people in rather than putting them on the defensive."

It's the same principle behind her motto, how you do one thing is how you do everything - a line she treats less as a slogan than as a daily audit of the distance between belief and behaviour. That instinct was forged the hard way, through a burnout that came not from overwork but from working inside a system she didn't believe in. "It's a strange, unsettling feeling putting your energy into a system you don't actually want to see succeed." Now the warning signs keep her honest, and pointed — sunflower-like, she says — back toward the light.

If her work could plant one seed, it's a reminder that we vote with our dollars: "every purchase is a small decision about the kind of future we want to see more of." The seed she'd hand the next generation is quieter - everything adds up, so pour as much into your side quests as your main one, because you never know which thread will pull through.

Read Millie's answers to Blooming Sustainability's full questionnaire, from burnout to the three questions that will quietly change how you shop, and the motto that anchors her practice: how you do one thing is how you do everything.

BLOOMING  Sustainability Questionnaire

Name: Millie Richards

Company & Title: Bared Footwear, Head of Sustainability

Website & LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amelia-richards-24b064214/

* Guiding Values | Kaupapa

If sustainability were a flower blooming in your life, what would it look like? What nurtures it?

Such a cute question! A sunflower. It's always turning toward the sun, chasing light and opportunity, which is exactly how I try to approach sustainability: staying optimistic and looking for the best possible conditions to thrive in, rather than getting stuck facing the wrong direction. What nurtures it is optimism and being challenged. I don't grow much sitting in the comfortable, easy version of this work.

A quote, personal motto or whakataukī that reflects your vision:

“How you do one thing is how you do everything.” I think the gap between what we say we believe and how we actually act is often really stark, and that disconnect causes problems in a lot of ways. Working in sustainability but stepping over litter is the easy example, but I try to apply this everywhere. Even when I'm lacking enthusiasm for something at work, which happens to everyone, I remind myself that how I show up is a direct reflection of my impact. It brings me back on track every time.

If you could mentor a rising change-maker in Aotearoa, what advice would you share?

Everything adds up. Just like the last point, I'd tell them to put as much effort into their side quests as they do into their degree or whatever their “main” focus is meant to be. When I look back, some of the things that could have seemed counterproductive or like a distraction at the time have actually created the biggest opportunities in my life. You never quite know which thread is going to pull through.

* Leading Change | Arataki

A key moment in your journey that shaped your path:

Burning out, but not in the conventional sense. I burnt out because I was ambitious and working in a field I wasn't aligned with. It's a strange, unsettling feeling putting your energy and effort into a system you don't actually want to see succeed. Giving myself the space to acknowledge those feelings, instead of pushing through them, taught me deeply what it shouldn't feel like. Now, any warning sign of that keeps me on a much more purpose-driven path.

What’s the main challenge you face in driving sustainability within your sector?

I basically set myself directly into the challenge. I purposely chose to work in mass produced consumer goods, because that's the problem. The biggest issue I see day to day is adoption. A lot of things make complete environmental sense but don't make commercial sense, at least not at the start, and without legislative pressure, I don't think many companies will adopt new approaches on goodwill alone.

An area you need more support with:

So many, honestly. I'm definitely not a guru. I think the biggest one for me is having space to talk candidly about progress and ideas. There's a lot of echoing and standardisation in how sustainability conversations happen, and I'd love more room to just be wrong sometimes.

An Indigenous perspective you admire and want people to be mindful of:

I went to the B Corp assembly last year and heard a beautiful Māori woman speak about the Māori sense of giving back to community and heritage. I love the idea that a way of doing business can be built around giving back. I don't think it has to be framed as altruism either, it just makes sense as part of a thriving system. It's less “charity” and more how things are meant to work.

Your best approach for engaging stakeholders in meaningful dialogue about ESG:

Conversation, every time. A marketing campaign is big, loud, and easy to tear down. A conversation invites nuance, and it actually brings people in rather than putting them on the defensive.

What do you think is Aotearoa’s superpower in creating a sustainable future?  
An engaged community, a genuine connection to nature, and respect and connection to the native people. That combination is rare, and it's a real foundation to build a sustainable future on.

 * Surfing the Green Wave | Kakariki

Books, podcasts, courses or other resources that profoundly shaped your approach to sustainability:

I'm currently reading Impact, which does a great job blending impact and profit. I also love the Grow Everything podcast, and Kiarne's Sustainable Transformation Podcast is another one worth a listen. In terms of what's really shaped me, I'm a bit of a content vacuum, so it's hard to pin down just one thing. Slow Home was a good one on a personal level, and I've generally had an obsession with consuming content on sustainable business, things like FlowHive are a good example of the kind of story that keeps pulling me in.

Events in Aotearoa or globally that you think are must-attend:

I'm not based in Aotearoa myself, so I'll answer from my own patch. Locally for me, Melbourne Design Week is a must-attend. It's a great snapshot of where design and sustainability are heading.

A sustainable initiative or project in Aotearoa that deserves more attention:

I'll admit I'm not the best reference point for Aotearoa specifically, but the percentage of renewable energy there is amazing, and I think more people need to be thinking about energy in general. It's such a foundational piece of the sustainability puzzle that it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

If your work could plant one seed of change for the future, what would it be?

Reminding people that we vote with our dollars. Every purchase is a small decision about the kind of future we want to see more of.

The leader(s) you endorse for a future edition of Blooming Sustainability:

I think the people doing the work on the ground deserve a lot more of a platform than I do. Luke from Into Coffee is a great example, he's run a community-facing business that's brought me so much joy over the years.

 * One actionable takeaway for our readers to make a change today for a brighter tomorrow:
Just consider the next thing you buy, whether it's food or a product. Where was it made? Could it have been made better? And who made it? Those three questions alone will change how you shop.

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