Coffee, jeans and ‘woke’ capitalism
The globally renowned Michael Kobori is coming down under to talk up sustainability.
He has been known to wear a jean jacket with a patch of Dr Seuss’ “The Lorax” on it. For a sustainability professional, that is really wearing your heart on your sleeve.
A former chief sustainability officer at Starbucks – the world’s largest coffee chain (how far would you have to go to see one?) – and VP of sustainability at Levi’s, the world’s largest jeans manufacturer (you may not even need to leave the room to spot a pair), Michael Kobori has lived the truth that being “woke” can be good business.
Now a corporate sustainability advisor, he brings a perspective forged at the highest level of the global business world – capitalism “woke-ing” all the way to the bank.
The Trump administration’s anti-climate agenda and anti-diversity backlash don’t overly concern him. In his 30-year career, the sustainability profession has moved from being fringe to mainstream in the US corporate world.
“In my opinion, the reaction we’re seeing is because all those forces opposing corporate sustainability and the corporate role in society are desperate,” Kobori said in a 2025 interview. “They see the future. They see this has become mainstream, and they don’t like it, so they’re fighting very hard against it. We just need to stand firm and keep going.”
The political and business parallels with New Zealand are not hard to see. We have the same debates here as in the US – and around the world. But is he right?
Kobori is coming to New Zealand to speak at an event hosted by the Institute of Directors’ Chapter Zero NZ climate governance initiative in November.
In a fireside chat with Chapter Zero NZ steering committee chair, IoD chair and ASB director Ross Buckley CMInstD, he will share global insights into how boards can take a sharper, more strategic approach to sustainability – not as a bolt-on, but as a driver of value creation.
He’ll reflect on how economic pressures, shifting investor expectations and new regulatory realities are raising the bar for board oversight – and how some of the world’s smartest companies are getting ahead.
From values to value, a Chapter Zero NZ breakfast with Michael Kobori, Auckland, 7 November. Find out more here.