Michael Sadowski

Freelance Consultant

For nearly 20 years, Michael Sadowski has worked with companies to create business value through a strategic approach to sustainability issues. Michael has been a trusted advisor to senior executives, driven change from within companies, led research and authored reports and articles, facilitated multi-stakeholder collaborations, and managed organizations and teams.

As an independent consultant, Michael is currently leading work with the World Resources Institute to develop guidance for the apparel and footwear industry on science-based climate change targets. He is also advising Closed Loop Partners in a number of areas including their investments in the apparel sector.

Before this, Michael led strategy and managed external partnerships for Nike’s Sustainable Business & Innovation team. This included managing Nike’s relationships with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the We Mean Business coalition.

Prior to Nike, Michael was a Vice President at SustainAbility, Inc. where he was a member of the management team. His clients included Barclays, BMW, Brown-Forman, Gap, Goldman Sachs, Holcim, HP, Nike, and Walmart. He played a key role in developing multi-stakeholder collaborations including the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group and the Closed Loop Fund, and researched and wrote on topics including consumer interest in sustainability, ratings and rankings, the business case for sustainability, and investor engagement.

Michael holds a BA in Economics from Columbia University and an MBA with high distinction and an MS (Environmental Policy) from the University of Michigan. Michael currently serves on the External Advisory Board for the Erb Institute at the University of Michigan, and is a Board member of DendriFund, an environmental foundation established by Brown-Forman.