5 minutes with Elise Brimer

Meet Elise Brimer, our Client Engagement & Business Development Coordinator. With a background in textile design and product manufacturing, Elise brings a fresh perspective to sustainability. Her passion for reducing waste and resource use has driven her to help organisations take meaningful steps towards a more sustainable future.

Outside of work, Elise’s creativity flourishes—whether it’s exploring tap dance, cultivating a biodiverse garden, or practising floristry, she’s always learning and growing. In this interview, Elise shares her journey, what inspires her work, and the childhood dream she’s making a reality.

Why did you choose a career in sustainability?

I have a background in textile design and product manufacturing for fashion/ skincare brands. I've seen first-hand the amount of waste produced and resources used in these industries, and it didn't sit well with me. I used to drive small changes within organisations—at thinkstep-anz, I create bigger impact by helping businesses take their next step towards sustainability.

What do you like most about your work?

Our clients and the sectors they come from are so varied. I love the early and open dialogue we get to have with organisations at every stage of their journey, and I feel privileged to play a small part in this. The projects that come out of these conversations remind me that there is a lot to be hopeful for.

When I was a child, I wanted to grow up and…

I recently found a picture I'd painted when I was 5, which I'd titled "when I grow up I want to be a florist". It was a special find, as I'm working towards a Certificate of Floristry in my evenings. I plan to keep practising floristry in my spare time, so it's fun to be realising a childhood dream.

What do you do when you’re not working?

I'm trying to challenge myself and pick up hobbies that intimidated me when I was younger - at the moment, it's taking a tap-dancing class. I've recently moved from Wellington to a small town, and I'm getting a lot of fulfilment out of building up a vegetable patch and cottage garden, seeing the impact that caring for a small plot of land can have on biodiversity. I'm having a lot of fun using the flowers from my garden for natural dye projects too.

Is there a book or podcast you would like to recommend and why?

Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer is a book that sat with me for a long time. As a journalist who is about to become a first-time father, Safran Foer explores the cognitive bias of eating some animals/ animal products and not others, and ultimately whether he will feed these to his child. It was a heavy read, but the personal narrative made it easy to follow. Saraid de Silva's Amma was the best book I've read this year.