Publications

November 2014 (Revised March 2015)
Case

Disrupting the Meat Industry: Tissue Culture Beef

By: Jose B. Alvarez and Matthew G. Preble

Dr. Mark Post and his team at Maastricht University were perfecting their tissue culture beef product—made entirely from muscle grown in his lab—to give it the same taste, texture and appearance of a traditional beef hamburger. A previous iteration of this product had... View Details

Keywords: Innovation; Beef Production; Environmental Impacts Of Food Production; Agribusiness; Animal-Based Agribusiness; Disruptive Innovation; Innovation and Invention; Environmental Sustainability; Food; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Netherlands; United States; United Kingdom

2017
Working Paper

Carbon Tariffs: Effects in Settings with Technology Choice and Foreign Production Cost Advantage

By: David F. Drake

Emissions regulation is a policy mechanism intended to address the threat of climate change. However, the stringency of emissions regulation varies across regions, raising concerns over carbon leakage—an outcome where stringent regulation in one region shifts... View Details

Keywords: Technology; Competition; Pollutants; Taxation; Environmental Sustainability; Globalized Markets and Industries

SSRN

2008
Working Paper

Modern Management: Good for the Environment or Just Hot Air?

By: Nicholas Bloom, Christos Genakos, Ralf Martin and Raffaella Sadun

We use an innovative methodology to measure management practices in over 300 manufacturing firms in the UK. We then match this management data to production and energy usage information for establishments owned by these firms. We find that establishments in better... View Details

Keywords: Energy Conservation; Management Practices and Processes; Performance Productivity; Environmental Sustainability; Pollutants; Manufacturing Industry; United Kingdom

February 2020
Case

Rotoplas: Bringing More and Better Water

By: John D. Macomber and Carla Larangeira

Private companies were being turned to for potable water in the world’s megacities due to impacts of climate change including droughts and flooding. Mexico City had endured several water-related crises, with its population suffering from floods, droughts, water... View Details

Keywords: Water Supply; Water Management; Finance; Infrastructure; Urban Development; Business and Government Relations; Latin America; Mexico

10 May 2023
News

Students Strive to Solve Climate Change

As part of the Business & Environment Initiative’s “Accelerating Climate Solutions” conference on May 10, 2023, four HBS MBA Class of 2023 students discuss their efforts toward solving climate challenges: Chidalu Onyenso founded EarthBond to link Nigerians with... View Details

Keywords: Carbon capture

01 Sep 2010
News

HBS Wins Green Business Award

HBS Operations has received a 2010 City of Boston Green Business Award in recognition of the numerous green technologies used at Shad Hall, the School’s fitness and recreation facility and its showcase for sustainability. Energy-saving initiatives at Shad include a... View Details

01 Dec 2011
News

Letters to the Editor

Seeds of Green Congratulations to Erika Diamond and Annie Fishman (both MBA 2007) on their founding of the HBS Green Business Alumni Association as reported in the September Bulletin. It’s great to see their efforts and the related story of HBS alumni in green... View Details

Keywords: HBS Show; Personal and Laundry Services; Personal Services; Natural Gas Distribution; Utilities

Profile

Rakhi Mehra

summer internship with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University, "to look at innovative, sustainable ways to reduce poverty and meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015." A subsequent direct meeting with... View Details

Profile

Fangfang Wang

more than public sector support. “If you can’t engage the private sector and persuade consumers, you can’t get more people to use clean technology,” she says. Fangfang sustained an interest in using private-sector principles to achieve... View Details

Keywords: Nonprofit/Government/Education; CPG

01 Sep 2012
News

Rebel with a Cause

environmental sustainability efforts, serving as executive director of Ceres, a coalition of environmental groups and institutional investors; initiator of the Investor Network on Climate Risk; and cofounder of the Global Reporting... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne; social activism; Health, Social Assistance; Publishing Industries (except Internet); Information; Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations; Personal Services

March 2025
Article

Limited Accountability and Awareness of Corporate Emissions Target Outcomes

By: Xiaoyan Jiang, Shawn Kim and Shirley Lu

Firms are increasingly announcing targets to reduce their carbon emissions, but it is unclear whether firms are held accountable for these targets. Here we examine emissions targets that ended in 2020 to investigate the final target outcomes, the transparency of target... View Details

Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Goals and Objectives; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Corporate Accountability; Environmental Sustainability; Public Opinion

September 2023
Teaching Note

Apple’s iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy

By: George Serafeim

Teaching Note for HBS Case 123-089. The case describes the Trade-In system for iPhones that allow iPhones to be refurbished and reused or to be recycled. The case provides information for the students to analyze the financial attractiveness of the Trade-In system and... View Details

Keywords: Iphone; Smartphone; Technology; Business Model Innovation; Carbon Emissions; Recycling; Business Model; Product Design; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Green Technology; Technology Industry

November 2017 (Revised June 2019)
Case

Measuring True Value at Ambuja Cement

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Suraj Srinivasan and Namrata Arora

The case discusses the measurement of social and environmental impact at Ambuja Cements, one of India’s leading cement companies. Ambuja is a leader in CSR activities and is attempting to quantify its impact, both positive and negative, using the “True Value” framework... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Value; Measurement and Metrics; Framework; Cost vs Benefits

2017
Article

Natural Environmental Responsibility in Indian Corporations: A Mixed Method Study

By: Shashank Shah

The world is going through unprecedented environmental crisis. The type of destruction and dissolution of natural resources and elements by individuals and institutions that has been witnessed in the last century is much more than that witnessed in the previous... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Natural Environment; Management Practices and Processes; Research; Framework; India

Find at Harvard

August 2009 (Revised September 2011)
Case

Whole Foods: Balancing Social Mission and Growth

By: Christopher Marquis, Marya Besharov and Bobbi Thomason

In 2009, Whole Foods stands at a crossroads. Their incredible growth over the past 25 years has vaulted them into the ranks of the largest US supermarkets and they have arguably led to the widespread acceptance of natural and organic foods in the United States. Yet... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Leadership; Growth and Development Strategy; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States