Environmental Operations - Publications - Faculty & Research

11 Jun 2015
News

Leading the way in sustainable style

Marjorie Yang (MBA 1976), the chairman and CEO of garment-manufacturing giant The Esquel Group, doesn’t spend much time talking about apparel anymore. Instead, she’s focused on improving the livelihood of the company’s 47,000 employees and reducing View Details

11 Jun 2012
Research & Ideas

When Business Competition Harms Society

UCLA Anderson School, and Michael W. Toffel of Harvard Business School. In the quest to discover whether competition breeds unethical behavior, the researchers examined the vehicle emissions testing program in New York State, one of several states required by the... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Auto

20 Apr 2020
Book

Why COVID-19 Raises the Stakes for Healthy Buildings

Regular Checkup if you want to be sure your mechanical system is operating in a way that protects your health, the single best recommendation we can give you is to commission your mechanical system. Our commissioning recommendation is... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Real Estate; Health

24 Sep 2020
Blog Post

Introducing the HBS Heartland Club

A first-generation college student, she attended Vanderbilt University where she majored in English Literature before heading down to Miami to work in Global Operations for Restaurant Brands International on the Burger King brand. Before... View Details

01 Jun 2022
News

Making It Count

to how companies measure and report their ESG metrics. A company that touts its record in one dimension might be failing to mention hidden societal costs in others, like harmful labor practices, environmental degradation, or further... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

10 Aug 2022
News

Generosity Multiplied

Fund, which has raised more than £2.8 million to benefit 146 environmental charities, and the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which has raised £3.9 million. “It’s amazing how many different things we’re able to impact,” says Reed. “It’s this... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelley

27 Sep 2019
Blog Post

HBS Alumni and Students Take On the Climate Crisis

intersection of business, government, and international policy. View Video Alumni Tackling Climate Change In recognition of Climate Week NYC, check out these stories of seven HBS alumni who are dedicating their careers to environmental... View Details

24 Apr 2014
News

For African farmers looking to escape poverty, honey brings sweet success

beekeeping demonstrations and training. It purchases honey at fair-trade prices and also processes, packages, and distributes the honey to markets. HCA’s business model, which is being replicated in other African countries, places an emphasis on generating economic,... View Details

August 2013 (Revised January 2016)
Case

Sustainability at Siemens

By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Amy C. Edmondson, Daniela Beyersdorfer and Emer Moloney

Describes sustainability efforts at Siemens since arrival of Chief Sustainability Officer, Barbara Kux, in 2008. Asks students to evaluate success of those efforts and outline what the company should do going forward. View Details

Keywords: Corporate Sustainability; Energy Efficiency; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Change Management; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Energy Conservation; Environmental Sustainability; Gender; Electronics Industry

Citation

Educators

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20 Sep 2011
First Look

First Look: September 20

materials and invites discussion of the effectiveness of various approaches and the general lessons for the management of companies seeking to operate in an environmentally responsible manner. Purchase this... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

26 Feb 2008
First Look

First Look: February 26, 2008

Environmental Policy Making and Implementation Author:Alnoor S. Ebrahim Abstract This paper explores how "learning" occurs in the context of environmental policy formulation and implementation.... View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

06 Mar 2025
Blog Post

IFC India 2025: Sustainability in Action: Inside Hindustan Unilever’s Public Sanitation and Plastic Recycling Facilities

climate change. In Dharavi, lack of proper sanitation amplifies the impacts of flooding, heatwaves, water contamination, and increased health burdens. Similarly, improper plastic waste management contributes to India’s status as the world’s largest plastic polluter,... View Details

02 Jan 2014
News

The Power to Change

by Ralph Ranalli Talking about his ambitious plans to create a safer, cleaner type of nuclear power plant, Russell Wilcox says, quite matter-of-factly, that he was "looking for a project that would have an impact on the world." There aren't many people who can make... View Details

Keywords: Ralph Ranalli; Business and Environment Initiative; Scientific Research and Development Services

01 Jun 2005
News

Do You Speak Business?

do business the same way — with identical processes, functions, and operations — while approaching this elevated stage; but by the time they attain it, successful companies do share certain qualities and practices not observed in firms... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

15 Nov 2011
Working Paper Summaries

Engaging Supply Chains in Climate Change

Keywords: by Chonnikarn Fern Jira & Michael W. Toffel

01 Dec 2018
News

Alumni and Faculty Books for December 2018

Happens: Why Some Social Movements Succeed While Others Don’t by Leslie R. Crutchfield (MBA 2001) Wiley Why do some changes occur, and others don’t? What are the factors that drive successful social and environmental movements, while... View Details

25 Jun 2014
News

An International Perspective

“I’ve been involved in international business ventures my entire career,” says Andrew L. Waite (MBA 1993), a generous supporter of global research at HBS. After majoring in civil engineering at England’s Loughborough University of Technology and earning a master’s... View Details

May 2025
Supplement

On (B): The Cyclon Spins On

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karolin Frankenberger, Sascha Mader and Karen Elterman

A follow-up to the On case (723-430), this short case explores how the performance athletic shoe company On expanded its Cyclon subscription and recycling program through 2024, adding two new shoe models to the subscription and a one-time-purchase recyclable T-shirt. View Details