Publications

01 Jun 2010
News

Green Dreams: Eco-Friendly Countertops

wanted to build a business that not only makes money but also nurtures its employees, builds community, and minimizes environmental impact. Five years later, Magagnini and Strugatz are putting the finishing touches on IceStone’s most... View Details

Keywords: Sarah Auerbach; Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing; Manufacturing

01 Mar 2011
News

Two Kinds of Green

with video "chapters." HBS Business and Environment Initiative - Check out HBS faculty research and news on sustainability efforts on the HBS campus With the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) now well established,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; natural products company; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Manufacturing; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

03 Jan 2022
News

A Green Light for Corruption

19 Jun 2014
News

Turning "Black Gold" to Green

two oil fields, have contracts to manage as much CO2 as is produced by a small city, and we have the financial backing to finish the job," Dawe says. "That's about as tangible as it gets." Dawe is the president and cofounder of Berkeley, California-based C12 Energy,... View Details

Keywords: Ralph Ranalli; Oil and Gas Extraction; Mining

March 2013
Case

First Green Bank: Bringing Bloom to Desert Landscapes

By: Christopher Marquis and Juan Almandoz

First Green Bank is a bank start-up in the midst of the financial crisis which aims to promote sustainability while making money as a bank. The case presents an ethical dilemma as it considers a loan to an arms manufacturer. View Details

Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship; Financial Crisis; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Business and Community Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Ethics; Banking Industry; United States; Florida

February 2016 (Revised February 2017)
Case

Greening Walmart: Progress and Controversy

By: Rebecca Henderson and James Weber

In 2005, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, launched a sustainability initiative aimed at reducing waste and making the company more environmentally and socially conscious. By 2015, the company had made progress on multiple dimensions: energy efficiency in its... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Business or Company Management; Motivation and Incentives; Reputation; Environmental Sustainability; Retail Industry; United States

2013
Working Paper

Historical Origins of Environmental Sustainability in the German Chemical Industry, 1950s-1980s

By: Geoffrey Jones and Christina Lubinski

This working paper examines the growth of corporate environmentalism in the West German chemical industry between the 1950s and the 1980s. German business has been regarded as pioneering corporate environmentalism after World War II. In contrast, this study reveals... View Details

Keywords: Sustainability; Green Business; Pollution; Environmental Sustainability; Business History; Chemical Industry; Germany; United States

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News

This crisis provides a very green opportunity

16 Feb 2021
Research & Ideas

To Fight Climate Change, Should Green Investors Reconsider Big Oil?

from most so-called sustainable funds. But this stance eliminates some of the most prolific and influential producers of green innovation, including Exxon Mobil, BP, and Chevron, according to recent research by Harvard View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz; Energy

Fast Answer

Green Business: beginner's resources and toolkit

Where can I find guides and tools for for first-time environmental startups? Resources on environmental/green business: ABI/Proquest: search for articles on topics related to green/eco/sustainable startups, and on green View Details

February 2011
Exercise

Carbon Trading Simulation: Green Cement Inc.

By: Peter A. Coles

This simulation presents students the opportunity to experience firsthand the economics of carbon markets and permit trading. Each student has private role information about a company he or she manages. The student must make decisions about pollution-reducing... View Details

Keywords: Ethics; Investment; Markets; Agreements and Arrangements; Production; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Government Relations; Environmental Sustainability; Pollutants

01 Dec 2003
News

Roger Ullman: Going Green with E2

Can white-collar corporate America do business with “green” environmentalists? Roger Ullman (MBA ’89) thinks so. Ullman, who worked in the mergers and acquisitions division of Merrill Lynch for twelve years, retired from his post as a... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services; Professional Services

Article

Making 'Green Giants': Environment Sustainability in the German Chemical Industry, 1950s–1980s

By: Geoffrey Jones and Christina Lubinski

This article examines the evolution of corporate environmentalism in the West German chemical industry between the 1950s and the 1980s. It focuses on two companies, Bayer and Henkel, that have been identified as "green giants," and traces the evolution of their... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Green Business; Regional Strategy; Pollution; Henkel; Bayer; Globalization; History; Chemical Industry; Germany; United States

Find at Harvard

08 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Decision Rights: Who Gives the Green Light?

for executives there to absorb and react to it, reduced the company's ability to respond to bid requests on a timely basis. Alert to this change, a European rival added a 24-hour limit to its competing bids, forcing quick decisions from clients—and winning new View Details

Keywords: by Peter Jacobs

14 Feb 2019
News

PG&E’s Bankruptcy Shows Blindspots in Green Investing

04 Jun 2012
News

Should companies tie worker pay to green goals?

April 2014
Case

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.: Taking on Seasonal Starvation in Latin America

By: Christopher Marquis and Zoe Yang

A company with a strong commitment toward corporate social responsibility since its founding days, Green Mountain faced an ethical decision point in 2007 as new information from the field uncovered a chronic dire problem facing coffee communities—seasonal starvation.... View Details

Keywords: Fair Trade; Coffee; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Food and Beverage Industry; Consumer Products Industry; Latin America; Central America; Mexico; Guatemala; Nicaragua

September 2011 (Revised May 2013)
Case

New Resource Bank: In Pursuit of Green

By: Christopher Marquis and Juan Almandoz

New Resource Bank was founded in San Francisco in 2006 with a mission focused on environmental sustainability. The case illustrates the opportunities and challenges of banking on values and the challenges of organizations defining a social and environmental commitment.... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Strategy; Business and Government Relations; Banking Industry; San Francisco