Plastics - Publications - Faculty & Research

Portrait Project

Ryan Yu

In my dad’s paper factory in Malabon City, Philippines, I spent hours being chased by dinosaurs. I took a cardboard box, taped on an old clock, flipped an hourglass, pulled a plastic lever, and went back in time. Stationed beside a giant... View Details

Profile

Dusty Register

creativity. Most people claim to be “into” LEGOs as a kid. With all due respect to those individuals, they couldn't come close to a fraction of the time I spent with my plastic bricks. What is your favorite childhood memory? In eighth... View Details

Keywords: CPG

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Blog - Creating Emerging Markets

Future of Green Building Lynn Schenk and Maxim Pike Harrell 17 Nov 2022 Creating Emerging Markets Sustainability Series - Reducing Plastic Pollution on a Global Scale Maxim Pike Harrell 14 Dec 2022 Creating Emerging Markets Sustainability... View Details

02 Aug 2022
Research & Ideas

6 Strategies for Building Socially Responsible—and Profitable—Companies

A dozen years ago, Harvard Business School Professor George Serafeim wondered why some companies operated with an eye toward the greater good, while most did not. Back then, he always got the same response: Corporate leaders thought social and environmental practices... View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

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The 20th Century Zeitgeist - Leadership

West and Southwest Influence: High 90 1990 s Immigration tops 9 million (largest number since first decade) Baby boomers age Hispanics become fastest-growing minority Population grows from 250 million to 281 million Influence: Medium-High 1900 s 19 Model T View Details

22 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Decarbonization and Sustainable Production: Immersive Field Course in Denmark and the Netherlands

sites ranging from industrial manufacturers of plastic and machines to shipping companies and producers of food, flowers, and other consumables. Across all these companies, the one commonality was low-carbon operations and responsible... View Details

23 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Arla Foods: How Sustainable Can A Dairy Company Be?

Corporate Sustainability. Arla shared their commitments to a stronger planet and stronger people, grounded in a selection of eight priority UN Sustainability Goals. In pursuit of these commitments, Arla has set ambitious goals, including 100% recyclable View Details

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Invention of the Polarizer - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

direction. He then learned that by coating a thin sheet of plastic with microscopic crystals, he could stretch and align the crystals before the material dried. This synthetic polarizing material could be used to block out reflective... View Details

07 May 2024
Blog Post

Opportunity to Offset Travel Emissions with Carbon Credits that Meet HBS Criteria

events. For example, at Commencement & Reunions we utilize water stations for guests to reduce bottled water plastic waste; donate leftover food to Food for Free; provide waste sorting stations to divert waste into the compost (which... View Details

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Team - Institute For Strategy And Competitiveness

Professor of Surgery Andrea Pusic M.D., M.H.S., Joseph E. Murray Professor of Surgery in the Field of Plastic Surgery Edward M. Hundert M.D., Dean for Medical Education and the Daniel D. Federman, MD Professor in Residence of Global... View Details

10 Jan 2022
Research & Ideas

How to Get Companies to Make Investments That Benefit Everyone

learning more advanced coding. Build shared platforms like the United Nations Development Programme’s Accelerator Labs. This network of small teams exchange information to combat a range of problems, from food shortages in Zimbabwe to View Details

Keywords: by Lane Lambert

20 May 2022
Blog Post

Nucleate Eco: Connecting Aspiring MBA Entrepreneurs with Cutting Edge Climate Research

Gonzalez, Jose Dominguez - MIT Climate & Sustainability ConsortiumNew naturally compostable plastic film with multi-use applications. Eco Track Program Award: Wild MicrobesTimothy Wannier, Ben Kramer - Church Lab, HMSNon-model... View Details

25 Feb 2020
News

Beyond the Plastisphere

plastics. “We’re trying to get our customers to covet this product that will help change their lives in a positive way—and make the world a better place too,” says Kauss. The world is literally drowning in plastic: Research indicates that only 9 percent of the world’s... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing; Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing

13 Mar 2023
Blog Post

Career Journey: Karan Khimji, Co-Founder of 44.01

environmental damage on the nature that I loved. I saw coral bleaching and algal blooms that killed fish and kept us off the beaches for weeks at a time. I saw immense amounts of plastic waste flowing into the oceans. I saw rising... View Details

18 Apr 2000
Research & Ideas

Learning in Action

into seven steps: leading change, creating a shared need, shaping a vision, mobilizing commitment, making change last, monitoring progress, and changing systems and structures — and applying it to the problem they've brought with them. Does CAP impact the bottom line?... View Details

Keywords: by David A. Garvin

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Research & Development, Project Code SX-70 - Edwin H. Land & Polaroid | Harvard Business School

at a big custom-made semicircular desk . . . where he could sit and look out in all directions at the test samples, reports, and letters that covered it. He could watch technicians mixing viscous plastic concoctions." 56 Ehrenfried... View Details

29 Sep 2021
Research & Ideas

For Entrepreneurs, Blown Deadlines Can Crush Big Ideas

product enabled customers to turn on motors and lights for different items, such as a car built out of the plastic bricks, with a remote control. However, once the entrepreneur added a feature that turns on lights automatically in... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

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Charts & Statistics - Leadership

250 million to 281 million Influence: Medium-High 1900 s 19 Model T Plastic Safety razor Widespread use of steam engine, electricity, and openhearth furnace allows businesses to expand nationwide Influence: Medium 10 1910 s 19 First... View Details

22 Feb 2022
News

New Urban Order

source with alternative packaging and techniques that cut back on manufacturing inputs to start. Make waste-reduction and source-separation initiatives a personal and communal responsibility (the pandemic, for example, has seen a significant uptick in single-use View Details

Keywords: Kathleen Fu, Deborah Blagg, Julia Hanna, and Maureen Harmon; illustrations by; energy; environment; sustainability; entrepreneurship; Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation; Transportation; Water, Sewage and Supply Systems; Utilities; Construction of Buildings; Construction; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Corporate Services

01 Aug 1998
News

High Honors

an entrepreneur. With several other HBS graduates, he undertook a decidedly low-tech startup: plastic phone book covers to carry local advertisements in Massachusetts. The company, the National Merchandising Corporation, was such a... View Details

Publications