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  • 2020
  • Case

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation: Accelerating a Circular Economy for Plastic Packaging

By: Andrew J. Hoffman
Plastic has become essential to global day-to-day activities, yet it is also causing extreme environmental degradation. Many leaders in the plastics industry are starting to question its sustainability. This case presents insights into the future of the plastic... View Details
Keywords: Plastic Waste; Environmental Sustainability; Cooperation; Supply Chain Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Consumer Products Industry
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  • 15 Dec 2023
  • News

Exploring Business Opportunities in Africa; Alumni Grapple with Plastic Waste Problem

Clubs News Clubs News Webinar illuminates broad array of business opportunities across Africa On December 5th, the HBS African-American Alumni Association (HBSAAA) hosted ‘Doing Business in Africa: From Opportunity to Action’, a webinar panel of HBS alumni who shared... View Details
Keywords: Margie Kelley
  • July 1990 (Revised July 1990)
  • Teaching Note

Minneapolis Plastic Packaging Ban (A) and (B) & Waste Reduction in Taiwan, Teaching Note

By: George C. Lodge
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  • 15 Jul 2019
  • News

People Make It So Hard to Ditch Plastic Straws

  • Article

People Make It So Hard to Ditch Plastic Straws

By: Scott Duke Kominers
Rarely has a minor consumer product received more vilification than the plastic straw. As a symbol of human wastefulness and our careless disregard for the environment, straws are the near-perfect villain. You use a plastic straw once and toss it, but it stays with us... View Details
Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Consumer Behavior
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  • 21 May 2024
  • Blog Post

IFC India: From Trash to Treasure: Inside a Waste Management Site in Mumbai

segregate, sort, and dry waste - including paper, glass, metal, and plastic - to send to a recycling facility that generates cleaned pellets repurposed for lower grade use. Tackling Mumbai’s View Details
  • 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... View Details
  • September 2020 (Revised June 2021)
  • Case

Algramo

By: Michael Chu, Monica Silva and Mariana Cal
Founded in 2013 by José Manuel Moller in Chile, Algramo first became known for addressing the “poverty tax” (the surcharge paid by lower income families for staples sold in smaller sizes) through specially-designed dispensers in low-income neighborhood grocery stores... View Details
Keywords: Packaging-as-a-wallet; Plastic Waste; Business At The Base Of The Pyramid; Reusable Packaging; Alliances With FMCGs To Meet ESG Goals; Social Entrepreneurship; Environmental Sustainability; Strategy; Value Creation; Goals and Objectives; Business Model; Consumer Products Industry; Latin America; South America; Chile
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  • October 2023 (Revised November 2023)
  • Case

Recycle & Re-Match: The Future of Soccer Turfs

By: George Serafeim, Lena Duchene and Carlota Moniz
By August 2023, Re-Match, an artificial turf waste-to-value company, had operations in Denmark and the Netherlands and had recycled over 160,000 tons of waste and plastic fiber. With recent capital injection from the VC firm Verdane and a dual revenue business model,... View Details
Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Carbon Abatement; Sustainability; Recycling; Waste Management; Technology; Entrepreneurial Management; Business Growth and Maturation; Business Model; Decisions; Energy Conservation; Investment Return; Profit; Technological Innovation; Patents; Growth and Development Strategy; Market Entry and Exit; Digital Platforms; Wastes and Waste Processing; Business Strategy; Competition; Expansion; Technology Adoption; Sports; Environmental Sustainability; Entrepreneurship; Green Technology Industry; Service Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Rubber Industry; Sports Industry; Denmark; Netherlands; France; United States; Pennsylvania; Europe
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  • 01 Jun 2023
  • News

Action Plan: Net Proceeds

says. “My heroes are the waste pickers, the brands and consumers making better choices, and the companies working on alternatives to petroleum-based plastics. I am simply a guide to help inform people so they can become the heroes of... View Details
Keywords: April White; recycling; corporate social responsibility; waste management; water; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services
  • 16 Jan 2020
  • News

How Global Leaders Should Think About Solving Our Biggest Problems

  • January 16, 2020
  • Article

How Global Leaders Should Think About Solving Our Biggest Problems

By: Mark R. Kramer, Marc W. Pfitzer and Helge Mahne
The corporate social conscience will soon be on full display in Davos, Switzerland, where global leaders from business, government, and civil society will assemble on January 21 for the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Hundreds of millions of dollars will be... View Details
Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Social Issues; Global Range; Partners and Partnerships; Strategy
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  • 29 Oct 2019
  • Blog Post

Merging the Worlds of Finance, Investing, and Environmental Impact

what you mean by the “circular economy” and what you do at Closed Loop Partners?  The circular economy is simply a system focused on minimizing waste and making the most of the resources we already have. That’s in contrast to the linear... View Details
  • 12 Mar 2024
  • HBS Case

How Used Products Can Unlock New Markets: Lessons from Apple's Refurbished iPhones

Some of Apple’s most loyal customers think nothing of upgrading to the latest iPhone every time one comes out. But what about consumers who can’t splurge on a $1,000 iPhone 15 Pro? And what about the electronic waste that would accrue if people threw away functional... View Details
Keywords: by Rachel Layne; Electronics; Information Technology
  • 21 Nov 2023
  • Op-Ed

The Beauty Industry: Products for a Healthy Glow or a Compact for Harm?

In my recently published book Deeply Responsible Business, I write about business leaders since the 19th century who have acted responsibly, often by putting the welfare of their communities above the idea of maximizing profits. I make a sharp distinction between... View Details
Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones; Beauty & Cosmetics
  • 07 Mar 2023
  • Blog Post

Deconstructing LEGO’s Decarbonization

Immersive Field Course, our group had researched the opportunities and challenges facing the renowned LEGO Group. Known for their innovative and sustainable approach to making their iconic plastic bricks, the company also faces challenges... View Details
  • 01 Jun 2023
  • News

Curb Appeal

trash collection to snow removal. If the forecast is correct, DSNY will have to clear 5 to 6 inches from 6,500 miles of city streets—a task that involves fitting plows to 2,000 garbage trucks and salt spreaders while continuing to collect the 24 million pounds of... View Details
Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; photography by Vance Jacobs; Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities; Government
  • Web

Business & Environment - Faculty & Research

with reusable grocery bags has been strongly promoted as environmentally and socially conscious. In parallel, firms have joined policy makers in using a variety of initiatives to reduce the use of plastic bags. However, little is known... View Details
  • 22 Feb 2022
  • News

New Urban Order

generally. There are potentially even greater savings to be realized in improving building efficiency, he notes, through energy audits, retrofits, and smart building software (the DOE estimates energy waste in the average US commercial... View Details
Keywords: Kathleen Fu, Deborah Blagg, Julia Hanna, and Maureen Harmon; illustrations by; energy; environment; sustainability; entrepreneurship; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services; Waste Management and Remediation Services
  • 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... View Details