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    Natural EnvironmentRemove Natural Environment →

    New research on business's effect on and responsibility for the natural environment, including shareholder activism, ecotourism, and how businesses can benefit from investing in environmental sustainability.
    Page 1 of 183 Results →
    • 23 Mar 2023
    • Research & Ideas

    As Climate Fears Mount, More Investors Turn to 'ESG' Funds Despite Few Rules

    by Rachel Layne

    Regulations and ratings remain murky, but that's not deterring climate-conscious investors from paying more for funds with an ESG label. Research by Mark Egan and Malcolm Baker sizes up the premium these funds command. Is it time for more standards in impact investing?

    • 13 Jan 2023
    • Research & Ideas

    Are Companies Actually Greener—or Are They All Talk?

    by Rachel Layne

    More companies than ever use ESG reports to showcase their social consciousness. But are these disclosures meaningful or just marketing? Research by Ethan Rouen delves into the murky world of voluntary reporting and offers advice for investors.

    • 20 Sep 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    Larry Fink at BlackRock: Linking Purpose to Profit

    Re: George Serafeim

    In 2014, Larry Fink started writing letters to the leaders of some of the largest publicly listed companies, urging them to consider the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Fink is the chairman and CEO of BlackRock, one of the largest asset management houses in the world. The firm’s success was rooted in its cost-effective, passive investment products that rely more on tracking indices and funds. But Fink wanted his firm to engage with the companies in which they invest and hold them accountable for their social and environmental impacts. What role should investors play in urging business leaders to take environmental, social, and governance issues more seriously and enforcing compliance? Harvard Business School professor George Serafeim discusses the merits of Fink’s approach, the importance of corporate investments in ESG themes, and how to lead a company driven by purpose and profit in his case, “BlackRock: Linking Purpose to Profit,” and his new book Purpose and Profit: How Business Can Lift Up The World.

    • 28 Jun 2022
    • Book

    The Moral Enterprise: How Two Companies Profit with Purpose

    by Avery Forman

    Despite polarized attitudes, Rebecca Henderson argues that it's the perfect time for companies to reset their moral compass. In an essay from the book A Political Economy of Justice, she explores the social efforts of Cadbury and Unilever.

    • 22 Feb 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    How to Scale a Startup Marketplace for Used Furniture

    Re: Ayelet Israeli

    AptDeco, a peer-to-peer marketplace for used furniture in the New York City area, was growing rapidly in the massive $120 billion furniture market, despite its complexity and high costs. Co-founders Reham Fagiri and Kalam Dennis were considering different options to scale the business, including converting sellers into buyers and vice versa, finding superusers to fuel the supply for their platform, expanding to new markets, and rebranding with a sustainability focus. Professor Ayelet Israeli and AptDeco co-founder Kalam Dennis discuss the best way to scale the business in the case, “AptDeco: Circular Economy Furniture Marketplace.” Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 25 Jan 2022
    • Cold Call Podcast

    How Footwear Startup Allbirds is Decarbonizing Fashion

    Re: Michael W. Toffel

    In 2021, the footwear startup Allbirds was extending its product range into apparel and expanding beyond its online store to open more retail stores around the world. It was also freely sharing its know-how and material innovations with its competitors to try to scale its efforts to decarbonize fashion, by substituting natural materials for conventional petroleum-based materials and leather. But the company also had to find ways to remain differentiated, based on design and comfort. Professor Mike Toffel and Allbirds co-founder and CEO Joey Zwillinger discuss the growing environmental impact of the fashion industry and how the company managed the tension between advancing its environmental mission and staying ahead of competitors in the case, Allbirds: Decarbonizing Fashion. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 30 Nov 2021
    • In Practice

    What's the Role of Business in Confronting Climate Change?

    by Lynn Schenk and Dina Gerdeman

    COP26 shined a light on the complexities of addressing the climate crisis. We asked Harvard Business School faculty members to discuss how business leaders can help spur change and what opportunities might emerge. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 21 Jul 2021
    • Research & Ideas

    What Does an ESG Score Really Say About a Company?

    by Kristen Senz

    A key gauge in the $30 trillion sustainable investment market provides a murky picture of corporate social responsibility. Research by Anywhere Sikochi and George Serafeim probes the underlying factors. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 24 May 2021
    • Op-Ed

    Can Fabric Waste Become Fashion’s Resource?

    by Geoffrey Jones and Shelly Xu

    COVID-19 worsened the textile waste crisis. Now it's time for the fashion industry to address this spiraling problem, say Geoffrey Jones and Shelly Xu. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 04 May 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Accounting for Product Impact in the Telecommunications Industry

    by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

    A product impact framework is a systematic methodology applicable to different companies across a wide range of industries. This study examines the telecommunications industry, estimating the value of a product’s reach, accessibility, quality, optionality, environmental use emissions, and end-of-life recyclability.

    • 05 Jan 2021
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The ESG-Innovation Disconnect: Evidence from Green Patenting

    by Lauren Cohen, Umit G. Gurun, and Quoc H. Nguyen

    Energy-producing firms are more likely to produce “blockbuster” green patents than other firms. Yet energy firms are excluded from many environmental, social, and governance (ESG) funds, and are the targets of divestiture campaigns whose stated aims often include green energy innovation.

    • 24 Nov 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Accounting for Product Impact in the Consumer Finance Industry

    by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

    A framework and method for measuring and monetizing product impact across industries, applying it to two competitors in the consumer finance space.

    • 13 Nov 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    The European Commission’s Sustainable Corporate Governance Report: A Critique

    by Mark Roe, Holger Spamann, Jesse Fried, and Charles Wang

    The European Commission commissioned a report on sustainable corporate governance that purports to find serious problems of corporate short-termism. The report is wholly flawed: it conflates time horizon problems with externality problems, mismeasures investment and its financing, and proposes ineffective, possibly harmful reforms.

    • 02 Nov 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Accounting for Organizational Employment Impact

    by David Freiberg, Katie Panella, George Serafeim, and T. Robert Zochowski

    Impact-weighted accounting methodology standardizes previously disparate measures of impact, in this case the impact of employment. This paper’s methodology and analysis of Intel, Apple, Costco, and Merck shows the feasibility of measuring firm employment impact for insight into firm practices and performance. Closed for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 20 Sep 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Updating the Balanced Scorecard for Triple Bottom Line Strategies

    by Robert S. Kaplan and David McMillan

    Society increasingly expects businesses to help solve problems of environmental degradation, inequality, and poverty. This paper explains how the Balanced Scorecard and Strategy Map should be modified to reflect businesses’ expanded role for society.

    • 01 Sep 2020
    • Cold Call Podcast

    How to Launch a New Biosciences Product: Start Small or Dive in?

    Re: Jeffrey J. Bussgang

    C16 Biosciences wants to replace palm oil, a major contributor to deforestation, with a lab-grown substitute. But CEO Shara Ticku faces a tough decision in bringing the product to market. Jeff Bussgang discusses his case study. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 29 Jul 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Two Case Studies on the Financing of Forest Conservation

    by Andrew Baxter, Connor Cash, Josh Lerner, and Ratnika Prasad

    Case studies about The Conservation Fund and Sonen Capital highlight three broad lessons about fresh approaches to the ownership and management of forestland.

    • 07 Jul 2020
    • Research & Ideas

    Market Investors Pay More for Resilient Companies

    by Kristen Senz

    During a market collapse, investors will pay up for companies considered resilient in their response, according to George Serafeim. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 30 Jun 2020
    • Book

    Capitalism Is More at Risk Than Ever

    by Martha Lagace

    Almost a decade after writing Capitalism at Risk, Joseph Bower, Herman Leonard, and Lynn Paine argue that not enough companies are stepping up to fix big global problems. Open for comment; 0 Comments.

    • 12 Jun 2020
    • Working Paper Summaries

    Corporate Resilience and Response During COVID-19

    by Alex Cheema-Fox, Bridget LaPerla, George Serafeim, and Hui (Stacie) Wang

    Investors look for evidence during a market crisis that a company is resilient. This study includes findings that challenge the notion that companies need to adopt practices that hurt their employees because investors want them to do so.

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