What is the Business & Environment Initiative?What is the Business & Environment Initiative?   

Inspiring innovation and action at the intersection of business and environment 

Impact Stories 

Addressing Climate Change through Agriculture

Charley Cummings, MBA 2011

Sustainable Operations

Michael Toffel, Faculty Chair; Senator John Heinz Professor of Environmental Management

Wal-Mart: For Better or Worse

Rebecca Henderson, MBA 1985 Professor, Harvard Business School

Opportunities in Resource Industries

Vikas Mouli, MBA 2016

Climate Rising Podcast 

How Ceres Supports Corporate Boards to Accelerate Climate Action

  • 10 AUG 2022
  • | 
  • Climate Rising
Steven Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, shares how Ceres works with corporate boards to facilitate systemic change in private sector climate action, including why boards are a critical part of the equation. He also talks about how the recent proposed SEC disclosure rule could change boards’ roles on climate change, and offers advice for those interested in careers in business and climate change. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org. Guest: Steven Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets
Steven Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets, shares how Ceres works with corporate boards to facilitate systemic change in private sector climate action, including why boards are a critical part of the equation. He also talks about how the recent proposed SEC disclosure rule could change boards’ roles on climate change, and offers advice for those interested in careers in business and climate change. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org. Guest: Steven Rothstein, Managing Director, Ceres Accelerator for Sustainable Capital Markets

Faculty & Research 

6 Strategies for Building Socially Responsible—and Profitable—Companies

  • 02 AUG 2022
  • | 
  • Research & Ideas
A new generation of business leaders is finding innovative and profitable ways to bring about positive change in the world. In the book Purpose and Profit, George Serafeim offers a roadmap for people at every career stage who seek to align their professional aspirations with their personal values.

Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea?

By: Willy C. Shih, Michael W. Toffel and Pippa Tubman Armerding
  • AUGUST 2022
  • | 
  • Case
The setting for this case is the Sian Flowers, a company headquartered in Kitengela, Kenya that exports roses to predominantly Europe. Because cut flowers have a limited shelf life and consumers want them to retain their appearance for as long as possible, Sian or its distributors used international air cargo to transport them to Amsterdam, where they were sold at auction or trucked to markets across Europe. The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge increases in the cost of shipping, so Sian launched experiments to ship roses by ocean using refrigerated containers. Chris Kulei, the Executive Director, was interested in not only the potential costs savings, but whether he could also market the reduced carbon footprint.

Birla Carbon Egypt: Building Soft Power in a Foreign Country

By: Jeremy Friedman and Malini Sen
  • JULY 2022
  • | 
  • Case
Birla Carbon, a flagship business of the nearly $60-billion global conglomerate and India-headquartered Aditya Birla Group (ABG), is one of the world's top manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon black. The largest among its 16 manufacturing plants is Birla Carbon Egypt (BCE), situated in the port city of Alexandria. BCE started its operations in 1994, to become the first carbon black manufacturing unit in Egypt and the Middle East. Over three decades it has grown to become a leading exporter in the region, playing a significant role in the Egyptian economy. However, the journey has not been without its challenges as BCE has tackled political unrest and frequent changes in government, besides growing concerns about pollution. Given Egypt's recent volatile political history, would BCE be able to successfully continue to separate business from politics? More broadly, what would BCE's success or failure mean on a global scale? As India seeks to grow into a great power, how would its economic footprint abroad distinguish it from other great powers? Could BCE represent a new, Indian version of FDI?

David Crane’s Clean(er) Energy Strategy at NRG

By: George Serafeim, Michael W. Toffel and Tom Quinn
  • JULY 2022
  • | 
  • Case
In 2015, David Crane was the CEO of NRG, the second-largest energy producer in the United States. NRG got most of its power from fossil fuels, but Crane – hired as CEO in 2003 as NRG emerged from bankruptcy – had invested heavily in alternative energy, loudly proclaiming the business benefits of being a leader on climate change. But by 2015, facing investor and board pressure, Crane was forced to spin off NRG’s renewable assets, marking the end of his bold strategy.

Supporting a Community of Learners

MBA Experience

As an MBA student at HBS, you will prepare yourself for leadership in a rapidly changing world in which natural resources are increasingly scarce and the threat of climate change ever more urgent.
How organizations can connect with students

Alumni

The Business & Environment Initiative connects alumni with students, faculty, and each other for learning, careers, and impact.

Executive Education

An advanced curriculum for corporate and nonprofit executives from all over the world to prepare them for new levels of leadership.
Agribusiness Seminar
Purpose and Profit: Creating Shared Value

Videos 

Initiatives focus on societal challenges that are too complex for any one discipline or industry to solve alone.