
How BMW is Driving Decarbonization
- 24 MAY 2023
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- Climate Rising
This bonus episode of Climate Rising features Harvard Business Review’s Cold Cast
podcast with Brian Kenny interviewing HBS professor Shirley Lu on BMW Group’s decarbonization
strategy, which is the subject of a new case study that Shirley wrote with HBS colleagues
George Serafeim and Mike Toffel. They discuss why BMW is focusing on reducing vehicle
lifecycle emissions, and why the company has so far avoided setting a phase-out date
for internal combustion engine BMWs. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org.
Guest/Host: ● Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Harvard Business
School and host of Cold Call ● Shirley Lu, Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School
This bonus episode of Climate Rising features Harvard Business Review’s Cold Cast
podcast with Brian Kenny interviewing HBS professor Shirley Lu on BMW Group’s decarbonization
strategy, which is the subject of a new case study that Shirley wrote with HBS colleagues
George Serafeim and Mike Toffel. They discuss why BMW is focusing on reducing vehicle
lifecycle emissions, and why the company has so far avoided setting a phase-out date
for internal combustion engine BMWs. For transcripts and other resources, visit climaterising.org.
Guest/Host: ● Brian Kenny, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Harvard Business
School and host of Cold Call ● Shirley Lu, Assistant Professor, Harvard Business School

Innovating, Funding, and Scaling Climate Solutions at Harvard Business School: Day Three of Harvard Climate Action Week
Re: By: Shona Simkin; Peter Tufano; Debora Spar; Srikant Datar; George Serafeim; Jim Matheson; Robert Kaplan; Shirley Lu; Rosabeth Moss Kanter; Eleanor Laurans; Juan Alcacer
- 19 May 2023
- |
- Harvard Business School

Students Strive to Solve Climate Change
- 12 May 2023
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- Harvard Business School
CMA CGM: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Container Shipping
- MAY 2023
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- Case
Marine transport is the most cost-effective way to move large volumes over long distances, and container shipping is the backbone of international trade in goods. Yet shipping contributed 3% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, and the deep-sea segment, which included long distance trade lanes such as Asia to Northern Europe and Asia to North America, warranted special focus because they accounted for 80% of maritime transport’s total emissions in 2019. New International Maritime Organization regulations that came into force in January 2023 mandated the annual calculation and grading of each ship of more than 5,000 deadweight tons. Vessels that received a grade of A, B, or C were compliant, while those graded D or E had time limits for getting back into compliance or removal from service. More significantly, the standards for grading required annual improvements in efficiency. This mean that a brand-new vessel built with the latest technology that was initially graded A could over time become graded E and no longer be legally operable if no upgrades were made. This case afford students the opportunity to consider different fuel and operational choices and calculate their impact on greenhouse gas emissions and ship grading. It exposes some of the choices that an operator might choose to make.
ESG: From Process to Product
- 2023
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- Working Paper
ESG measurement, analysis, management, and communication is a process that the financial industry has turned into a product, resulting in many investment funds using the ESG label. This has caused confusion, generating demand for a framework that defines the objectives and characteristics of ESG investment products. The main objective is to intentionally allocate capital and influence investees with measurable financial, environmental and/or social outcomes. The key characteristics are those of intentionality and measurability with the additional characteristics of materiality and additionality serving to enhance their overall significance.
Sian Flowers: Fresher by Sea - Video Supplement
- MAY 2023
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- Teaching Material
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.
Ferrari: Shifting to Carbon Neutrality
- MAY 2023
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- Case
Sports car manufacturer commits to carbon neutrality and to electrifying a large part of it's car fleet.
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