More from the Author

• Case | HBS Case Collection | November 2019 (Revised December 2019)

  Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature

  Marco Iansiti, Michael W. Toffel and James Barnett

  Indigo Agriculture used a digital-enabled research and development (R&D) process to launch its initial product, microbial coatings for agricultural seeds, which increase crop yields while reducing the need for fertilizers. In doing so, the company developed direct relationships with farmers, in contrast to typical agricultural supply chains that use intermediaries. The company then launched a marketplace platform to link growers directly to crop buyers, again disintermediating the market. Indigo Agriculture is now considering launching an initiative to incentivize farmers to engage in regenerative agricultural practices by setting up a carbon market that could pay them for sequestering carbon into their soils. If scaled globally, the idea could sequester as much as one trillion tons (a teraton) of carbon dioxide from the earth’s atmosphere into agricultural soils, but pursing the idea has many risks.

  Citation:

  Iansiti, Marco, Michael W. Toffel, and James Barnett. "Indigo Agriculture: Harnessing Nature." Harvard Business School Case 620-024, November 2019. (Revised December 2019.)  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase

  Related

• Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2019

  Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks

  Caroline Flammer, Michael W. Toffel and Kala Viswanathan

  This paper examines whether—in the absence of mandated disclosure requirements—shareholder activism can elicit greater disclosure of firms’ exposure to climate change risks. We find that environmental shareholder activism increases the voluntary disclosure of climate change risks, especially if initiated by investors who are more powerful (institutional investors) or whose request has more legitimacy (long-term institutional investors). We also find that companies that voluntarily disclose climate change risks following environmental shareholder activism achieve a higher valuation, suggesting that investors value transparency with respect to climate change risks.

  Keywords: Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Business and Shareholder Relations; Risk and Uncertainty; Natural Environment; Environmental Sustainability; Weather and Climate Change; Financial Services Industry; United States;

  Citation:

  Flammer, Caroline, Michael W. Toffel, and Kala Viswanathan. "Shareholder Activism and Firms' Voluntary Disclosure of Climate Change Risks." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-049, October 2019.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsSSRN Read Now

  Related

• Case | HBS Case Collection | August 2019 (Revised September 2019)

  Fossil Fuel Divestment

  Michael W. Toffel and Sarah Gulick

  The President of Harvard University is facing growing pressure from students, alumni, and other climate change activists that are urging the university to divest its multi-billion dollar endowment from fossil fuel companies. The case summarizes the arguments for and against Harvard divesting, examining past examples of Harvard’s investment decisions and the financial implications of divestment.

  Keywords: divestment; Higher Education; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Environmental Sustainability; Weather and Climate Change; Public Opinion; Education Industry;

  Citation:

  Toffel, Michael W., and Sarah Gulick. "Fossil Fuel Divestment." Harvard Business School Case 620-026, August 2019. (Revised September 2019.)  View Details

  CiteView DetailsEducatorsPurchase

  Related