Publications
Publications
- March 2023
- HBS Case Collection
Sustainability Reporting at Dollar Tree, Inc.
By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni
Abstract
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 122-044. The case discusses the ESG strategy of Dollar Tree Inc., a U.S. Fortune 500 company in the deep discount retail industry and the shareholder pressure faced by the company. In 2022, the company faced a shareholder resolution from renowned shareholder advocacy group As You Sow for the company to better mitigate and report on the climate risks faced by the business. The resolution challenged the company to intensify its climate transition plans and adopt a “net-zero” emission goal. A 2020 shareholder resolution at the company by a different shareholder received record-breaking support that had already caused the company to revamp its sustainability initiatives. This case provides an overview of Dollar Tree’s business, the recent landscape of sustainability reporting and shareholder ESG resolutions in the U.S., and the narrative of management opposition to the resolutions. Overall, the case captures the interactions between environmental shareholder activism, corporate management and those charged with governance, especially the board of directors. This case is useful for students to discuss recent trends of ESG-related shareholder activism, sustainability reporting especially related to environmental issues, climate governance and how companies are reacting to them.
Keywords
ESG; Sustainability; Shareholder Activism; Dollar Tree; Sustainability Reporting; ESG Reporting; Board Of Directors; Shareholder Engagement; GHG; Environmental Accounting; Integrated Corporate Reporting; Trends; Communication; Announcements; Voting; Environmental Management; Climate Change; Environmental Sustainability; Values and Beliefs; Corporate Accountability; Corporate Disclosure; Corporate Governance; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Policy; Reports; Business or Company Management; Risk Management; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Outcome or Result; Strategic Planning; Business and Stakeholder Relations; Situation or Environment; Opportunities; Civil Society or Community; Social Issues; Public Opinion; Strategy; Adaptation; Alignment; Business Strategy; Corporate Strategy; Value Creation; Retail Industry; United States; Virginia
Citation
Srinivasan, Suraj, and Li-Kuan Ni. "Sustainability Reporting at Dollar Tree, Inc." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 123-077, March 2023.