HBS Business and Environment Initiative

Estimates suggest #ESG investing could surpass $50 trillion by 2025, as investors look for opportunities for their investment capital to have a broader social impact, so is it time to change how ESG is measured? In the latest from Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Professor Lauren Cohen outlines a solution that can improve transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness and lays out a win-win-win-win scenario for firms, investors, policymakers, and the world more broadly on how ESG is measured: https://lnkd.in/eujrXMnJ #harvardbusinessschool #ESG #investing #climatechange #climate #climateaction

Latest #ClimateRising podcast episode from Harvard Business School features Dan Widmaier, CEO of Bolt Threads, discussing low-carbon fashionable materials including Mylo, a substitute for leather that’s derived from mushrooms. Hear his TED Talk from the TED Climate podcast, brought to you here a bonus episode of Climate Rising. It’s a perfect extension of our two most recent Climate Rising episodes that focus on other low-carbon advanced materials: GALY’s lab-grown cotton and C16 Biosciences lab-generated treeless palm oil. Key Takeaways:  1️⃣ Fashion is Environmentally Intense: Many materials used in the fashion industry have significant environmental impacts, including cotton, leather, nylon, and polyester.  2️⃣ Scientific Innovation: Using new production methods and new materials is a substantial opportunity to reduce the environmental impacts of fashion. For example, Mylo, made from mycelium (mushroom roots), mimics leather’s properties and is far less energy intensive and generates much less pollution.  3️⃣ Early Adopters & Collaboration: Brands like Stella McCartney, lululemon, Kering, and Adidas have joined forces in the Mylo Consortium to promote sustainable materials. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/evkaFeq6 #Sustainability #FashionInnovation #ClimateChange #Mylo #SustainableMaterials #FashionRevolution #Climate_Rising #Podcast #HarvardBusinessSchool #Decarbonization

An increasing number of companies are using the E-liability carbon-accounting method as an important tool for tracking progress toward reducing global emissions in their supply chains. The system does not require formal accounting for downstream emissions—those occurring after a company sells its products to immediate customers, for several good reasons. Certain companies, however, are accountable for disclosing downstream emissions generated by consumers’ use of their products. In the latest article from Harvard Business Review by Harvard Business School Professor Bob Kaplan and Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Professor Karthik Ramanna present the principles and explain how and to what standards of reliability the companies should disclose downstream emissions. https://lnkd.in/gSJXQAUv #harvardbusinessschool #climate #climatechange #climateaction #disclosure #emissions #carbon #accounting

Last month, The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University hosted #HarvardClimateActionWeek, which invited climate experts, leaders, and stakeholders to come together and explore solutions to the most complex and challenging dimensions of the climate crisis. Events, in-person and online, delved deep into the policies, private actions, and leadership needed to drive further reductions in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.   Recordings from the sessions are now available, including sessions featuring Harvard Business School professors on "Blended Finance: A Whole-System Approach to Climate Finance", moderated by Peter Tufano (with Anmay Dittman, Irina Gorbounova, and Lana Graf, PhD); "Overcoming the Challenges of Scaling Climate Infrastructure", led by Jim Matheson (with Mario Fernandez, Lee Scott, and Jonah Wagner); "Partnering to Scale a Healthier, Sustainable Supply Chain", with Mike Toffel, Joseph Allen, Annie Bevan, Heather Henriksen, and Ben Myers; and "Voluntary Carbon Markets" with Executive Fellow Carolyn Weinberg. Monday, June 10 session recordings: - Welcoming Remarks - Tackling Hard to Abate Sectors - Finding Bipartisan Solutions to the Climate Crisis - Carbon Pricing in 2025? - Environmental Justice Implementation with IRA Funds: Is it Working? - The Challenge of U.S. Climate Law in the Next Five Years - Solar Geoengineering: Ethics and Science - Strategies for Mitigating Global Methane Emissions - U.S. Climate Policy Post-IRA - ✅Blended Finance: A Whole-System Approach to Climate Finance - Leading Together: U.S.-China Cooperation on Climate Change - Public Schools as Climate Leaders - Harvard Science & Engineering to Navigate a Warming World - ✅ Voluntary Carbon Markets Tuesday, June 11 sessions: - Gen Z Climate Leadership - Remarks by Ali Zaidi, National Climate Advisor - Transitioning the Grid - The Importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge - Charting a Just and Equitable Transition to Clean Buildings - How Cities are Leveraging Food Systems to Advance Climate Action - Innovative Climate Technologies - Leading Equitable Change for Climate Action - Rethinking Global Climate Ambitions in the Face of Arctic Emissions - Indigenous Leadership in Raising Global Climate Ambition - ✅Moving from Innovation to Deployment: Overcoming the Challenges of Scaling Climate Infrastructure - ✅Partnering to Scale a Healthier, Sustainable Supply Chain - Supporting Community-Led Climate Adaptation - What Could Go Wrong? - Harvard Alumni Leading Climate Solutions https://lnkd.in/eEMfjDeS   #harvardbusinessschool #harvardclimateactionweek #climatechange #climateaction #leadership #business

“We must rethink how we regulate and use water. Businesses have a crucial role in this transformation. With their innovation and leadership, we can overcome the water challenges we face today.” Nicole Neeman Brady has been at the forefront of water and power industries since her graduation from Harvard Business School in 2008. Steeped in the knowledge of what does and does not work in the quest for safe, reliable, and affordable drinking water, Nicole has been working to overcome the challenges that governments face when addressing numerous, imminent water crises. Read about how she views these challenges and the pivotal role businesses can play in the latest from our Climate Stories series, written by Jackie Adams. https://lnkd.in/eXsU5rAH #climate #climatechange #climateaction #water #energy #policy #government #business

Latest #ClimateRising podcast episode from Harvard Business School features Shara Ticku, Co-founder and CEO of C16 Biosciences, discussing how her #biotech #startup uses fermentation to develop #Palmless substitute for palm oil -- while avoiding the climate, biodiversity, and habitat destruction associated with tropical rainforest destruction associated with agricultural palm oil. Learn about her journey from concept to commercialization and the future of #SyntheticBiology in #ClimateTech. Key Takeaways: 1. Environmental Impact: Palm oil production emits 2% of global GHG emissions, more than global aviation. 2. Biotech Innovation: Using microorganisms as factories to produce a palm oil alternative. 3. Market Potential: Palm oil is found in 50% of supermarket packaged goods. 4. Sustainable Solution: C16's Palmless is a scalable and economically viable alternative. 5. Cosmetics then food: Navigating complex buying cycles, supply chains, and traceability issues requires careful product development sequencing. Shara’s Advice for New Entrepreneurs: 1. Explore Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Engage with diverse groups to open your mind. 2. Take Action: Don’t overanalyze; make decisions and adapt. 3. Use Criticism as Fuel: Turn negative feedback into motivation. Listen at https://lnkd.in/e9j8xjQd #PalmOil #ClimateTech #SustainableInnovation #Biotech #SyntheticBiology #C16Biosciences #Palmless #Deforestation #C16Biosciences #HarvardBusinessSchool #Agricultural

Given the rise of high-intensity weather events, insurtech firm Hippo Insurance considered how its underwriting model could account for the effects of #climatechange. Could insurtech firm Hippo weather climate change and disrupt the insurance industry? Harvard Business School Professor Lauren Cohen discusses the case, “Hippo: Weathering the Storm of the Home Insurance Crisis.” Watch here: https://lnkd.in/g4GZx8c5 #harvardbusinessschool #climate #climatechange #insurance #risk

With #decarbonization at the forefront of corporate strategy for cement producers with net-zero targets, CEOs in construction and heavy industries must prioritize innovative abatement strategies to meet rising global demand for cement while reducing emissions. Research by HBS Institute for Business in Global Society Climate Fellow Gunther Glenk offers an economic framework for identifying cost-efficient abatement measures to substantially reduce emissions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/d3NNkcNP? #harvardbusinessschool #climate #climatechange #climateaction #decarbonization #emissions #industry

Agriculture contributes about 20% of the world’s greenhouse emissions. Latest #ClimateRising podcast episode from Harvard Business School feature GALY's founder and CEO Luciano Bueno discussing his company’s lab-grown cotton that can decarbonize textiles and medical products. Luciano shares how his upbringing in Brazil, interest in textiles, entrepreneurship, and climate change led him to found and grow GALY to a Series B company. He reflects on the future of lab-grown technologies and climate tech entrepreneurship. Listen at https://lnkd.in/ejryrmbK #Podcast #HarvardBusinessSchool #GALY #LabGrownCotton #SustainableAgriculture #ClimateTech #GreenInnovation #Entrepreneurship #ClimateTechnology #SustainableFashion #GreenhouseEmissions #CellularAgriculture #EcoFriendlyFabrics #Sustainability #ClimateSolutions #ClimateAction

Ben Schutzman (MBA 2016) shares his career journey and how his position as COO at Highland Electric Fleets enables him to tackle infrastructure problems and make a positive impact on climate and the community with better infrastructure and transportation services. He shares the different ways that Harvard Business School helped him along his journey, from participating in the Leadership Fellows program to realizing his passion for pursuing a career that drives positive change. https://lnkd.in/euD6erXd #harvardbusinessschool #climate #climatechange #climateaction #leadership #ev