10 MIT SMR Articles to Celebrate Earth Day

Since 1970, the world has come together every year on Earth Day to raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting our planet. Taking the initiative to create innovative solutions to address the “wicked problems” that threaten sustainability and the environment is part of the ethos of the MIT Sloan School of Management, whose mission is to develop “principled, innovative leaders who improve the world.”

For decades, MIT Sloan Management Review has been publishing on sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and climate change, in an effort to bring together expert-driven research and insights to our audience of business leaders. For us, the role of business in protecting the planet is not a topic du jour but rather a raison d’être. And as current conversations around corporate purpose and sustainability converge, we can look back at what MIT SMR editorial director of research David Kiron penned five years ago:

“As the effects of climate change become more prominent in daily life and in the economy more broadly, business needs to grapple with its own attitudes toward government as an enabler of, rather than a constraint on, their respective corporate purposes.”

In celebration of Earth Day 2022, we’ve brought together 10 of our most popular articles in our sustainability library for readers. For the rest of the month, these articles are free to all readers.

Businesspeople Must Reconnect With Nature to Save the Planet

George Ferns

Our distance from nature, whether emotional or physical, is likely one factor limiting efforts to protect the environment — and a detriment to advancing a nature-positive economy. The author discusses what business leaders can do to improve their relationships with nature, and how such connections can benefit both the environment and their organizations.

To Transition to Net Zero, Model the Alternative

Simon Glynn and Simon Cooper

Businesses should use scenario analysis to assess the costs of transitioning — or not — to net-zero carbon emissions.

Why Social Responsibility Produces More Resilient Organizations

Sarah Kaplan

Companies have more staying power when management decisions consider a diverse range of interests.

The Four Fatal Mistakes Holding Back Circular Business Models

Johan Frishammar and Vinit Parida

The authors’ analysis of how 15 large companies are adapting to circular business models reveals challenges in aligning incentives and motives among partners, identifying new partners, involving customers, and planning for extended implementation.

Why Fast Fashion Has to Slow Down

Tima Bansal and Gareth Gransaull

Much of the fashion industry trades on a culture of disposability. It’s not sustainable, and retail norms must change.

Yes, I’m Feeling Bad About Climate Change. Let’s Discuss.

Andrew Winston

MIT SMR columnist Andrew Winston finds that it’s easier to tackle scary discussions about the fate of our planet by considering three distinct questions: What do we really know about climate change? Why should we be worried and feel it’s so serious? And how do we cope with that knowledge and move forward?

Can We Afford Sustainable Business?

Marco Bertini, John Pineda, Amadeus Petzke, and Jean-Manuel Izaret

Creative approaches to setting prices and managing costs can make responsible business practices, such as scaling solar energy and closing the loop on fast fashion, financially viable.

Companies Must Find the Courage to Back Up Statements on Climate Action

Andrew Winston and Paul Polman

The authors discuss net positive advocacy — which requires business to not just lobby for self-interests but to work with governments to design policies that help solve macro problems and shift systems to more sustainable practices and outcomes.

Decarbonizing Our Toughest Sectors — Profitably

Amory Lovins

Cutting carbon emissions from harder-to-abate sectors like heavy transport and industrial heat will create new strategic opportunities for business.

How to Bring ESG Into the Quarterly Earnings Call

Brian Tomlinson, Tensie Whelan, and Kevin Eckerle

The authors examine how businesses can stop treating environmental, social, and governance strategies as a sidebar and integrate them into regular financial reporting.