How BMW is Driving Decarbonization

How BMW is Driving Decarbonization

Author: Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative May 24, 2023 Duration: 24:03
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

Hosted by the Harvard Business School Business & Environment Initiative, Climate Rising moves beyond abstract warnings to examine the concrete realities facing companies today. Each episode features candid conversations with senior executives, policymakers, and HBS faculty, dissecting the operational and strategic choices that define a business's relationship to a warming planet. You’ll hear how leaders are navigating pressures from investors, customers, and regulators while making pivotal decisions on everything from supply chain logistics and new technology investments to long-term risk assessment and competitive positioning. This isn't a theoretical discussion; it's a ground-level look at the practical dilemmas and innovations shaping industries. The podcast delves into the nuanced trade-offs managers face, turning climate change from a looming threat into a series of actionable, if complex, business problems. For anyone curious about how the private sector is actually responding-the successes, the stalled efforts, and the evolving playbooks-this series offers an essential and sobering dialogue. Tune in for a direct line to the thinking that is quietly redrawing the corporate map.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Climate Rising
Podcast Episodes
A Biotech Solution to Palm Oil Deforestation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:11
Today’s episode is the fifth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about green concrete, green steel, regen…
How Lab - Grown Cotton can Decarbonize Textiles [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:30
Today’s episode is the fourth in our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Previously we talked about the technical products of green c…
H2 Green Steel: Decarbonizing Steel Production with Green Hydrogen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:52
This episode is a part of our series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries. Our prior episode explored green concrete, and today’s focuses on s…
Green Concrete: Decarbonizing Construction with Recycled Glass [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:00
The first of a series on decarbonizing the roots of value chains, where we’re looking deep into supply chains that serve many industries, this episode focuses on concrete. Concrete is one of the world’s most popular mate…
Helping Companies Become More Climate Resilient [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:03
In this episode in our adaptation series, Peter Hall, Managing Director at Resonance Impact Advisory, draws upon his experience in global engineering and professional services firms to share how consulting and advisory c…
How Insurance Companies are Addressing Climate Risks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
This episode in our adaptation series focuses climate change’s implications on the insurance industry. Claudine Blamey, Group Director of Sustainability at Aviva, describes how climate change evokes both transition risks…
Building Climate - Resilient Cities and Infrastructure [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:43
This episode in our climate adaptation series features HBS Professor John Macomber. John discusses how companies and governments need to incorporate climate resilience as they develop and finance real estate and infrastr…
The Lightsmith Group’s Adaptation Investment Strategy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:12
This episode continues our series on adaptation, and features Jay Koh who co-founded the Lightsmith Group, the first growth private equity firm focused on climate adaptation. Jay discusses the firm’s investment strategy,…
Visualizing our Changing Climate with Probable Futures [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:22
In this first episode of our series on adaptation, host Mike Toffel sits down with Spencer Glendon and Alison Smart of Probable Futures. They discuss how Probable Futures tools are educating decision makers to better und…