Every other week, we share five links that made us think in our popular sustainable business briefing. Sign up here to get the next edition delivered straight to your inbox.
🎓 I Teach at a Business School. It’s Time to Shut Them Down — The New York Times
In this talked-about op-ed, Cambridge business professor Chris Marquis interrogates the MBA, arguing that it perpetuates the harmful mindsets and practices dominating the business world and preventing positive progress. Rather than “tinker at the margins with a class on corporate responsibility or ethics,” he suggests a more radical, burn-it-all-down rethink of modern business education. This is one where I came in critical but ended pretty convinced. (12 minutes — gift link to bypass paywall)
🗳️ Climate Change Is on the Ballot—Even If Dems Aren’t Saying Those Words — The New Republic
This year’s U.S. midterm campaign trail has been noticeably quiet on climate, and it’s sparked plenty of debate in our sector. Are Democrats learning from past missteps and smartly meeting voters where they are on issues like cost-of-living? Or does not naming climate mean burying it as a legitimate issue? Pair with this piece from University of Michigan climate comms researchers on the three kinds of climate candidates. (6 minutes)
👉 TAKE ACTION: The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a massive campaign mobilizing communities to respond to threats that would erode their power at the polls - and companies have a big role to play. If you’re working in-house, make sure your leaders are familiarized with their company toolkit.
📈 The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t. — Harvard Business Review
Ten years after co-writing an oft-cited HBR article laying out “The Comprehensive Business Case for Sustainability”, NYU Stern’s Tensie Whelan is back with a 2026 update. This time she draws on a decade of data from NYU’s ROSI tool to spotlight more specific business case drivers. While I’m still skeptical of broad business case generalizations (at this stage, they really need to be company-specific) I did find some handy proof points here. (7 minutes)
🧥 Patagonia Just Made a Brilliant Update to Its Website — Fast Company
Patagonia, at it again. This time with a smart website update rather than a loud campaign, but one that’s likely to inspire other retailers (in the same way Patagonia’s other efforts tend to catalyze industry action). After a four-year build, shoppers can now buy new and used in one cart. Might sound simple, but this piece lays out all the technical and logistical challenges it took to get there. (3 minutes)
🚺 Lis Best: The leadership to solve the climate crisis — TEDxEncinitas Blvd
Most people want climate action. So why isn’t it happening? Lis Best, a friend of Reconsidered who spent years working in corporate sustainability and government affairs before starting the Girls Club Collective, says it’s a leadership problem. Her TEDx talk makes the case for feminine relational leadership: collective, long-term, curious and comfortable not having all the answers (no gender binary required). Read her recently published manifesto for the full framework. (19 minutes)