Research
Working collaboratively with partners in enterprise and academia, our research explores how to reach net-zero carbon emissions, the best options for sustainable cooling solutions and how to stimulate a regenerative economy.
We also support the transition to sustainable production in capital-intensive industries such as mining and construction, as well examining alternatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions form the food system.
Water research
Our research focuses on reducing social inequalities – river water security in urban Asia, climate resilience in Africa and results-based funding for safe drinking water in rural Africa and Asia. We aim to make 10 million poor people in Africa and Asia water secure by 2024, and advance thinking on rural water finance to provide reliable water services for 100 million people by 2030.
Past projects
The interdisciplinary RISE project focused on designing integrated, practical and transferable strategies for the local SME renewable energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our work centred on two contrasting national case studies, in Uganda and Zambia.
Mumuni Singani, a spin-off from the RISE project, created an innovative concept that combines access to clean energy, irrigation systems, sustainable farming and agro-processing solutions in Singani, Zambia. The approach was developed in cooperation with local communities, especially the involvement of Women Self-Help Groups, with the aim of scaling-up the concept across other regions in sub-Saharan Africa.
Latest news
Demand for ESG expertise reveals ‘competence greenwashing’ risk
The recruitment drive for ESG experts has highlighted concerns about candidates misrepresenting their competence and experience in the field. Smith School Business Fellow Ranjita Rajan speaks to FT Sustainable Views about the need for transparency, collaboration and continuous learning. Climate change risk is a vast and scientifically complex area, so “how can we assume that a board member with an ESG responsibility is a climate change risk expert? It's important to strike a balance between calling out greenwashing, while acknowledging that organisations, boards and individuals need the space to get things wrong, learn, and do better."
When Does Collaboration Become Collusion?
The New York Times cites a recent article from Oxford University, Harvard University and IMD Business School in Switzerland exploring the legalities of climate collaboration.
Sustainable investing and generating returns go hand-in-hand
At the University of Oxford’s World Forum on Enterprise and the Environment, Hubert Keller, Lombard Odier’s Senior Managing Partner, told an audience of world-leaders in policy, academia and business that the financial industry’s approach to sustainable investing needs a radical overhaul.