Gies College of Business

PODCAST: The Pollution Shell Game - Why Divestment Doesn’t Always Leave the Planet Greener

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Mar 24, 2026 John Moist Faculty Finance Podcasts Research


Firms can sell their dirty plants but keep using that plant's output. Gies Business Professor Qiping Xu reveals the "cosmetic redrawing" of corporate boundaries and why divestment sometimes fails the planet.

In an age where companies are eager to prove their environmental credibility, some are divesting "dirty assets" like plants that produce pollution. But what if that celebrated practice isn't actually addressing environmental harms? Where does industrial pollution go when companies divest? In this episode of Research Reverb, Gies Business Professor Qiping Xu reveals the "cosmetic redrawing" of corporate boundaries and why divestment sometimes fails the planet.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

 

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Gies College of Business
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