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The doctoral thesis of Ronja Dorairaju, MSc. "Supply chain responses to sustainability transitions: Essays on ESG, circular economy, and biodiversity practices” will be publicly examined at the Aalto University School of Business on Friday, October 2nd, 2026.

Companies face increasing regulatory, societal, and market pressures to integrate sustainability into supply chain management. Yet implementation remains fragmented and difficult to coordinate across supply chain actors. Ronja Dorairaju’s dissertation examines how supply chains can support sustainability transitions through circular economy, ESG, and biodiversity practices.

“Sustainability should not be managed as a set of separate issues within supply chains. When connections between different sustainability objectives are recognized in sourcing, design, and supply chain collaboration, the same actions can help advance several objectives at once,” says Ronja Dorairaju.

The dissertation consists of three studies. The first analyzes 1,321 scientific articles and examines the evolution of sustainability research in supply chain management. The field has expanded rapidly but continues to emphasize environmental and economic dimensions, while social sustainability and biodiversity have received less attention.

The second study is based on 20 interviews across the Finnish plastic packaging supply chain. Firms respond to EU circular economy regulation through packaging redesign, material substitution, and collaboration, but implementation is constrained by material availability, technological limitations, and coordination challenges.

The third study analyzes 50 sustainability reports and examines the complementarity between circular economy and biodiversity practices. The strongest complementarities are found in reduction- and redesign-oriented practices, while restoration and regeneration practices remain more domain-specific and less integrated.

Overall, the findings show that sustainability transitions require coordinated action across supply chain actors and sustainability domains. For companies, this means aligning sustainability objectives and practices across suppliers, customers, and other partners. For policymakers, circular economy regulation should combine ambition with implementation feasibility, including clear definitions, predictable timelines, adequate infrastructure, and supply chain coordination.

Keywords: circular economy, sustainability, ESG, biodiversity, supply chain management, qualitative research

Opponent: Professor Joe Miemczyk, ESCP Business School
Custos (Chairperson): Professor Katri Kauppi, Aalto University School of Business

Contact information: ronja.dorairaju@aalto.fi

Thesis available at: