PhD Defence: Anika Schröder

In order to obtain the PhD degree, Anika Schröder has submitted her thesis entitled:

Digital Sustainability: Green Transformation of the Agri-Food Industry

This dissertation positions digital sustainability as a catalyst for green transformation within the agri-food industry. Drawing on five studies and four years of ethnographic fieldwork, including 67 stakeholder interviews, the findings reveal critical barriers to scaling digital sustainability initiatives and demonstrate three distinct pathways – optimization, substitution, and redistribution – through which industry actors can mobilize green transformation. The dissertation advances insights on digital sustainability as a multi-level phenomenon, by illustrating how digital technologies transition from niche experimentation into ecosystemic regime-level shifts that ultimately influence broader landscape dynamics and accelerate large-scale environmental improvements.The research offers actionable guidelines for practitioners aiming to leverage digital technologies to achieve substantial, coordinated environmental outcomes.

The thesis will be available from research.cbs.dk

Primary Supervisor:

Professor Ioanna Constantiou
Department of Digitalization
Copenhagen Business School 

Secondary Supervisors: 

Professor Carmelo Cenamo
Department of Strategy and Innovation
Copenhagen Business School

Assessment Committee:

Professor Jacob Nørbjerg (Chair)
Department of Digitalization
Copenhagen Business School

Professor Marina Papanastassiou
Department of International Business
University of Leeds

Professor Ilias Pappas
Department of Computer Science
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Date: 12 June 2025
Time: 14:00-16:00
Online: TEAMS

*Please note that the microphone and camera of all spectators must be turned off.

Location: Kilen
Room: Ks54
Reception: K Atrium (the hall)

*The CBS PhD School will host a reception, which will take place immediately after the defence.