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Peter Lund-Thom­sen

Professor

Emner
Cirkulær økonomi International økonomi Handel Værdikæde Bæredygtighed Socialt ansvar

Primary research areas

Glob­al value chains and cor­por­ate respons­ibility
I the­or­ize and em­pir­ic­ally in­vest­ig­ate how the sourcing and sustain­ability policies of glob­al brands and re­tail­ers af­fect sup­pli­er prof­it­ab­il­ity, work­er con­di­tions, and en­vir­on­ment­al pol­lu­tion in the Glob­al South.
Sup­pli­er and work­er ap­proaches to cor­por­ate respons­ibility
I the­or­ize and em­pir­ic­ally in­vest­ig­ate how sup­pli­ers and work­ers un­der­stand the no­tion of cor­por­ate respons­ibility and in­flu­ence the func­tion­ing of glob­al value chains from be­low, with­in the wider con­text of the green trans­ition.
Glob­al re­cyc­ling chains and cor­por­ate sustain­ability
I the­or­ize and em­pir­ic­ally in­vest­ig­ate the dy­nam­ics of glob­al re­cyc­ling chains—par­tic­u­larly the second-hand cloth­ing trade between Europe and South Asia—and their im­plic­a­tions for eco­nom­ic, so­cial, and en­vir­on­ment­al up­grad­ing.

I en­gage dir­ectly in the design, im­ple­ment­a­tion, and eval­u­ation of cor­por­ate respons­ibility ini­ti­at­ives with­in glob­al value chains.

My research investigates the economic, social, and environmental consequences of international trade between the Global North and the Global South. In particular, it seeks to answer three questions: 

1. Why do global value chains arise between the Global North and the Global South? 

2. How do multinational companies organize this trade, particularly through their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability requirements? 

3. What are the economic, social, and environmental implications of this trade for local firms, farmers, workers, and communities in the Global South? 

With an interdisciplinary background in development studies (i.e., North–South relations), environmental management, and labor studies, I aim to develop global value chain analysis as a heuristic tool for empirical inquiry—incorporating insights from CSR and corporate sustainability, political ecology, and worker-driven regulation theories. For more than 20 years, I have conducted detailed empirical studies of the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and impact of CSR and sustainability policies in global garment, textile, leather, and bamboo value chains linking Europe and South Asia. 

This research reflects an epistemic commitment to amplifying the voices of marginalized and suppressed stakeholders in South Asia, whose perspectives are too often ignored or sidelined in CSR and sustainability research, policy, and practice in Europe and North America. 

My work has been published in top-tier journals such as Work, Employment and Society, Environment and Planning A, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of Business Ethics, Development and Change, Ecological Economics, and Global Networks. In addition, I have authored and edited five books in the past five years, including my recent monograph Rethinking Global Value Chains and CSR (Edward Elgar, 2022), as well as co-authored titles such as Sustainable Garment Value Chains (Cambridge University Press, 2023). I also have two recent volumes: Global Value Chains and Climate Change (Edward Elgar, 2025) and Nation-branding, Global Value Chains, and Sustainability (Cambridge University Press, 2025).