Beyond CO2 - Wie beeinflussen globale Lieferketten die Biodiversität?

Abstract

(i) Motivation and Problem Statement: Biological diversity forms the foundation of key ecological functions and is closely linked to human well-being. Yet, it is increasingly under pressure: climate change, intensive land use, and global supply chains are major contributors to biodiversity loss. While the impact of industrial activities on CO₂ emissions is now well understood, there remains significant uncertainty regarding the extent to which global supply chains contribute to the decline of biodiversity—and, above all, how these effects can be reliably measured. Against this backdrop, this thesis explores how companies influence the preservation or degradation of biodiversity along their supply chains, and which measures they are currently implementing—or could implement in the future—to mitigate negative impacts. (ii) Structure and Methodology: The thesis is divided into six chapters. Following the introduction, Chapter 2 provides a theoretical discussion of the concept of biodiversity, along with its ecological and economic relevance. Chapter 3 outlines the regulatory framework, ranging from international agreements to European directives such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Regulation on deforestation-free supply chains. The empirical part is based on two forms of data collection: first, eight sustainability reports from various industries were analyzed in terms of how they address biodiversity and its integration into supply chain management. In addition, twelve semistructured interviews were conducted with company representatives from different sectors. The analysis was carried out using qualitative content analysis. (iii) Key Findings: Biodiversity is increasingly being recognized by companies as an important topic—although the approaches to dealing with it still vary widely. In some cases, actions are limited to individual initiatives, such as planting wildflower areas or partnering with environmental NGOs. At the same time, the interviews reveal that some companies have already implemented concrete measures. However, a comprehensive and systematic integration of biodiversity considerations across entire supply chains remains the exception rather than the norm. The interviews also highlighted a strong demand for robust indicators and standardized metrics—similar to those long established for CO₂. Furthermore, the role of consumers was emphasized: their purchasing decisions strongly influence whether companies invest more in biodiversity-friendly products and practices. Overall, it can be concluded that while initial steps have been taken, the comprehensive integration of biodiversity aspects into global supply chains is still at a very early stage in most cases.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Valentin Schmidt (Supervisor)