“Digitalisation and sustainability are the two biggest transformations of the coming decades.”
My name is Stefanie Kunkel and I am an economist, sustainability researcher and sociologist of technology. I conduct research at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam into how digitalisation in industry affects the environmental sustainability of companies, sectors and economic systems. In doing so, I use social science methods such as interviews, document analysis and statistical techniques.
I apply the concept of ‘ecological sustainability’ to various environmental objectives: reducing resource use (e.g. metals, water, …) and pollutant emissions (e.g. greenhouse gases, chemicals, plastic, …), energy conservation and the transition to renewable energy sources, and the conservation of ecosystems and biodiversity on land and in water. The aim of sustainability efforts is therefore to preserve or create a healthy and liveable environment for people and animals, within the limits of the planet’s carrying capacity (see also the concept of Earth system boundaries).
Based on this understanding of sustainability, I am investigating in particular how the negative consequences of digitalisation for sustainability can be mitigated and how the positive dynamics can be strengthened. I am also interested in the conflicting objectives between the environmental and socio-economic impacts of digitalisation, such as the link between economic growth and the rising demand for raw materials driven by digitalisation. I am also investigating the extent to which the socio-economic opportunities offered by digitalisation are unevenly distributed across different regions, and what implications this might have for global inequality. In my research, I place great importance on taking into account the perspectives of stakeholders from industry, academia, politics and civil society, and on strengthening their collaboration to promote greater sustainability.
On this website, you can find out more about my research. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at my email address:
stefanie.kunkel [at] rifs-potsdam.de