Research
Funding, publications, supervision, talks and guest lectures
My research looks at how organisations take responsibility for their environmental and social impact — in Europe, India and beyond.
Funding
KODECET — Knowledge Development for Circular Economy Transition
- Role
- Principal applicant and project head; led Work Packages 1, 2 and 4
- Project
- Knowledge development for circular economy transition — creating digital centres of excellence in universities in India and Thailand
- Funder
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education
- Amount
- €790,010
- Duration
- 2024 – 2026
- Partners
- University of Jyväskylä, Finland (coordinator)
- FH Joanneum Gesellschaft MBH, Austria
- Birla Academy of Art and Culture, India
- Nirma University, India
- Prince of Songkla University, Thailand
- Payap University, Thailand
MAPS — Modern Academic Platform for Smart and Sustainable Cities in South and Southeast Asia
- Role
- Work Package 3 leader
- Funder
- Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education
- Amount
- €80,381
- Duration
- 2027 – 2029
Social and environmental life-cycle assessment of zinc tailings
- Role
- Principal applicant
- Funder
- GINTL Research Grant, University of Jyväskylä
- Amount
- €12,000
- Duration
- 2023 – 2024
KLICKS — Knowledge, Learning and Innovation for Circular Economy Simulations
- Role
- Principal applicant
- Funder
- University of Jyväskylä internal grant
- Amount
- €10,000
- Duration
- 2025 – 2026
SYNTHESIS — A Circular Economy Fast-Track Course
- Role
- Principal applicant
- Project
- Blended intensive course for students from Finland, Poland, Portugal and Romania
- Funder
- Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme
- Amount
- €8,000
- Duration
- 2026
Publications
Google ScholarPeer-reviewed journal articles
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Agarwal, V., Malhotra, S., Khorana, S., Agrawal, S. & Sarna, B. (2026). Risk mitigation in cloud-based computing in human resource systems: potential apprehensions and critical reflections in knowledge management. Journal of Knowledge Management, 1–28. doi.org/10.1108/JKM-02-2026-0265
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Choudhary, K., Sarna, B., Gill, G., Sangwa, N. R. & Paliwal, D. (2026). Comparative life cycle and sensitivity analysis of zinc tailings as a sustainable structural fill. Construction Innovation, 1–22. doi.org/10.1108/ci-07-2025-0315
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Choudhary, K., Gill, G., Sangwa, N. R. & Sarna, B. (2024). Utilising copper tailings as a sustainable alternative to conventional structural filling materials: LCA analysis. Built Environment Project and Asset Management, 15(3), 415–431. doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-12-2023-0228
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Sarna, B., Onkila, T. & Mäkelä, M. (2022). Rationality, experiences or identity work? Sensemaking of emotionally tense experiences of organizational sustainability. Social Responsibility Journal, 18(8), 1692–1707. doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-05-2021-0205
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Onkila, T. & Sarna, B. (2022). A systematic literature review on employee relations with CSR: state of art and future research agenda. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29(2), 435–447 — Top Cited Article, 2022–2023. doi.org/10.1002/csr.2210
Book chapters
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Sarna, B. & Poudel, D. (2024). Unleashing the Metaverse's potential to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals. In A. Shaikh, G. Mutanov & H. Karjaluoto (Eds.), Blockchain, Metaverse, and Digital Payments. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003401452-14
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Sarna, B., Singh, R. & Rawat, P. S. (2024). Catalysts for transition to circular economy solutions in the biowaste management sector in India. In H. Lehtimäki et al. (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Catalysts for a Sustainable Circular Economy, pp. 107–127. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003267492-7
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Mäkelä, M., Aaltonen, V., … Sarna, B. & Suikkanen, J. (2023). Planetary well-being and sustainable business: a work in progress. In M. Elo et al. (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Planetary Well-Being. Routledge. doi.org/10.4324/9781003334002-14
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Hakola, D. & Sarna, B. (2023). Motivation behind alternative growth modes in SMEs: a systematic literature review. In M. Xheneti et al. (Eds.), Contextual Embeddedness of Entrepreneurship, pp. 107–136. Edward Elgar. doi.org/10.4337/9781035320684.00015
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Onkila, T., Mäkelä, M. & Sarna, B. (2021). Työntekijät vastuullisuuden sidosryhmänä: monimerkityksellisyys ja vastuullisuusviestinnän haasteet. In K. Eräranta & V. Penttilä (Eds.), Vastuullinen viestintä, pp. 108–122. ProComma Academic, ProCom ry. hdl.handle.net/10138/330665
Academic textbooks
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Sarna, B., Kashif, K., Weerasinghe, S. & Wijesinghe, C. (2026). Circularity in Supply Chains: Coursebook 4. University of Jyväskylä. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-1710-5
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Sarna, B., Kortelainen, S., Plotnikova, E. & Saqib, S. (2025). Foundations and Catalysts for Circular Economy: Coursebook 1. University of Jyväskylä. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-0779-3
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Sarna, B. & Kortelainen, S. (2025). Various Business Models to Implement CE in Different Contexts: Coursebook 2. University of Jyväskylä. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-0946-9
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Sarna, B. & Plotnikova, E. (2025). Managing Stakeholders for Implementing a Circular Economy: Coursebook 3. University of Jyväskylä. urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-0945-2
Reports and edited volumes
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Sarna, B., Oberndorfer, J., Winkler, T. & Kortelainen, S. (2024). Good practices for circular economy in the European Union: D3.5 EU manual of CE best practices. KODECET. kodecet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/V7GoodPracticecatalogue-_-Jan2025.pdf
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Sharma, V., … Sarna, B. et al. (2024). Circular economy education in India and Thailand: status quo report. KODECET. kodecet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/V7StatusQuoReport_Jan2025.pdf
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Vashishth, A., Sarmah, A. K., Sarna, B. et al. (Eds.) (2024). Book of Abstracts: SUSCON XI — 11th Annual International Conference on Sustainability. Indian Institute of Management Shillong.
Supervision
I supervise doctoral researchers and master's students working on circular economy, sustainability reporting, AI for environmental management and corporate responsibility.
Doctoral researchers
Primary supervisor: Kamran Kashif (2025–), Shani Weerasinghe (2026–), Chathura Wijesinghe (2026–)
Second supervisor: Elena Plotnikova (2024–), Simona Chilba (2024–)
Completed master's theses (10)
Nwachukwu, C. (2026). Stakeholder engagement for corporate sustainability: a comparative case study of engagement practice in the circular economy. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Huovinen, I. (2026). Organizational adaptation strategies for enterprise businesses in Finland in response to climate change: a systematic literature review. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Linnamaa, A. (2026). From voluntary reporting to Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: a qualitative study of Finnish fuel and energy sector companies Fortum and Neste. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Weerasinghe, S. (2025). Artificial intelligence for advancing LCA and EMS: a comparative review of technologies and integration practices. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Laine, V. (2024). Does the current sustainability reporting of the software company meet the requirements of European Sustainability Reporting Standards: a case study. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Hietanen, R. M. (2024). Implementing an environmental management system from the bottom-up. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Silfvenius, P. (2024). Where does the responsibility lie?: voluntary carbon offsetting in the aviation industry – the consumers' perspective. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
El Kehal, M. I. (2024). Can cities be net-positive? A systematic literature review. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Kitaura, A. (2024). Open innovation for sustainability: opportunities and challenges for Japanese companies. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Meyer, V. (2023). Making the biggest impact via focused product stewardship strategy for pharmaceutical device and packaging development. Master's thesis, University of Jyväskylä.
Talks and presentations
Gamified circularity transformation: how serious games drive transformative learning in circular economy education. 19th ISDSI-Global Conference, IMI Kolkata.
Beyond the efficiency plateau: a paradox-systems framework for navigating regenerative carbon strategy. SUSCON XII, IIM Shillong.
Systems theory approach to enhancing circular business models with generative artificial intelligence. SUSCON XI, IIM Shillong.
Comparative curriculum design for circular economy: contextual variations in India and Thailand. 40th Summer Seminar of Finnish Economists, JSBE.
Navigating the circular economy: challenges and opportunities for corporate boards in applying agency theory. GRONEN Conference, SKEMA Business School, Paris.
The contribution of individuals' sense of agency to organisation sustainable identity formation. Summer Stakeholder Theory Seminar with R. Edward Freeman, Darden School of Business.
Catalysts for transition to circular economy solutions in the bio-waste management sector in India. PRME India World Tour Research Development Workshop, S.P. Jain Institute of Management.
Micro-foundational perspective on CSR brand and job meaningfulness at workplace. Strategic Management Forum Conference, IIM Nagpur.
Influencing factors on growth modes change: systematic literature review and future research agenda. RENT XXXV, EIASM, Turku.
Towards a holistic and sustainable marketing framework: expanding beyond the traditional frameworks. AIM-AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium, BIMTECH.
Visual sustainability communication and greenwashing: comparative analysis of 35 biggest companies in Finland. Corporate Responsibility Research Conference, Tampere.
Rationality, experiences or identity work? Sensemaking of emotionally tense experiences of organizational sustainability. IABS Business & Society European Paper Development Workshop, ESADE, Barcelona.
Employee perspectives on corporate social responsibility regulation in India. GRONEN Reading Group Workshop, IESE, Barcelona.
How individuals' identity contributes to organisation's sustainable identity. GRONEN Tokyo Workshop, Waseda University.
Employees' emotions and sensemaking on the importance of sustainability at workplace. Corporate Responsibility Research Conference, University of Leeds.
A systematic literature review on employee relations with CSR: state of art and future research agenda. GRONEN Conference, University of Almería.
Employees' perspectives of corporate social responsibility. Corporate Responsibility Research Conference, Seville.
Mandatory CSR regulations versus voluntarism: the case of India. EBEN Annual Conference, Jyväskylä.
Guest lectures and staff training
Leading sustainability change; Architecting the ethical circular economy. Master's students, Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), Finland.
AI-powered sustainability: integrating EMS, LCA and explainable AI. Apeejay School of Management, Gurugram.
Crafting a winning Erasmus+ capacity-building project. Staff training, IILM University, Gurugram.
Green HRM strategies. Master's students, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.
Green business strategy for organisations. Master's students, HAMK, Finland.
Introduction to responsible business and circular economy. Master's students, Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH).
Introduction to green HRM. Master's students, Management Development Institute, Gurugram.
Sustainability strategies for circular economy; Generating research ideas in the doctoral journey. Master's and doctoral students, Nirma University, Ahmedabad.
Introduction to sustainability and circular economy. Master's students, Adani University, Ahmedabad.
Introduction to responsible business and circular economy. Master's students, BIMTECH.
Change management for environmental sustainability in organisations. Master's students, HAMK, Finland.
Introduction to microfoundations in management research. Doctoral students, BIMTECH.
Introduction to social LCA. Master's students, Indian Institute of Management Shillong.
Trained 27 professors from four universities in India and Thailand on circular economy and the KODECET curriculum.