Environmental Business & Sustainability Lab

Designing sustainable societies through green business and the circular and sustainable economy

Convened by Upalat Korwatanasakul

We are entering an “environmental era,” in which addressing climate change and resource constraints requires not only technological innovation, but also new business models that harness market mechanisms.

This lab examines the relationship between business activities and the environment, with a focus on green business and the circular economy. Through empirical and policy-oriented research, we design economic and institutional mechanisms that contribute to a sustainable and inclusive society.

Our research covers carbon pricing and emissions trading, renewable energy, ESG investment, environmentally responsible products and services, and circular economy industries, such as recycling, reuse, and remanufacturing. While green business faces real economic and institutional challenges, Japan’s technological capabilities and accumulated experience provide strong potential for global leadership.

Working together with students, the lab adopts an integrated perspective that combines policy, economics, and technology, emphasising learning, critical thinking, and practical engagement.

What We Do

Ongoing Projects

• Impacts and Interlinkages of ESG Investments and Net Zero Economy Transition 
• Sierra Leone - Industrial Policy and Skills Development
• Reporting Sustainable Development Contributions in Voluntary Carbon Markets: Examining Southeast Asian Renewable Energy Projects 
• Global Value Chains in the Pacific Island Countries: Patterns and Structure
• Determinants of Exports in Southeast Asia: An Empirical Evidence
• Plan-Led Governance and Municipal Agency in Climate–SDG Integration: Preliminary Insights from Japan’s Local Governments
• A Human-Centred and Equitable Technological Transition in Industry 5.0: AI and Its Implications for Vulnerable Workers
• Understanding Conflict and Injustice in Shaping Collaborative Problem Solving among 15-Year-Olds
• The Environmental and Health Impacts of Cross-Border E-Waste Trade: Causal Evidence from International Trade Shocks 
• Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains: The Strategic Role of FDI
• Residential Renewable Energy System Households' Perceptions, Intentions, and Adoption: Empirical Nationwide Surveys in Indonesia, Japan, and Thailand
• Quality of Materiality Disclosure and Sustainability Performance: The Case Study of Southeast Asian Companies
• Research on Sound International Resource Circulation in the ASEAN Region: ASEAN-Japan
• Do Sustainability Disclosure and Reporting Matter?: Examining the Relationship between Sustainability Disclosure and Reporting and ESG Performance among Firms Listed in Thailand Sustainability Investment
• A Qualitative Study on the Role of Digital Innovation in Supporting Social Enterprises in Thailand
• Culture Explains It All: Success and Failure of the Japanese Government’s Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Global Value Chains in Southeast Asia
• The Dynamics of Overlapping Agreements: Sequencing, Layering, and Feedback in East Asian Regionalism

People

Faculty Lead
Upalat Korwatanasakul

Students
Undergraduate and graduate students will join the seminar from AY2026 onward.

Collaborators & Guest Speakers
Researchers and practitioners from universities, international organisations, and industry.