Ricardo Costa is a PhD candidate in Sustainability Sciences at the University of Lisbon. He holds a Master’s degree in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship from the Faculty of Engineering of Porto University and a Master’s in Advanced Cosmetology from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Lisbon University. For his master’s work, he developed tools to measure and communicate sustainable cosmetics. In October 2023, Ricardo enrolled in the PhD program in Sustainability Sciences, where he is currently pursuing his thesis titled “Integrating Degrowth into Business Practices: A Framework for Sustainable Value Chains.” His research is supervised by Professor Ana Isabel Cerqueira de Sousa Gouveia Carvalho from CEGIST (Instituto Superior Técnico) and Professor Idalina Maria Dias Sardinha from ISEG, with Professor Paula Inês Cosme Teixeira from NOVA FCSH as co-supervisor.
Ricardo’s work focuses on exploring how degrowth principles can be integrated into corporate strategies and value chains to enable more equitable, regenerative, and resilient business models. Alongside his doctoral research, he serves as Sustainability & ESG Manager at Devan Chemicals, where he leads sustainability reporting under CSRD and ESRS and supports the implementation of ESG frameworks and corporate sustainability strategies. His main research interests include degrowth and post-growth paradigms, sustainable business model innovation, and the operationalization of sustainability frameworks in business contexts.