Sustainability metrics in the making: following accountability practices at an AgTech startup

Description

Based on an in-depth ethnographic study at a scale-up company in the digital agriculture sector, this talk examines how sustainability metrics shape our understanding of what is "sustainable". I will discuss how the company uses both standard frameworks (such as ESG) and customized metrics, asking critical questions: How do these metrics compare? When, where, and how are they made and used? Who decides what gets measured in each? How do these metrics contribute to the company's business decisions and development processes? By examining the practical details of building and reporting sustainability metrics, I will demonstrate how these metrics constitute a crucial space where environmental accountability is made to intersect with financial interests, and how they not only measure sustainability but also actively shape new definitions of what can be considered sustainable agricultural practices. 

Period	18 Dec 2025
Held at	University of Padua, Italy