Karaosman Hakan

Contract lecturer

Dr. Hakan Karaosman is a world-renowned and award-winning expert in supply chain sustainability with a particular research interest in fashion and textiles. He is Associate Professor at Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Chief Scientist at FReSCH (Fashion’s Responsible Supply Chain Hub, a UN-recognised and EU-awarded action research project hosted by University College Dublin), Visiting Professor at University College Dublin and Advisory Board Member of Remake.


Hakan is named in the Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Class of 2023 as a Sustainability Thought Leader. Greenpeace Italia named him a Voice for the Climate in 2023. He is also a recipient of the Cardiff University Celebrating Excellence Awards 2023 for Excellence in Sustainability. His paper ‘For the many not the few: Introducing just transition for supply chain management’ was one of the most downloaded articles in the International Journal of Productions & Operations Management in 2024. His research project, FReSCH, won the Financial Times’ Responsible Business Education Award in 2025. He is regularly featured in international media articles, including the Financial Times, Forbes, Reuters, The Guardian, Vogue Italia, Vogue Business, Business of Fashion, Sourcing Journal, Irish Times, Women’s Wear Daily, InStyle Türkiye, Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica.


Hakan has delivered keynote speeches at multi-stakeholder events, including those organised by the Financial Times, TEDx, Global Fashion Summit, British Fashion Council and Milano Fashion Week. In addition to his published work, which includes highly cited academic papers, book chapters, teaching cases, and industrial reports, he has several collaborations focused on sustainability, supply chain management, and climate change with organisations including the UN, NGOs, fashion companies, and media platforms.

Having lived in eight countries throughout his life, Hakan holds a BSc in Environmental Engineering, an MSc in Management in Engineering of Energy and Environment, and a double degree Ph.D. in Industrial Management.


Education

PHD: Double Degree European Doctorate in Industrial Management, Politecnico di Milano and Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.

Master of Science: European Master’s in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy , Ecole des Mines de Nantes.

Bachelor of Science: Environmental Engineering, Trakya University.




Career

PhD: Double Degree European Doctorate in Industrial ManagementPh.D., ‘Sustainability Integration in Luxury Fashion Supply Chains: An Empirical Investigation of Leather and Textiles in Italy’. Politecnico di Milano & Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, January 2018

Master of Science: Erasmus Mundus Joint Degree in Master of ScienceEuropean Master’s in Management and Engineering of Environment and Energy, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain; Ecole des Mines de Nantes, France; Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, July 2012 (GPA: 3.29 out of 4)

Bachelor's Degree: Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental EngineeringTrakya University, Turkey (GPA: 3.13 out of 4)


Research

Hakan’s research stands at the intersection of sustainability, social justice, and supply chain management, challenging conventional paradigms through rigorous empirical work, engaged research, and active engagement with both scholars and industry change-makers. His research foregrounds the concept of a just transition, which emphasises that efforts toward decarbonisation must be equitable, inclusive, and attentive to social justice. He critiques mainstream decarbonisation strategies for prioritising technology and efficiency while neglecting the voices and well-being of marginalised supply chain participants—workers, suppliers, and communities. At Politecnico di Milano School of Management, Hakan advances research on sustainable supply chain practices in the luxury fashion, focusing on circular design, clean production processes, and supply chain transparency, with the goal of aligning sustainability, social justice and climate action with business priorities.

Selected Publications

  1. Karaosman, H, Marshall, D. and Ward, I. (2025), “For the many not the few: introducing just transition for supply chain management”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management
  2. Guerra-Scheiwiller, E. M., Karaosman, H. and Marshall, D. (2024), “Vague concepts and issue washing: women’s empowerment in fashion supply chains”, International Journal of Procurement Management
  3. Karaosman, H. and Marshall, D. (2023), “Impact pathways: Just transition in fashion operations and supply chain management“. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 43(13), pp. 226-237.
  4. Karaosman H., Marshall D., and Villena V.-H. (2023), “Chrysalis of crisis: Covid-19 as a catalyst for awakening power and justice in a luxury fashion supply chain”, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 43(10), pp. 1634-1666.
  5. Karaosman, H., Marshall, D. and Brun, A. (2020), “Does the devil wear Prada? Lessons in supply chain sustainability from luxury fashion”, European Business Review, November-December, pp. 103–108.


Grants, awards and Honours

  1. Financial Times Responsible Business Education Award (2025)
  2. Top Downloaded Paper; International Journal of Operations & Production Management, “For the many not the few: introducing just transition for supply chain management” (2024)
  3. The Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Sustainability Thought Leader, Vogue Business (2023)
  4. Voice for the Climate, Greenpeace Italia (2023)
  5. Excellence in Environmental Sustainability, Cardiff University (2023)
  6. Audience Prize for Best Talk; University College Dublin Earth Institute, Earth Day Flash Talk Competition, “Decolonizing Fashion: How to move from window-dressing to a just transition?” (2021)
  7. European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme; Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship , 01/05/2020 - 31/08/2022
  8. European Union Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Programme; European Doctorate in Industrial Management (EDIM), Double Degree PhD Programme , 01/09/2013 - 31/10/2017


Community service

  1. Associate Professor at Cardiff Business School, 01/08/2024 - 31/07/2025
  2. Assistant Professor at Cardiff Business School, 01/09/2022 - 31/07/2024
  3. Post Doc Researcher at University College Dublin, 01/05/2020 - 30/08/2022
  4. Post Doc Researcher at Politecnico di Milano School of Management, 27/11/2017 - 31/12/2019
  5. Editorial Review Board Member: International Journal of Operations and Production Management (2025 – Present)
  6. Societal Impact Editor: Journal of Supply Chain Management (2025 – Present)
  7. Advisory Board Member. Governance for Tomorrow (London College of Fashion x Kering) (2024 – Present)
  8. Advisory Board Member, Sustainability Talks Istanbul (2024 – Present)
  9. Area Editor in Supply Chain and Sustainability. Operations Management Research (2024 – Present)
  10. Scientific Partner. United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network (2022 – Present)
  11. Chair, Union of Concerned Researchers in Fashion (UCRF) (2022 – 2025)
  12. Policy Consultation, Welsh Government, Consultation, Just Transition Framework (2024)
  13. Assessment Panel, UKRI – UK Research and Innovation, A Circular Fashion and Textile Programme (2023)
  14. Branding Director. International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association (IPSERA) (2020 – 2023)
  15. Creative Advisory Council. State of Fashion (2020 – 2022)
  16. Art & Interaction Content Curator & Scientific Partner. Salvatore Ferragamo: Sustainable Thinking (2019-2021)
  17. Policy Consultation, European Commission, Just, Fair and Inclusive Transition to a Circular, Low-environmental Impact Europe (2021)
  18. Policy Consultation, European Commission, EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles (2021)
  19. United Nations, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Enhancing Transparency and Policy Consultation, Traceability of Sustainable Value Chains (2019 – 2020)
  20. Assistant Curator. State of Fashion: Searching for the New Luxury (2018)