Sustainable Supply Chains: Global Cooperative Regional Economies for Prosperity and Resilience

Two thirds of today’s world trade is based on global value chains and supply networks. The effects of these globalised structures are manifold: on one hand, there is more employment and prosperity; on the other hand, extreme social, ecological and economic imbalances exist along the supply chains. This discussion paper describes as a future scenario globally cooperative and cycle-oriented regional economies that fundamentally reduce worldwide inequalities in opportunities for improving the quality of life while at the same time preserving the natural foundations of life in the long term. Four starting points are discussed for this purpose: orientation towards a model of transformative cooperation networks, mandatory alignment of supply chains towards sustainability, supply chain resilience through cooperation and digitalisation, and sustainable public procurement. The proposed measures are connected to existing frameworks: European and German circular economy programs, the Paris Climate Protection Agreement, the EU Green Deal, the planned EU aid package “Next Generation EU”, the German economic stimulus packages, the National Program for Sustainable Consumption, and above all the objectives of the SDGs.

A factsheet and the publication are available in German as well.