Instead of an annual report this year, we are releasing one paper a month from our Foundation for Future Supply Chain advisory board members. We are launching it this month with a special piece from Alan McKinnon, Professor of Logistics from Kuehne Logistics University.
Discussion of supply chain futures often gravitates to two subjects: the likelihood of globalisation going into reverse and the challenge of meeting Net Zero emission targets. They are usually discussed separately, but in this short article I will explore possible connections between them. If deglobalisation becomes a pronounced trend, would it help or hinder the decarbonisation of supply chains? Discussion of deglobalisation often focuses on distances, mainly between final assembly points in the Far East and distribution centres in Europe and North America, and overlooks the ways in which deglobalisation would affect the configuration of upstream supply networks. This is a critical distinction when considering the possible effects of
deglobalisation on the carbon intensity of international supply chains because these effects relate to emissions not only from transport, but also from production operations at each node in the chain.
This paper is available to download via the form opposite.
