Regional Policy and Sustainable Supply Chains Martin Rhisiart Cardiff Business School
Sustainable development Sustainable development is development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Brundtland definition
Sustainable Development and regional policy Incorporating a medium- to long-term perspective in regional policy making, balancing and making effective use of economic, social and environmental resources
Sustainability & sustainable development Growing importance attached to sustainable development Multiple layers of application Global summits, e.g. Johannesburg EU, e.g. EU Sustainable Development Strategy State Regional
Stimuli for more sustainable products Regulatory Global EU National Regional Consumer demands Customer companies-supply chains
Sustainable development ENVIRONMENT SOCIETYECONOMY
Regional policy tools & supply chains Regional policy can be a powerful way of stimulating desired, sustainable outcomes Procurement Channelling support to programmes that promote sustainability Associations/clusters based on principles of sustainability Quality standards
Society Quality of life Skills/employment Relationship with community
Environment Waste Use of materials Environmental management systems, e.g. ISO14001 Company environmental policy
Economy Best value R&D Strategic planning Intelligence NPD Skills
How can regional policy determine which supply chains are sustainable? Complexity + Future-oriented decisions Major challenges for policy-makers! Technology Social and economic trends
Non-sustainable scenario? ‘Foreign Direct Investment opportunity’ Low skill, competition on labour cost per unit Pressure to create employment Regional financial aid Production starts...
…3 years later Difficulties in markets Pressure on parent company Closure of production facility Migration of facility to lower cost economy Pressure to create employment…