Shortening Supply Chains: Roads to Regional Resilience
Helping shorter supply chains to survive and thrive will make our food system more resilient and sustainable.
In our new report, find out how businesses and councils are already working to shorten supply chains, and what opportunities exist to increase the availability of local, sustainable food in your community.
COVID-19 highlighted the fragility of long supply chains and we’re facing a global climate emergency, so finding ways to source local and sustainable food – like organic – is more important that ever.
We have five recommendations for ways that short, sustainable supply chains can be supported.
Benefits of short supply chains
Whilst long supply chains have their place, having a mix of long and short supply chains has a number of benefits like:
1. Boosting the local economy
Giving small food businesses more access to the local markets boosts the regional economy. With fewer stages in the supply chain, local producers may also enjoy higher profit margins.
2. Coordinating logistics to lower carbon emissions
Many local governments have declared a climate emergency. Supporting the development of local food processing and distribution infrastructure has potential to increase efficiencies and lower transport emissions.
3. Bolstering food security
COVID-19 showed some of the drawbacks of long supply chains. Having short, regional supply chains, alongside longer supply chains, bolsters food security so the nation is better able to withstand shocks and shortages to the system.
