SWISSCHAINS – Swiss Sustainable Supply Chain Lab

SWISSCHAINS is an interdisciplinary research incubator, bringing together expertise from political science, engineering, economics, and geology.  

The project will provide novel insights into where and how Swiss and European supply chains can be made more sustainable. Switzerland and Europe are at the forefront of several key commodities and many global supply chain initiatives. They can thus pave the way towards sustainable supply chains through innovative policy intervention.

Worldwide, the trade flow of food, minerals, and metals is increasing at a rapid pace. As part of this high demand, the social and environmental production impacts are noticeably displaced from the primary consumption regions. The research of SWISSCHAINS on this production pattern addresses the management of global supply chains. While awareness of the nexus rises, solutions to their disproportionate negative externalities are only beginning to emerge. A substantial challenge to achieve environmentally and socially sustainable production is that supply chain interventions need to overcome interacting and self-enforcing impacts. These ecological, societal, and technological complexities so far impede managing the transformations successfully.

Our goal is to deepen academic insights on these connected impacts. Thereby, we will provide practical guidance for policymakers designing sustainable supply chain policies that are effective, feasible, and fair.

The chart below shows a generic closed-loop supply chain with complex actor interactions within and across supply chain levels. The hourglass shape refers to different actor densities across supply chain levels. The outputs of this project, such as suggestions for improved supply chain transparency or policy briefings, can address one or multiple levels of the supply chain. Policy interventions typically occur at all levels but differ depending on specific sectors and products

Research objectives:

  • Generate cutting-edge knowledge on determinants and context of sustainable supply chains in various commodity sectors;
  • Provide recommendations for practitioners both in government and the private sector to improve the sustainability of Swiss and European products and their respective supply chains of high current and future importance;
  • Educate a next generation of experts in supply chain sustainability, by offering a comprehensive and multi-faceted skill set through the interdisciplinary supervision and profound methodological training of PhD students.

The Research Incubator on Designing Sustainable Global Supply Chains started in March 2021.

JavaScript has been disabled in your browser