ABSTRACT

The most logical way to project forward is by considering the forces that will shape supply chain configurations in the next two decades. The most apparent impact on the supply chain when carbon emissions are integrated into decision-making is that of the network of facilities that support manufacturing and distribution. The global financial crisis of 2008 that abruptly ended the long period of sustained growth changed many of the assumptions that supply chains had been built on, in particular global sourcing. Failure of the global financial system also has implications for the smooth operation of supply chains at best, and the disappearance of major firms at worst, for credit and cash flow reasons. The internet has fundamentally enabled the connective concept of supply chain management to move towards reality over the past two decades and it appears set to underpin the next generation of developments.