Conclusions: SCP and SSCM - an elusive vision?

We have tried to tackle the problems inherent in our economic model, which is driven by unsustainable production systems and business models, while being facilitated by unsustainable supply chains. Yet, in many cases, solutions are already available. Most of the responsibility for overconsumption lies with the supply side, which needed to develop mass markets in order to meet the needs of the economies of scale that came with the mass production technologies adopted, while the crucial link between production and consumption, the supply web hardly ever features in the literature. Producer-led consumption has entered a new phase with the rise of the so-called ‘tech’ companies, that seek a much more intensive all-encompassing control of markets and consumers to a degree older companies could only dream of; taking even more control away from consumers and citizens. While the primary responsibility, lies with the supply side, as consumers we must appreciate we are part of a system. A return to ‘normal’ may suit some of us, but many of us were already losing out. The 2020 coronavirus crisis has shown that if our interactions with other parts of the natural system are not based on respect, nature can come back to bite us in ways that not only affect our very existence as humans but that can also wreak havoc with our economic systems. The crisis could thus make people question the way we work, consume and produce.