People-centred solutions to ensure resilient and sustainable supply chains: this has been the mission that INESC TEC helped shape over the past two years. The ReSChape project has come to an end and now, ideas are out in the world for the supply chains of the future.
It’s quite likely that, in the past three months, you’ve made an online purchase. We’re buying online more than ever, and you’ve probably been pleasantly surprised when your order arrived at your doorstep in record time. But what happens between the moment you click the final button and the moment you hear the doorbell ring a few days later?
It’s a complex phenomenon: that single click sets off a chain of countless processes, people and companies, all playing their part – ideally without error – and racing against time to make sure a parcel travels all the necessary distance to reach the destination. In essence, this is how a supply chain works.
In an interconnected world, characterised by geopolitical conflicts and environmental crises – not to mention a pandemic – these chains play a crucial role, and strengthening them is urgent. Ultimately, the goal is to make complex systems more sustainable and more resilient – and these are precisely the two key aspects that INESC TEC explored during the ReSChape project. Over two years, in collaboration with eight entities from five European countries, the consortium developed new people-centred management models and published recommendations to ensure fair, inclusive, and sustainable transactions.
“The project stood out for the comprehensive approach to the challenges faced by contemporary supply chains. Throughout the implementation, it engaged various agents who influence and are influenced by the activities of said chains, ensuring that both the actions developed and the outcomes achieved address their needs,” summarised Ricardo Zimmermann, researcher at INESC TEC.
In the past, suppliers and clients were geographically close; today, dispersion forces a multitude of complex interconnections. Concerns about labour shortages and lack of skills in supply chains appear more frequently in the news. Do digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence relieve some of these pressures? Yes – but not entirely.
That’s also why the project placed the idea of “community” at the heart of the discussion. ReSChape brought together companies and key players within this vast supply chain ecosystem, but also those who, on the margins, complement the operation – like policymakers and researchers. According to Ricardo Zimmermann, this context of continuous interaction ensures that people “remain at the centre of decision-making and of the transformation process of supply chains.” In other words, ReSChape’s collaborative work seeks to influence and shape the supply chains of the future – without forgetting the end consumer, who, increasingly aware of their ecological footprint, also expects this commitment from companies.
INESC TEC played a crucial role in defining concrete actions to promote sustainability and resilience in supply chains. “In collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders, the project team identified more than 130 actions, leading to the creation of a practical model adaptable to different contexts and sectors,” highlighted the researcher. INESC TEC was also responsible for a comprehensive analysis of current policies and regulations, both at national and European levels.
This was an important step towards mapping the “current state of public policies that influence the sustainability and resilience of supply chains in Europe.” The result? A set of strategic recommendations aimed at policymakers at multiple levels.
The ReSChape – REshaping Supply CHAins for Positive social impact was funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and ended in September, with a final event held in Brussels.
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