Global supply chains are critical to the UK’s prosperity and security, but recent disruptions have highlighted how vulnerable they can be to shocks such as conflict, pandemics and extreme weather. “Global Supply Chains A Foresight report on risk and resilience” brings together evidence, analysis and long-term thinking to help decision-makers better understand and prepare for these risks.
The work provides a practical approach that enables policy makers, analysts, and those working on supply chain resilience to identify vulnerabilities, test assumptions and explore how supply chains may respond under different future conditions. This includes the use of scenarios and analytical methods designed to support more resilient decision-making in an uncertain world.
The report highlights that supply chains are not simple, linear systems but complex networks. It shows that while a product may appear secure, its resilience depends on a wider web of interconnected components and materials, where vulnerabilities can emerge in unexpected places.
The report notes that risks are increasingly emerging earlier in supply chains and evolving faster than organisations are adapting, with climate change and geopolitics expected to intensify these challenges.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean said
Recent disruptions have shown how complex and interconnected supply chain risks have become.
This report helps decision-makers better understand where those risks sit and how they may evolve, supporting more resilient, evidence-based, forward-looking decisions.
Developed in collaboration with departments across government and academic experts, the report contributes to ongoing work to strengthen economic resilience and safeguard the UK’s long-term prosperity.
It has been published as part of the Government Office for Science’s Foresight programme, which works with policymakers to take a long-term, cross-system view of complex challenges.