Sustainable supply chains for a resilient industry

The project develops a knowledge base for ensuring social sustainability in procurement and sustainability reporting to support both buyers and suppliers, with examples from the mining industry.

Social sustainability is a prerequisite for environmental and economic sustainability, and thus also for the industry's overall ability with regard to the green transition. There are currently no obvious policy instruments to ensure social sustainability in the regulations imposed on suppliers. This makes it difficult for procuring companies to manage social sustainability risks with clear consequences for their ability to create attractive mining work and mining communities. It also reduces suppliers' incentives to invest in social sustainability in the long term.

Using the mining industry as an example, we strengthen the industry's resilience and adaptability by researchers working together with client organisations and suppliers to create knowledge as a basis for policy instruments for socially sustainable supply chains. The project is carried out through dialogue meetings, workshops, interviews and analysis of steering documents.

The project is led by Luleå University of Technology, collaborating with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, LKAB and Metso. IVL is contributing with expertise to the various conflicts of objectives that can arise between the green transition and the good working life, and how these can be managed to create a sustainable working life.