The Economic Geography of the Moral Supply Chain in a Circular Economy

The circular economy (CE) seeks to eliminate waste and pollution by keeping goods and materials in use as long as possible. In this chapter, we introduce the moral supply chain (TMSC) and put it into the context of a CE, circular supply chains (CSCs) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). When supply chains cross national borders, they often cross cultural, moral and ethical borders too. Circularity does not eliminate these conditions, nor does it eliminate ethical and moral problems. A CE and CSCs focus on sustainability but often omit labour, corruption and broader social issues. CSR remains important; however, it is limited in covering issues raised by a CE and CSCs. Corporations are held responsible in restricted ways, sometimes subjected to unfair judgements or permitted to escape responsibility. Other supply chain actors, overlooked by CSR, also have social responsibilities. Without the cooperation of these other actors, a CE and CSCs will fail on economic and ethical grounds. This chapter stresses the ethical issues, using TMSC to expose the barriers to circularity in supply chains and the economy. It also covers the ethical and moral issues that should be addressed as we move towards CSCs and a CE.