Do you see links between sustainability and resilience in supply chains? How do these concepts relate to each other in practical terms? by UNSSC Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development

gautamradha2009 — 2025-05-04 06:28:41 UTC

Sustainability builds the foundation for resilience by creating systems that are less exposed to risk and more adaptable to change. In turn, resilience ensures that sustainability goals can withstand external shocks and continue to function over time.

2025-05-29 13:26:47 UTC

Context adaptation is key to effective sustainability management and resilience. An integrated approach that considers the specific characteristics of the product, its life cycle, the country t o deliver, and the supplier is essential to ensure that needs are met not only in the present, but also in the future."

2025-06-04 10:41:38 UTC

While sustainability in supply chains emphasizes minimizing long-term environmental, social, and economic harm, resilience refers to the ability of supply chains to adapt to and recover from disruptions.

In the context of Haiti, resilience is particularly relevant. It involves the capacity to procure goods and services in remote and often insecure areas, without disrupting local dynamics. A resilient supply chain in Haiti functions reliably despite infrastructural, security, or logistical challenges, while also adding value to the communities it serves. This includes not only ensuring access to essential materials and services but also doing so in a manner that is non-intrusive, locally appropriate, and socially responsive.

2025-06-09 01:39:08 UTC

Monica Siles

Yes, por example in in a post-disaster reconstruction project, such as building healthcare infrastructure , UNOPS might:

Source construction materials locally to reduce transport emissions (sustainability) and avoid border delays (resilience).
Select local suppliers who comply to improve livelyhoods
Design modular health centers using materials that can withstand climate stress

2025-06-22 15:44:32 UTC

Alejandro Rossi - When extremely disruptive conditions emerged as a consequence of COVID-19 outbreak the global market reacted desperately in search of masks. At that moment no consideration was made in terms of how to address the disposal crisis derived from emergency . It is clear that such considerations shall be made quite in advance to allow a resilient response when the time is being. An interesting article on this issue, can be found here https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8308934/

2025-06-22 23:39:07 UTC

We need sustainability as the foundation for resilience by making supply chains process closer to adaptability and prevention of disruptions while also ensuring they don't contribute to long-term environmental or social harm

2025-06-24 22:16:00 UTC

In practical terms, when UNOPS designs and implements projects, such as infrastructure, it would apply both the sustainability and resilience lenses. For example, a project involving the construction of a public building (public works) would ideally consider sustainable design principles (e.g., energy efficiency, use of sustainable materials) while also ensuring the building is resilient to potential disaster risks in the region (e.g., designed to withstand earthquakes, floods, or extreme temperatures based on climate change scenarios).

UNOPS' involvement in "public procurement execution" and "technical assistance for the management of procurement processes for works, goods or services" implies that sustainability and resilience considerations would also apply to the goods and services acquired.

LEYRE SASTRE

2025-07-06 22:26:45 UTC

In supply chains, especially in health procurement by UNOPS, sustainability and resilience are intrinsically linked and mutually reinforcing. Sustainable practices, such as diversifying suppliers to reduce dependency and carbon footprint, prioritizing ethical and transparent sourcing, and promoting local and regional procurement, not only lessen environmental and social impact but also build inherent resilience by making the supply chain more adaptable to disruptions. In turn, a resilient supply chain ensures the continuous delivery of essential health products even in the face of crises, which is fundamental for achieving sustainable development and maintaining global health gains.

Laura Klarreich