1 SUPPLY CHAINS, INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY Andrew Flynn 1 , Natalia Yakovleva 1 , Ken Green 2 and Terry Marsden 1 1 BRASS Research Centre, Cardiff University, 54 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK, e- mail: yakovlevan@cardiff.ac.uk 2 CROMTEC/Institute of Innovation Research, Manchester School of Management, UMIST, Manchester Paper presented at the “Theorising sustainability: connecting economy, environment and society?” Association of American Geographers Annual Meeting, 14-19 March 2004, Philadelphia Keywords: innovation; food system; supply chain. Abstract In this paper we unpack the dynamics of the supply chains for chicken and potato production and consumption. Food supply chains are increasingly dominated by the major retailers and food manufacturers, whose purchasing practices, e.g. global sourcing, have major implications for the sustainability of the food system. Our conceptual standpoint is based upon literatures drawn from economic geography, ecological modernisation and innovation. Using this approach the paper explores the nature of the relationships between the key actors in the supply chains to understand the implication of their economic practices for sustainability. A key focus of this paper is innovation, which is fuelled by the growing competition between and amongst food retailers and manufacturers. Innovation has three important effects upon the food supply chain, these are: • “Bending time”, e.g. passing materials more quickly through the supply chain. • “Collapsing space”, e.g. diminishing distance for the sourcing of materials. • “Restructuring the supply chain”, i.e. impacting unequally upon actors in food supply chains and changing the relationships between them. Each of these effects has important consequences for our understandings of the (un)sustainability of the food system. The evidence for this research is drawn from series of key person interviews and analysis of secondary data. 1. Introduction The food supply chain has significant implications for sustainability such as the fulfilment of human needs, provision of employment and economic benefits, effects on international trade and impacts upon the natural environment. Food supply chains are becoming more complicated in terms of their market structure, geography of operations and technological development. Innovations within food supply chains have important effects upon the interaction of the supply chain within three spheres: economy, society and the environment. This paper focuses on the UK food supply chain, which is considered to be one of the most efficient in the world (Garnett, 2003). The UK food chain comprises the agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, food and drink manufacturing, food and drink wholesaling, food and drink retailing and catering industries (MAFF, 1999). Food production and distribution in the UK