Ethical & Environmental Concerns
Local Sourcing
- TNCs have been able to develop widespread global production networks due to cheap transport, labour and material costs
- Whilst this has led to huge profits, it also produces a huge carbon footprint
- Ethical consumption is becoming increasingly popular with people buying locally sourced food and commodities and avoiding supermarkets with high food miles
Benefits and Costs of Local Sourcing
Benefits |
Costs |
Many small farms in the UK grown organic produce, using fewer pesticides, which could have health benefits |
Local sourcing of meat and vegetables can be expensive |
UK farmers earn more by manufacturing goods such as jams, fruit juices and wine |
Less demand from the UK for food from developing countries can have a negative impact on their economic growth |
Local sourcing can help people to reduce their carbon footprint |
Some products e.g., tomatoes, are grown in heated greenhouses during winter in the UK which produces a larger carbon footprint than if they were imported from Spain |