"We will not survive pandemics and climate change without a shift from 'corporate capture' to 'circular responsibility'", 4 April 2020

In modern production systems and global supply chains, the destabilization of entire ecosystems is the rule, rather than the exception... I argue that while we specialize in the ‘vertical’ study of the responsibilities and accountability of certain categories of actors (e.g. states or corporations) we should not lose sight of the circular dynamics of responsibility.

The starting point is the recognition that we have created transnational production and commercial processes that are observably incompatible with the environment... Our current production and distribution models rely on the cheap labour of workers employed in global supply chains under poor contractual, health and safety conditions. During the current crisis, these workers are among the most vulnerable both to the disease and to the consequences of lockdowns...

The COVID-19 brings under the spotlight some of the dynamics that make the current systems of production and distribution socially untenable... [W]hen citizens and consumers take responsibility for the environment and human rights, they do not only change their own behaviours, but also the level of responsibility they demand from their political leaders and from businesses. This creates incentives for more responsible policies and business conducts...