Part 1 Clean Air as Innovation: The Next Competitive Edge?The Business Case for Clean Air: Why Firms Must Adapt to an Airborne Future
Elon Musk, somewhat widely labelled as an innovator, recently declared that the fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy, calling it “the empathy exploit” or a “bug” being used against us. He later clarified that people should care about others but insisted that empathy must be applied at a civilizational level, not at the level of individuals. His core message remained clear: empathy, in his view, is a vulnerability, something that disrupts innovation and undermines efficiency.
Musk’s comments reflect a broader narrative that often frames innovation as purely technological: relentless automation, algorithmic optimisation, and a race toward machine efficiency, often detached from the human systems that enable it. But what if true innovation also involves recognising hidden costs, especially those borne by the people powering these systems? What if ignoring workforce health is the real weakness? We now live in an era of airborne pathogens, a world shaped by the lingering effects of airborne illnesses. Respiratory viruses, some seasonal, others not, continue to circulate, disrupt, and erode workforce resilience. Yet many companies and policymakers have yet to fully acknowledge the supply chain risks posed by this new biological baseline. These pathogens don’t just threaten health outcomes; they ripple through production, logistics, retail, and procurement as quiet, chronic disruptors.
Supply Chain Innovation (SCI) is typically framed as the development of new technologies, business models, and processes that improve efficiency, flexibility, and sustainability. Much of the current discourse centres on digitalisation, blockchain traceability, and AI-driven logistics. But if SCI is truly about rethinking the fundamental structures of supply chain management to manage new risks and improve performance, then clean indoor air must be part of the innovation agenda.
While workplace safety often brings to mind physical hazards or ergonomic interventions, the air itself, the shared, invisible medium, remains under-addressed. Yet research confirms that airborne transmission is a key pathway for multiple persistent respiratory viruses. This affects not only hospitals and care homes, but also open-plan offices, production facilities, classrooms, retail spaces, and logistics hubs. Some forward-looking multinationals have already taken quiet but deliberate action. They’ve retrofitted HVAC systems, installed CO₂ monitors to track ventilation quality, and aligned with new international guidance such as ASHRAE Standard 241 (2023), which defines equivalent clean-airflow targets for infection risk reduction. These companies don’t just see clean air as a health benefit, they see it as a form of operational risk management. Others, however, remain unaware of the risks, or unsure of why they matter. This gap represents a growing divide between those treating air as infrastructure, and those leaving resilience to chance.
Worker health is no longer just a human resources concern, it’s an operational variable. Resilient supply chains require resilient people. If trust, collaboration, understanding, or yes, even empathy, are essential in times of disruption, then ensuring the most basic working conditions, like breathable, clean air, must be recognised as a supply chain imperative. This isn’t just theory. It’s showing up in the world around us.
Consider the events of this past week alone: a café at my university was unable to open for three days due to staff illnesses; a small bakery in my town remained closed because too many employees were sick; and a multinational corporation is at risk of missing a major project deadline due to recurring staff absences. These are not isolated incidents; they are symptoms of a larger, systemic vulnerability. If workforce availability underpins agility and continuity, then air quality must be recognised as a core determinant of supply chain performance. And the concern goes beyond short-term sick leave. A growing body of research suggests that repeated exposure to common airborne viruses may cause subtle but cumulative immune system dysregulation, even in individuals with no hospitalisation history. These impacts, brain fog, fatigue, recurrent illness are hard to quantify, but easy to feel inside operations. This is not about panic. It’s about preparedness. Clean air is not a leftover conversation from 2020, it’s a quiet frontier of innovation. For some, it’s already a differentiator.
Governments are beginning to act, but most are doing so quietly. In Ireland, for instance, the Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) was published by the Health and Safety Authority in June 2023 under Section 60 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. It provides practical guidance to employers on ventilation, filtration, and CO₂ monitoring thresholds, but it does not in itself create a new ‘right to clean air.’ Its strength lies in interpretation and enforcement rather than new statutory powers. IAQ refers to the quality of the air within indoor environments, particularly in workplaces, and its impact on human health. However, unlike the widespread public awareness campaign surrounding the smoking ban in Ireland, this time around, the IAQ Code of Practice has been introduced with minimal publicity, meaning that many businesses are not even aware it exists. Without effective communication and enforcement, the implementation of the IAQ Code of Practice could turn into a mere compliance exercise, rather than a driving force for genuine change.
Johanne Harrold is a PhD researcher in Operations and Supply Chain Management at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), funded through the EU’s OSCAR doctoral programme. Her research explores how strategic thinking and collaboration shape innovation and sustainability across European food supply chains. She writes the Supply Chain Innovation Brief on Substack, translating academic research into practical insights for business and policy audiences. Johanne also works with Clean Air Advocacy Ireland (CAAI) to highlight how healthier working environments and resilient supply systems contribute to national sustainability goals and the broader UN 2030 Agenda.
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