Supply chain management researchers typically do not concern themselves with social acceptance. This is paradoxical as processes of social acceptance shape supply chain networks, influence location decisions, and define the underlying values from which supply chain design principles are formulated. Through a case study of the UK electricity supply chain and the decision not to build the Navitus Bay wind farm this paper concludes that the decision was the result of political processes that marginalise or ignore genuine sustainability trade-offs. It is unlikely that a truly sustainable electricity supply chain can ever be designed if such practices continue.