Introduction
The fashion industry has recently been criticized and urged to tackle its harmful environmental effects and inhumane labor standards, which are so familiar that they are widely spread worldwide. Today’s fashion brands, however, are feeling the weight of consumer attention as these consumers become more conscious of sustainability issues and demand the transformation of the fashion business into a more environmentally and socially responsible model. In this research proposal, I will explore new strategies that fashion enterprises can use to degrade the environment and improve their ethical standards along the multi-tier supply chain framework (Anner, 2020).
The most recurring fast fashion business model is overly frequent collections and style changes every season, and extremely cheap and disposable clothing items have caused unprecedented negative externalities. The environmental effects consist of several factors, such as atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases from manufacturing processes and the transportation industry, consumption of excessive water, and pollution from textile printers and finishing. The social problem of labor exploitation has not been eliminated from such countries as poor-level wages of workers, excessive overtime demands, dangerous working conditions, restrictions on the unions’ activities, and the exploitation of vulnerable groups. Such a situation is typical for developing countries where most of the supply chain is outsourced (Kyritsis et al., 2020).
Reviewing brands that reveal sustainable supply chain practices will be critical. It will inquire about the tactics used to invest and buy ecology-friendly materials, integrate renewable energy sources, install some ethical standards, and develop business models around the circularity principles (will do this by recycling, reusing, and shedding light on product longevity). The foremost objective here is that we yield a detailed overview of the model practices that may be applied across the whole fashion industry at the system and significant scale towards the direction of becoming more environmentally friendly and socially responsible supply chains (Perry & Towers, 2022).
Literature Review
Academic scholars have lately conducted a lot of research around the many sustainability concerns that exist all through the complex international supply chains of fashion that cover the environmental as well as the social aspects. Regarding the environmental side of the issue, much scientific research has brought to light that the automotive sector’s large and complex environmental footprint is much more considerable than the average industry. This is evident in the aspects of a high volume and short turnover of textile products, the intensive use of non-biodegradable synthetic materials derived from limited fossil fuels, water, and chemical usage in dyeing, finishing, and washing processes, emissions of greenhouse gas from manufacturing and transportation, and the mismatch between high post-consumer textile waste and the level of recycling (Rauturier, 2022).
According to research, the most problematic labor practices and human rights violations like poverty-level pay, overwork, harassment and abuse of workers, no collective bargaining and restriction on trade-union formation, and unsafe working environments that are common in short-order fashion brand supplier networks( especially in garment manufacturing industries in Asia, developing countries), have been addressed extensively in the past. Extant factors, including incessant pressure from brands, uncertainty about what local laws are applicable, and lack of supplier accountability, have been known to generate and sustain these long-lasting problems (Kyritsis et al., 2020).
Nonetheless, academic studies are emerging that go beyond the scope of simply looking at how fashion brands could adopt and dedicate resources to sustainability. Instead, they investigate and propose strategies brands can apply and integrate throughout their supply chain operations. Ensuring the use of more earth-friendly raw materials like organic cotton, recycled polyester, TENCEL/lyocell, and other plant-based or recycled artificial fibers has been proven to reduce water utilization, energy consumption, and carbon emissions as well as the emissions of chemical contaminants in production by approximately 80% compared to traditional materials (Yokoo, 202).
Sand Renewable energy investment in manufacturing units such as solar and wind power also drastically reduces greenhouse gas emissions. (Johansen et al., 2021) Circular economy business models that, among others, can notably decrease textile waste and resource exploitation include design for recycling/disassembly, repair services, rental or subscription models, and use of recycled materials in production. With a view to the social aspect, verification and authentication of supplier factories against stricter work standards has been presented as a solution to increase transparency, enforce labor laws and workers’ rights through collective negotiations, and thus foster improvements in workers’ wages and conditions within the supply chains (Kyritsis et al., 2020).
Research Questions
The central research question this study aims to address is:
Given that cutting down the adverse effects of traditional production processes on the environment and the world’s society is a growing global trend, what are the most innovative approaches in the fashion industry adopted by leading brands connecting them into environmentally sustainable and socially responsible supply chains?
To thoroughly investigate this issue, the following sub-questions will also be explored:
What manufacturing methods and materials (recycled, organic chemicals, renewable energy, and closed-loop facilities, for example) are brands using as a step in the sustainable ways that they are mitigating the impact on the environment?
In which processes are monitored, and what labor accordance programs, as organizations of supply code of conduct, are brands leaving workers to safeguard rights and ethical operators?
What methods are employed by the brands (slow fashion, rental, upcycling, recycling of old goods) through which the design of their business model is cartwheeled to enable the shared systems?
Sustainability programs are becoming more popular, and brands are implementing them in their supply chains. However, they face various challenges in the process.
Research Methods
For comprehensive research questions, the study will use mixed method types, allowing quantitative and qualitative data to be used. The research will have two main phases:
Phase 1 – Quantitative Analysis
Such a process will entail examining sustainability data from a sample of major fashion brands and retailers in addition to their environmental/social audits. The primary performance markers are relative to energy usage, water consumption, waste, and carbon emissions. If the relevant suppliers have fulfilled the labor rules, all the others will be measured to determine the best performers. Under such an approach, an objective data pool will be created to focus on pioneers of the sustainable supply chain sphere.
Phase 2 – Qualitative Case Studies
Quantitative analysis results will be the basis for picking up the ground case studies for deep qualitative research. This will involve:
The company will conduct detailed interviews with supply chain/sustainability leaders to learn about their sustainable strategies, corporate culture, steps, and the results of their realization process and reveal challenges.
Interviews and working group discussions between the suppliers, partner manufacturing companies, and the brand’s sustainability activities.
Collecting and analyzing corporate reports and published media outputs, including other documentation regarding the existing sustainability programs of the supply chain.
Measuring qualitative and quantitative evidence with all accuracy will enable triangulation of findings, producing evidential data and giving overall findings. Through qualitative case studies, a deeper understanding of strategic decision-making processes and factors exists inside the context.
Ethical Considerations
This study will adhere to ethical conduct involving informed consent, data privacy, and the protection of the community members. Before data collection is initiated, IRB approval is to be obtained from the institution’s ethics review committee. For interviews and focus groups that center on the supply chain workers, steps will be taken to keep their responses anonymous, not expose them to retaliation for negativity, give them the rights they deserve, etc. Consent and a list of the anonymized/aggregate data will be the only way the company uses the data. Presently, only such information that was earlier released to the public will be published without company consent (Sandvik & Stubbs, 2019).
Conclusion
This study can offer significant perspectives not only to fashion brands and retailers who want to shift into the less harmful model of sourcing that not only guards the environment but also the laborer to be in a better position. By blending quantitative benchmarking and qualitative case studies, the research should afford insight into the best-performing approaches while highlighting the key approaches of implementation and the preferred modes. The in-depth case study approach will provide the basis for data on the strategic decision-making systems and systematic transformation of companies, business partners, and implementation results. This degree of multi-faceted excellence in research has been ignored in the writings of scholars on the sustainable development of supply chain management in the fashion industry.
References
Anner, M. (2020). Abandoned? Indústria Textile Crise da COVID-19 no Camboja. Estado & comércio, 5.
Johansen, T. S., Pedersen, R. U., Bonná, S. R., Gjervan, B., Bakker, M., & Tran, L. (2021). The circular economy within the pandemic era. A solid waste analysis for the shift from a linear to a circular economy in the Copenhagen Region. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 171, 105655.
Kyritsis, P., LeBaron, G., & Novitz, T. (2020). Not So Exceptional? Labour Exploitation and Brand Accountability During Covid-19: Part 1. Journal of the British Academy, 8, 73-101.
Perry, P., & Towers, N. (2022). Implementing sustainable fashion and strategies to overcome these are complex challenges. In The Circular Economy and the Fashion Industry (pp. 149–170). Elsevier.
Rauturier, S. (2022). The actual cost: Social & environmental issues in the fashion industry. Social Impact Books.
Sandvik, I. M., & Stubbs, W. (2019). Circular fashion supply chain through textile-to-textile recycling. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management.
Yokoo, H. M. (2021). Life-cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint. In Environmental Footprints of Packaging (pp. 85–106). Springer, Singapore.
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