Abstract
The textile industry is one of the most important productive sectors worldwide, and everyone, to some extent, is involved in its value chain. For this reason, it is essential to be informed about its performance, problems and innovations. This paper presents the progress done in the transition towards sustainable production and consumption patterns. A literature review of the life cycle stages of textile products was carried out to identify initiatives and actions improving the performance. The findings show that transparency and traceability along the supply chain have been a fundamental piece in the transition. Besides, the creation of multi-stakeholders’ clusters, seeking to improve social and environmental issues has been one of the most successful paths in this transition. However, a lack of training and skills along the life cycle stages and disconnection between products’ design and strategies of recycling was found. For this reason, it is recommendable to generate an in-depth diagnosis of the textile industry at a global and regional level. As well, it is necessary to generate strategies and tools that facilitate this transition, mainly supporting SMEs (small- and medium-sized companies).
Highlights
The policies and strategies developed in the last decade to promote sustainable development [1,2] have increased the pressure on the industrial sectors to protect the environment and show social responsibility [3]
The definition of sustainability that covers the purpose of this study can be referred to Ben-Eli [9] which states: “Sustainability is a dynamic equilibrium in the process of interaction between a population and the carrying capacity of its environment such that the population develops to express its full potential without producing irreversible adverse effects on the carrying capacity of the environment upon which it depends”
Such is the case in the study conducted by Sherburne [83], where design strategies are identified seeking to reduce the environmental impact of garments through questions and exercises that facilitate the development of models with a life cycle approach
Summary
The policies and strategies developed in the last decade to promote sustainable development [1,2] have increased the pressure on the industrial sectors to protect the environment and show social responsibility [3]. According to Brown et al [5], “sustainability” is strongly context-related, i.e., its meaning depends on the context in which it is applied. In this line of thought, we argue that a useful definition must be established under a specific application. We consider that the definition should incorporate the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic and social, called triple bottom line (3BL) [7,8]. The definition of sustainability that covers the purpose of this study can be referred to Ben-Eli [9] which states: “Sustainability is a dynamic equilibrium in the process of interaction between a population and the carrying capacity of its environment such that the population develops to express its full potential without producing irreversible adverse effects on the carrying capacity of the environment upon which it depends”
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