Managing the Material Flow in Textile and Clothing Closed-loop Supply Chain with Product, Material, and Energy Recoveries: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The emerging era of fast fashion has broadened the issue of sustainability and post-consumer waste in the textile and clothing industry. Textile and clothing manufacturers carry out Reverse Logistics (RL) and Closed-loop Supply Chain (CLSC) operations to manage waste related to used garment products. This study reviews existing literature on RL and CLSC in the textile and clothing industry and develops a conceptual framework for material management. This study proposes a framework to manage the flow of material in CLSC with three recovery alternatives, i.e. product, material, and energy recovery. We suggest a CLSC model involving a textile manufacturer, garment manufacturer, fashion retailer, and MRF (Material Recovery Facility). We propose an RL scheme with 100% recovery and no disposal activity. The proposed model allows the CLSC system to recover waste into energy and utilise it as an alternative energy in the upstream supply chain. We discuss some of the model limitations along with its challenges for implementation.