Success factors in sustainable textile product innovation: An empirical investigation

Abstract

This paper investigates the success of sustainable product innovation in the textile, clothing, and leather industry. Basing on the typology of Medeiros et al. (2014) a literature review was conducted to update the critical success factors. To investigate the importance of the factors, this research made use of a mixed methodology. 1634 digital news magazine articles and corporate communications were collected in a database describing the development and introduction of 176 new products from 158 companies using low-waste, circular, or “fair” production processes and new materials such as organic, recycled, bio-based synthetic fabrics. From the product and innovation managers responsible, a sample of 33 respondents participated in a survey, where their products had to be evaluated using operationalizations of three success aspects and fourteen success factors. Additionally, five sustainable textile product innovation experts characterized all 176 products in a similar manner, based on the information in the database. Relying on an indirect benchmarking approach both samples produce similar conclusions. The most important success factors are customer expectation fulfillment (in first place) followed by compliance with laws and regulations, green creativity, knowledge about factors that drive sustainable buying, investments in R&D infrastructure, and competitor monitoring. While the importance of market acceptance and the understanding of customers’ perspectives is highlighted, the research makes a contribution to the literature on success factors of sustainable textile innovations.