The 7 Rs sustainable packaging framework: Systematic review of sustainable packaging solutions in the apparel and footwear industry

Abstract

The apparel and footwear industry creates large amounts of packaging waste that filter through the entire value chain. Although retailers are making efforts to reduce packaging waste, there is a lack of understanding of the sustainable packaging solutions already available. To address this knowledge gap, this research provides a framework that highlights new theoretical and practical advances in sustainable packaging. The study follows the principles of systematic review research methodology. A data-mining approach was utilized to execute the website search. Thematic content clustering was applied for iterative data analysis. The sample included 478 international retail brands advertising sustainable packaging solutions. The key findings of the study indicate that the 7R's approach might be considered a gradual pathway towards sustainable packaging where the proposed framework includes mutually inclusive and complementary approaches. Such a holistic framework can aid retailers in establishing new or revised criteria to advance sustainable packaging solutions.