Fashion Supply Chain Research Articles

Use of Blockchain Technology in the Fashion Industry: Analysis of How Blockchain Technology Can Be Used to Improve Transparency, Traceability, and Sustainability in the Fashion Supply Chain

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the use of blockchain technology in the fashion industry and to analyze its potential to improve transparency, traceability, and sustainability in the supply chain. Methodology: The study was based on a self-administered questionnaire, which was completed by 200 participants involved in the fashion industry. Descriptive statistics and correlation techniques were used to analyze the data and to test the main hypotheses of the study. Originality/Value: This study adds to the growing body of research on the use of blockchain technology in the supply chain and provides valuable insights into the potential benefits and challenges of implementing blockchain technology in the fashion industry. The study also highlights the role that blockchain can play in improving transparency, traceability, and sustainability in the supply chain. Findings: The results of the study suggest that the use of blockchain technology can lead to a significant increase in transparency in the fashion industry, as well as a significant improvement in traceability and sustainability. The results provide evidence of the potential of blockchain technology to improve the overall accountability and performance of the fashion industry, and highlight the need for further research and investment in this area.

Editorial: fashion supply chain management during and after the COVID-19 global pandemic

Editorial: fashion supply chain management during and after the COVID-19 global pandemic

A Strategic Overview of the Indian Fashion Industry with apropos to Logistics and Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This research study emphasizes the social, environmental, and economic facets of the fashion supply chain and attempts to provide a thorough analysis of sustainability challenges. It aims to comprehend the effects of many sustainability programs and practices, assess the lessons gained from industry mistakes and attempts, and pinpoint areas needing more study and development. Using a qualitative approach, the paper thoroughly reviews case studies, industry white papers, and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Insights from current sustainability trends are integrated with analyses of top brands' sustainability policies, including Nike, Unilever, and Patagonia. The process involves investigating the best methods for incorporating sustainability into fundamental company operations, evaluating social and environmental sustainability efforts, and estimating the economic effects of these activities. The necessity of combining social, environmental, and ethical standards holistically, the significance of expanding sustainability initiatives beyond first-tier suppliers, and the crucial role of supply chain openness are some of the major conclusions. Notable instances include Nike's innovations in sustainable materials, Unilever's circular economy programs, and Patagonia's fair work policies. According to the report, incorporating sustainability into the operations has long-term financial advantages, including improved customer loyalty and brand reputation. This study offers fresh perspectives on the realworld difficulties and achievements of integrating sustainability into the fashion supply chain. It analyses industry standards thoroughly and offers feasible recommendations for businesses looking to improve their sustainability initiatives. The current collection of knowledge on the sustainability of the fashion supply chain is greatly enhanced by the addition of particular case studies and the investigation of cutting-edge technology and practices.

Competition and Pricing Scheme in Fashion Supply Chain: The Fast-Fashion and the Luxury Brands

Competition is widely emerging in the fashion supply chain which incentivizes brands to strategically implement different pricing schemes. We study the competition between a fast-fashion brand and a luxury brand that sell substitutable products. Through the whole selling season, the fast-fashion brand commonly adjusts its retail price. Specifically, it may either determine the promotion price responsively in the clearance period (dynamic pricing) or pre-determine and pre-announce it in the regular period (pre-announcement pricing). The luxury brand prefers an unchanged retail price to maintain its brand image. We study how to optimally make pricing decisions in different pricing schemes and how consumers’ strategic behavior, consumers’ hedonic superiority and brands’ pricing schemes affect the optimal decisions. We find that consumers’ strategic behavior is detrimental to both brands even in a competitive pricing model. Besides, consumers’ hedonic superiority will benefit the luxury brand but enhance the fast-fashion brand’s profit only when the cost differentiation is small. Also, we find that a pre-announcement pricing scheme will be unambiguously beneficial to both brands and the whole supply chain. Furthermore, a pre-announcement pricing scheme can alleviate price competition, mitigate monopolization and consumers’ strategic behavior. Finally, we conduct two extensions and find that the qualitatively remain unchanged.

Fashion niche market strategies: a systematic literature review

PurposeThis study systematically explores the literature on global niche market strategies within the fashion industry to allow the mapping of niche practices and examine the benefits, success factors and characteristics of a niche strategy. Additionally, it identifies data gaps and necessitates a detailed examination to uncover areas with inadequate information.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA 2020) method for systematic review and included 70 studies to analyze their findings.FindingsThis systematic literature review pinpoints niche strategies shaping the future of the fashion industry while developing sectors of the textile and apparel industry, fashion technology, fashion retail business, fashion media and communication, luxury fashion, sustainable fashion, adaptive clothing and transgender fashion within the fashion supply chain. A niche market strategy utilizes both pull and push marketing in the fashion industry. Scholarly literature commonly underscores the understanding of the consumer as a pivotal factor in the success of fashion niche market strategy.Practical implicationsThis review offers a comprehensive overview of fashion niche strategy practices, aiming to inspire fashion industry professionals. It also serves as a guide for fashion industry professionals, summarizing best practices across various fashion industry sectors to help develop effective niche strategy competencies for firms.Originality/valueThis review thoroughly analyzes niche strategy implementation in the fashion industry, presenting an important resource for individuals new to this sector. It highlights the significance of niche strategies in improving the comprehension of emerging participants in the fashion business.

The Comparative Efficiency of Blockchain Governance – Empirical Evidence on the Fashion Supply Chain

The Comparative Efficiency of Blockchain Governance – Empirical Evidence on the Fashion Supply Chain

Uncovering Blockchain's Potential for Supply Chain Transparency: Qualitative Study on the Fashion Industry

With the capacity to increase security and transparency, blockchain technology is being used as an interesting subject of investigation in the fashion industry. This underscores the importance of this current research endeavour. In terms of supply chain transparency, the fashion industry faces considerable barriers, thus requiring new approaches such as blockchain that can address issues such as child labour, unethical payment practices, and environmental impact. Main objective of this research is to identify how blockchain technology can improve transparency, accountability, and compliance with ethical standards. However, knowledge of the specific ways in which blockchain technology can improve transparency in the fashion supply chain, including the drivers and barriers, needs to be improved. The research method is described through a qualitative approach that includes in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis to collect data from various stakeholders in the industry, including manufacturers, distributors, and consumers. Explanation provides an overview of how the researcher collected and analysed data to achieve the research objectives. Blockchain increases transparency through the provision of verifiable and durable product records and fosters consumer-brand trust. Blockchain facilitates accountability and compliance with environmental and ethical standards, according to key findings. Research detected significant barriers, including exorbitant costs for implementation, limited knowledge of technology, and difficulties in fostering collaboration among relevant parties. Results of this study have far-reaching consequences, providing valuable insights to fashion industry stakeholders on how to overcome barriers to blockchain adoption. Long-term benefits of enhanced supply chain transparency and strategic recommendations ensure a smooth implementation process.

A five-stage framework for sustainability certification for fashion brands: Can a standardised approach work in the fashion industry?

ABSTRACT Sustainability certification is one means to address environmental and social issues present in fashion supply chains, whilst bridging the knowledge gap between brands and consumers. However, despite increased urgency to improve social, ethical and environmental practices in this industry, little is understood about how ethical fashion brands currently utilise sustainability certification, in an increasingly saturated, and often unregulated, labelling environment. This study examines choice of sustainability certifications, certification process, and use of labelling, by a range of Australasian fashion brands who promote sustainability as a core part of their customer-facing image. The research identifies a five-stage framework for sustainability certification, as well as indicating failures of current systems relative to user needs. The study develops and offers a proposal for a standardised taxonomy of fashion sustainability labelling that could be adapted, irrespective of firm size, sales revenue of garment and textile types.

Sustaining Natural Dye Plants with Post-Consumer Textile Waste

Aligned with the circular economy framework, this study aims to address pertinent research gaps regarding material and chemical properties of clothing and suitability for closed-loop applications. Primary research questions include: (1) what are the material and chemical properties of post-consumer textile waste from a sustainable fashion take-back program; (2) which natural post-consumer textile waste is most suitable to support the growth of natural dye plants in a hydroponics system; and (3) can the use of post-consumer textile waste in a hydroponics system be scaled to support a circular fashion supply chain? This study focuses on wool, cotton, linen, silk, rayon, and Tencel® lyocell as substrates to nurture the growth of purple basil, a natural dye plant. Vertical hydroponics is a farming method that uses nutrient water to grow plants in place of soil throughout the year. The system can be indoors, making resourceful use of limited space available and the water is recirculated. Standard hydroponic substrates, like peat moss and rockwool, have good porosity for oxygen transport and suitable moisture holding capacity for nutrient delivery. In this study, we compared the performance of the standard hydroponic substrates with various textiles. The impact on water quality, color release, moisture wicking, stability against degradation, and survival rate of the plants was used to evaluate suitability in the application. Wool, silk, and Tencel lyocell demonstrated good durability in the hydroponic system, like peat moss and rockwool, during the first growth cycle. During the second growth cycle, protein fibers—wool and silk—supported plant survival at a greater capacity than Tencel lyocell. Future research can confirm that wool and silk can support the growth of natural dye plants with a larger sample size. This research aligns with several circular economy objectives and provides a model for future research to support circular fashion supply chains.

Sustainable fashion: Mapping waste streams and life cycle management

The fashion supply chain is a major contributor to global waste generation, with significant environmental and social implications. Addressing waste management challenges in this sector is crucial to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this paper proposes an integrated approach for modeling sustainable waste flow management in the fashion supply chain and consequently contributes to reducing the associated environmental impact. Firstly, Waste Flow Mapping (WFM) assessment is used to identify waste production at each stage of the fashion supply chain. Secondly, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is used to quantify environmental impact on resource consumption, waste generation, energy usage, and emissions. Finally, performance metrics and sustainability reporting are established to monitor and track environmental performance. Results show: i) a 25–30% reduction in environmental impacts across product life cycles, ii) a 20–25% improvement in resource efficiency iii) an increase of 15–20% in product's life extensions, and iv) approximately 40–50% of materials can be originated from recycled sources. The model represents a valuable tool for managers to define company strategies from the twin transition (green and digital) perspective.

More Than Meets the Eye: Misconduct and Decoupling Against Blockchain for Supply Chain Transparency

The fashion industry has consistently ranked high in terms of its association with modern slavery. While scandals like the Rana Plaza incident have focused the world's attention on Asia, in Brazil, over 35,000 people have been rescued from conditions analogous to slavery in the past 15 years. Outsourcing and the underlying social structures that blur the implementation of outsourcing are central to this problem. Fashion supply chains are highly fragmented and labour intensive, exhibiting power asymmetry and informality. Although supply chain research has focused on how focal firms can control or improve supplier practices, this study examines focal firm misconduct and decoupling. Our research presents an intervention aimed at developing a blockchain solution to create a census of fashion working conditions in Brazil. The project included two non-governmental organisations, two fashion brands and their suppliers, the fashion retail association, a blockchain start-up and the research team (18 organisations). We contribute to both theory and practice, revealing that the blockchain's potential to ease transaction costs is outweighed by governance costs related to third-party supervision. We show that focal firms justify unfair purchasing practices via victimisation and diverting attention from themselves to consumers (‘unwilling to pay’) and suppliers (‘not behaving as expected’), unveiling how these drivers of organisational misconduct lead to supplier decoupling (means–end) and focal firm decoupling (policy–practice). Such underlying social structures sustain inaction or, at best, advance focal firms’ visibility of their supply chains while offering no true transparency to the broader society.

The impact of the fashion industry on the climate and ecology

The fashion industry is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions and contributes significantly to the climate and ecology crisis, say authors. they say the fashion industry's production of textiles is a major contributor to pollution and climate change. they argue that fashion industry needs to adopt sustainable practices to mitigate its environmental impact. The social impact of the fashion industry on garment workers is a pressing concern that demands urgent attention. Addressing these issues requires concerted efforts from industry stakeholders, policymakers, and consumers to ensure fair labour practices, safe working conditions, and equitable treatment for the individuals who contribute to the global fashion supply chain. the fashion industry's remarkable growth and consumption patterns have led to significant environmental and social impacts. The industry contributes to carbon emissions, water scarcity, pollution, and biodiversity loss through its production processes and supply chains. Additionally, the surge in consumption and the production of disposable fashion have resulted in increased waste and exploitation of garment workers. To address these challenges, a shift towards sustainable practices, circular economies, and conscious consumerism is necessary.

A performance evaluation system for product eco-design in the fashion supply chain

With the increasing environmental awareness of citizens, sustainable fashion has become a hot topic in industry, academia, and society. The importance of product eco-design (ED) in ensuring the sustainability of organizations and supply chains cannot be overstated. This paper aims to establish an eco-design performance evaluation system and identify the most effective management mechanism. To achieve this goal, a linked two-stage network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model is developed. This model has a well-defined internal structure and potential causal relationships between variables; and the two stages are Internal and Supplier Management (ISM) and Openness and Collaboration (OC). We analyze stage and overall efficiencies using proactive, reactive, and simultaneous approaches. Additionally, we explore the convergence characteristics of the industry's ED efficiency from 2015 to 2018. The results show that the overall ED efficiency of fashion enterprises is significant when considering the interrelatedness of subsystems. However, there is disharmony between the two stages. As the proactive approach, ISM is the optimal strategy to maximize ED efficiency. On the other hand, OC is critical to eco-design performance. This paper contributes to the existing literature by developing an innovative DEA analytical framework for evaluating eco-design performance. It also identifies the most eco-efficient way to achieve better environmental performances, which allows decision-makers to better allocate their design efforts and improve both short- and long-term corporate sustainability.

Vague concepts and issue washing: women's empowerment in fashion supply chains

Vague concepts and issue washing: women's empowerment in fashion supply chains

Fast Fashion Supply Chain Management in China: Critical Success Factors and Their Supply Chain Performance Implications

Fast Fashion Supply Chain Management in China: Critical Success Factors and Their Supply Chain Performance Implications

An Analysis of Fuzzy Group Decision Making to Adopt Emerging Technologies for Fashion Supply Chain Risk Management

An Analysis of Fuzzy Group Decision Making to Adopt Emerging Technologies for Fashion Supply Chain Risk Management

Digital Transformation of Supply Chain Management in the Fast Fashion Industry: A Case Study of Zara

With continuous innovation and evolution in the clothing industry, fast fashion brands have gained significant popularity due to their ability to quickly respond to changing fashion trends, offer affordable and stylish clothing, and cater to the preferences of fashion-conscious consumers worldwide. This research analyzes the supply chain of the renowned fast fashion brand Zara, known for its unique supply chain management model. It is one of the most valuable apparel brands globally. The study explores the impact of supply chain management and digitalization on the entire fast fashion supply chain, encompassing upstream suppliers and manufacturers, middle-channel retailers and distributors, and consumers. Through a comprehensive examination of Zara’s success story, this study serves as an inspiring example for domestic apparel enterprises, showcasing the potential benefits that can arise from adopting a unique supply chain model, and offers valuable insights for Chinese apparel companies seeking to enhance their supply chain management and adapt to the digital era.

Waste Not Want Not? The Environmental Implications of Quick Response and Upcycling

Problem definition: Overproduction is often cited as the fashion industry’s biggest environmental issue, as textile production is notoriously resource intensive and pollutive, and much of the textile produced may end up as “deadstock” fabric or finished goods that do not sell. In this paper, we study two major approaches to address this issue: quick response, whereby finished goods inventory is replenished on demand, and upcycling, whereby deadstock fabric is reused to make new clothes. Proponents of these strategies typically focus on their positive environmental impact in downstream supply chain stages (e.g., finished goods production and waste disposal). Less is known, however, about their impact on upstream activities such as raw material acquisition, which we investigate in this work. Methodology/results: We analyze the effect of quick response and upcycling options on firms’ fabric acquisition and production decisions, as well as firms’ incentives to adopt these strategies. We then assess these strategies’ environmental impact in a life cycle framework. Our results show that quick response—when implemented in isolation—reduces deadstock of finished goods, but could increase the amount of fabric acquired. This not only results in more total deadstock (in both finished goods and fabric form), but also aggravates the environmental burden associated with fabric production in the upstream of the fashion supply chain, and could lead to a worse overall environmental impact for the industry. Upcycling together with quick response could alleviate total deadstock generation, but further increases the firm’s demand for fabric. We analyze the effectiveness of two types of policies—subsidizing quick response/upcycling and banning deadstock destruction—in reducing deadstock and curbing firms’ need for fabric. Managerial implications: Our work highlights a tradeoff between downstream deadstock reduction and upstream fabric acquisition, and suggests that regional policies that aim to reduce local deadstock could often have adverse global impacts. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0040 .

A Bibliometric Review of Green Technology- Related Research in the Textile Industry

Despite being an impressive contributor to the world economy, traditional production and processing methods in the textile manufacturing industry cause significant waste and pollution. Green technology has emerged as a viable approach for mitigating environmental consequences. Numerous scholars have investigated green technologies; nonetheless, a more thorough analysis of the development and characteristics of green technology research in the textile industry is needed. This bibliometric study examined the growth patterns and trends of green technology research in the clothing industry from 2000 to 2023. The data were collected from the Scopus database, and the bibliometric analysis tool VOSviewer was used to visualise the data. The study results demonstrated the exponential growth trends of green textile technology research since 2020. The study also uncovered productive journals, countries, and institutions researching green textile technology. The results additionally showed that the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), and China exhibit substantial publications, and the UK is the leading country for collaborative research in green textile technology research. This study identified five primary research areas in the green textile technology literature: environmental impact assessment, life cycle assessment of textiles, sustainable design of textiles, sustainable fashion, and circular fashion supply chains. This analysis can assist academics in identifying novel research methodologies.

Evaluating methods to achieve raw material transparency in fashion supply chains: A focus on cotton

The global cotton and fashion industries are complex, inherently opaque and environmentally and socially exploitative. This is because of a long history of colonial practices founded in the cotton industry and a current fashion industry that is dominated by bottom-line focused large brands. Fashion supply chain transparency is needed to address the myriad of issues plaguing the fashion industry. As a tool for reaching a fair, just and sustainable fashion industry, transparency is a necessary step in reaching an accountable supply chain from the raw material level all the way to the retailer. The goal of this study is to identify the most impactful methods for increasing transparency throughout the entire fashion supply chain. Through in-depth, qualitative interviews with industry experts, six key areas were identified as methods for increasing transparency to the raw material (tier 4 or 5 level) and reducing risk within the fashion supply chain. These include restructuring of the cotton commodity market, the need for technology, increasing brand investment, trust and honesty, the need for policy, reduction of cotton certification reliance and the intervention of cotton advocacy organizations. Additionally, this research also brings to light a lack of real progress towards large-scale change within the industry and found that there is a need for complete structural change to both the cotton commodity market and the fashion supply chain if the goal of reaching a fair, just and sustainable fashion industry is to be possible.