Sustainability within Fashion Business Models: A Systematic Literature Review

Thorey S. Thorisdottir and Lara Johannsdottir
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Thorey S. Thorisdottir: School of Business, University of Iceland, Gimli Saemundargata 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
Lara Johannsdottir: Environment and Natural Resources, School of business, University of Iceland, Gimli, Saemundargata 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-26

Abstract: Production, marketing, and consumption of fashion products result in negative environmental impacts due to the massive production volume of fashion items. However, there is limited literature on how the fashion industry integrates sustainability-related practices into business models, how sustainability is measured within the business models, or what drives the sustainability-emphasis of the fashion industry. Therefore, it is consequential to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature concerning how the fashion industry integrates sustainability into business models, if and how sustainability-related practices are measured to ensure transparency and lead to improvements, and to recognize what drives sustainability in fashion business models. The key aspects regarding sustainability integration into business models include organization values, entrepreneurship, innovation, and internationalization processes. With regards to measurement of impacts and reporting, it is evident that Corporate Social Responsibility, the Global Reporting Initiative, and the Apparel and Footwear Sector Supplement are of relevance for the industry, mainly with regards to the supply chain. The drivers influencing sustainability practices are government and regulatory pressure, market pressure, closed-loop pressure, value creation, innovation, equity, authenticity, functionality, localism, and exclusivity. The findings are of relevance both for academia and the fashion industry, as the paper provides evidence on what has already been studied by academia, but also highlights a need for further studies on the fashion industry with regards to sustainability practices. This paper; therefore, opens a path for academics to consider empirical studies on how to investigate the sustainability strategies of fashion businesses, elements of fashion business models, driving forces influencing actions, measurements, key performance indicators, transparency, and disclosure, just to name a few examples.

Keywords: business model; fashion; sustainability; measure; driver; report (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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