Motivating Factors for Implementing Apparel Certification Schemes—A Sustainable Supply Chain Management Perspective

Nelly Oelze, Tim Gruchmann and Marcus Brandenburg
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Nelly Oelze: School of Business, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 24943 Flensburg, Germany
Tim Gruchmann: Westcoast Institute of Human Resources (WinHR), Westcoast University of Applied Sciences, 25746 Heide, Germany
Marcus Brandenburg: School of Business, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, 24943 Flensburg, Germany

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: The motivations for clothing companies to implement dedicated certification schemes as sustainability practices has received limited attention in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) research so far. Therefore, it is important to understand how different rationales for the implementation of certification schemes have developed in the past because they considerably influence the overall success of sustainability management efforts. This paper picks up on this gap and presents the results of an in-depth comparative case study drawing on interviews conducted with five managers of three companies from the clothing sector in 2018 and abductive content analysis. By applying such a qualitative approach, this study explores motivations and benefits as well as elaborates on the implementation of certification schemes in apparel supply chains. It outlines that certification in the clothing sector is driven by strategic factors, marketing considerations, and information considering sustainability aspects. The study also shows that certification schemes may strengthen the marketing and competitive position of clothing companies as well as sustainability awareness in textile and apparel supply chains in general. Finally, a framework conceptualized from the findings of the interviews presents relevant SSCM practices in the clothing industry. Therefore, the present study contributes to theory building in SSCM by confirming and extending previous research on the implementation of certification schemes for sustainability, as well as to practice by examining reasons to apply certification schemes and potential performance outcomes.

Keywords: sustainable supply chain management; certification schemes; clothing companies; textile and apparel supply chains; case study research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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