The Influence of Technologies in Increasing Transparency in Textile Supply Chains

Caterina Hauschild and Angelica Coll ()
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Caterina Hauschild: Independent Researchers, 13347 Berlin, Germany
Angelica Coll: Chair of Logistics, Technische Univeristät Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany

Logistics, 2023, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: Background: In the current political discourse, supply chain transparency is seen as a key to improving the working and environmental conditions within textile supply chains. Additionally, the use of technology is increasingly being regarded as a means of reducing complexity and increasing transparency within these supply chains. While much research has been conducted to understand the impact of the textile industry on sustainability and the impact of technology on the overall performance of the textile supply chains, little attention has been placed on the following question: How do technologies affect transparency within the textile supply chains? Methods: We conducted seven interviews with actors from the textile industry. Based on these collected data, the relevance of selected technologies for improving transparency is established and the challenges of their implementation and impact on the industry are assessed. Results: Digital technologies, such as blockchain, the Internet of Things and dialog platforms, are promising instruments for transparency, even though their current implementation is not ideal. Furthermore, great skepticism on platforms for reporting (audits and complaint systems) is still prevalent. Conclusions: Since the influence of transparency on sustainability is conditioned by the goal orientation with which the technologies are implemented and used, we propose a framework for the implementation of the selected technologies that account for the interaction between said technologies in the textile supply chains.

Keywords: logistics; supply chain management; textile industry; digital technologies; digitalization; transparency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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