The Carrot or the Stick? Stakeholder Support for Mandatory Regulations towards a Circular Fashion System

Saskia Manshoven () and Wim Van Opstal
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Saskia Manshoven: Unit Sustainable Materials Management, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, VITO NV, 200 Boeretang, 2400 Mol, Belgium

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-31

Abstract: In recent years, fast fashion has boosted global production and consumption, decreasing the lifespans of garments and increasing volumes of discarded textiles which are neither reusable or recyclable. Consequently, multiple visions and strategies regarding circular fashion have been developed, addressing a broad range of features pertaining to a potential circular fashion system. Most remain vague about concrete ambitions and policy measures. However, the design of transition pathways involves a good understanding of the policy instruments among stakeholders that operate in a globalized industry with complex value chains. In this study, we investigate stakeholder support for policy instruments that could contribute towards a circular and sustainable fashion system. We identify 30 aspects of a circular fashion system, based on a screening of visions and strategies published by supranational bodies, NGOs, and sectoral organizations. Then, we present survey and focus group results, displaying broad stakeholder support for government intervention, particularly mandatory regulations. A plausible explanation is the prisoner’s dilemma most stakeholders face regarding global value chains, indicating the need for a more level playing field. We identify and address the differences between stakeholder preferences and conclude that mandatory regulations appear to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition for a transition towards a circular fashion system.

Keywords: circular fashion; circular economy; environmental policy; transition pathways; stakeholder participation; strategic interaction; survey research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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