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Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2014) | Viewed by 375515

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Prof. Dr. Tsan-Ming Choi (Jason)

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Guest Editor

Business Division, Institute of Textiles and Clothing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Interests: supply chain and logistics management; fashion business; operations research; systems engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yongjian Li

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Guest Editor

Department Chair, Business School, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, P.R. China
Interests: sustainable supply chain management; reverse logistics; closed-loop supply chains; supply chain disruptions; green production; operation management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In light of the global trend toward sustainability, many fashion companies have had to reshape their operational strategies. For example, over the past few years, we have witnessed many fashion companies going green by re-engineering their business processes and establishing formal sustainability programs; these companies aimed to achieve the 5 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle, re-design, and re-image). In this Special Issue, we aim to publish state-of-the-art research concerning sustainability in fashion business operations. The research methodology can be qualitative or quantitative in nature and may follow any standard business study research methodology (e.g., analytical modeling, statistical-based empirical analysis or case studies). We invite interested authors to contribute to this Special Issue by submitting technical research and comprehensive review articles.

Prof Dr. Tsan-Ming Choi
Prof. Dr. Yongjian Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainable fashion operations
sustainable supply chain management
reduce, reuse, recycle, re-design, re-image
green operations management
sustainable fashion industry
sustainable design

Published Papers (13 papers)

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633 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations

by Tsan-Ming Choi and Yongjian Li

Sustainability 2015, 7(11), 15400-15406; https://doi.org/10.3390/su71115400 - 19 Nov 2015

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 23240

Abstract

Under the global trend of sustainability, many companies selling fashion products have to reshape their operational strategies. Over the past few years, we have witnessed many fashion companies going green by re-engineering their business processes and establishing their formal sustainability programs. Many important topics, such as closed-loop supply chain management, corporate social responsibility, and economic sustainability, are all related to sustainable fashion business operations management. This paper provides a brief review of these critical topics, introduces the special issue, and proposes future research areas to achieve sustainable operations management in the fashion business. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

Research

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988 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Game Theoretic Analysis of Carbon Emission Abatement in Fashion Supply Chains Considering Vertical Incentives and Channel Structures

by Longfei He, Daozhi Zhao and Liangjie Xia

Sustainability 2015, 7(4), 4280-4309; https://doi.org/10.3390/su7044280 - 14 Apr 2015

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7211

Abstract

We study an emission-dependent dyadic fashion supply chain made up of a supplier and a manufacturer, both of which can reduce their own component/product emissions to serve the carbon-footprint sensitive consumers. With Carbon Tax regulation, we consider four scenarios resulting from two ways in form of adopting transfer price contract and/or introducing third-party emission-reduction service (TPERS) to enhance the efficiency of systematic emission reductions. We refine four models from these corresponding scenarios, which in turn constitute a decision-making framework composed of determining vertical incentives and choosing supply chain structures. By exploiting Stackelberg games in all models, we compare their emission reduction efficiencies and profitability for each pair of settings. Theoretic analysis and numerical studies show that adopting vertical transfer payment schemes can definitely benefit channel carbon footprint reduction and Pareto improvement of supply chain profitability, regardless of whether the emission-reduction service exists or not. However, whether introducing TPERS or not is heavily depending on systematic parameters when the transfer payment incentive is adopted there. We also provide insights on the sensitivity of carbon tax parameters with respect to the supply chain performance, overall carbon emission reduction, vertical incentive and TPERS adopting decision-makings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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1166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Integrated Practices of Lean, Green, and Social Management Systems on Firm Sustainability Performance—Evidence from Chinese Fashion Auto-Parts Suppliers

by Lin Wu, Nachiappan Subramanian, Muhammad D. Abdulrahman, Chang Liu, Kee-hung Lai and Kulwant S. Pawar

Sustainability 2015, 7(4), 3838-3858; https://doi.org/10.3390/su7043838 - 31 Mar 2015

Cited by 99 | Viewed by 15592

Abstract

To better satisfy various stakeholders, firms are seeking integrated practices that can enhance their sustainability performance, also well known as the Triple Bottom Line (3BL). The fashion industry exhibits potential conflicts with the spirit of sustainability because of the waste created by high levels of demand uncertainty and the extant usage of resources in production. Literature suggests that selected stand-alone practices of lean, green, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) management systems have a positive impact on firm sustainability performance. However, how the combination of selected practices from these three management systems impacts the 3BL remains unclear. Based on case studies, we build an integrated sustainable practices model incorporating the most popular lean, green, and social practices and develop propositions for future tests. Our framework suggests the implementation of integrated practices would have a stronger influence on 3BL performance than individual practice implementation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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764 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Barriers of Corporate Social Responsibility Using an Analytical Hierarchy Process under a Fuzzy Environment—A Textile Case

by Lixin Shen, Kannan Govindan and Madan Shankar

Sustainability 2015, 7(3), 3493-3514; https://doi.org/10.3390/su7033493 - 23 Mar 2015

Cited by 66 | Viewed by 13359

Abstract

The ventilating crisis of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues in the textiles industry resulted in the engagement of many researchers in the analysis of CSR and its related factors throughout the globe. Some researchers in developed nations extend their policies beyond the boundary of CSR in the textiles industry, but some developing contexts are still limited to this boundary, including India, due to facts that have not yet been revealed. Hence, to fill this gap, this study reveals the factors that are resisting the implementation of CSR in the textiles industry with the assistance of a proposed model, and this model is validated with a case industry situated in southern India. Common barriers are collected through various reliable means, and among those common barriers, the essential barrier was identified with the assistance of the case industrial manager through an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) under a fuzzy environment. The results show that financial constraints comprise the main barrier to the implementation of CSR in the Indian textiles industry, which is then further validated with feedback from case industry managers. This study offers both societal and scientific insights, identifies limitations, and provides an approach that may be extended in the future once additional factors are implemented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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783 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on Project Duration Incentives in a Retail Apparel Franchise

by Yichen Peng, Jing Zhou and Xiaoling Wu

Sustainability 2015, 7(2), 2145-2160; https://doi.org/10.3390/su7022145 - 16 Feb 2015

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5260

Abstract

This paper studies the impact on project duration of different forms of over-confidence among general contractors executing such projects, in the context of retail apparel franchises. It goes on to consider the design of relevant incentives and, in particular, a compensation mechanism included in the initial contract that covers the event of contractor dismissal. This mechanism is examined as a means of hedging risk arising from the behavior of the principal. This includes a study of a two-way risk avoidance strategy, which is intended to make up for a shortfall in this regard in the existing literature. Outcomes derived from this research include the conclusion that different levels of confidence can have various impacts on optimal incentive coefficients and the effort level extracted from agents, thereby affecting the ultimate configuration of an optimal contract. Introducing a compensation mechanism covering the event of dismissal can serve to diminish the risk of an agent breaching their contract. This paper applies the concept of bounded rationality to a principal-agent model, ensuring conclusions that are attuned to reality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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975 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Supplier Selection Problems in Fashion Business Operations with Sustainability Considerations

by Peng Jia, Kannan Govindan, Tsan-Ming Choi and Sivakumar Rajendran

Sustainability 2015, 7(2), 1603-1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/su7021603 - 02 Feb 2015

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 18301

Abstract

In recent years, sustainability has been a major focus of fashion business operations because fashion industry development causes harmful effects to the environment, both indirectly and directly. The sustainability of the fashion industry is generally based on several levels and this study focuses on investigating the optimal supplier selection problem for sustainable materials supply in fashion clothing production. Following the ground rule that sustainable development is based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL), this paper has framed twelve criteria from the economic, environmental and social perspectives for evaluating suppliers. The well-established multi-criteria decision making tool Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is employed for ranking potential suppliers among the pool of suppliers. Through a real case study, the proposed approach has been applied and some managerial implications are derived. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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966 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Profit Analysis and Supply Chain Planning Model for Closed-Loop Supply Chain in Fashion Industry

by Jisoo Oh and Bongju Jeong

Sustainability 2014, 6(12), 9027-9056; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6129027 - 09 Dec 2014

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 15772

Abstract

In recent decades, due to market growth and use of synthetic fiber, the fashion industry faces a rapid increase of CO₂ emission throughout the production cycle and raises environmental issues in recovery processing. This study proposes a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) structure in fashion industry and develops its planning model as multi-objective mixed integer linear programming to find an optimal trade-off between CLSC profit and CO₂ emission. The planning model is associated with the profit analysis of each member in CLSC to find the optimal price of products on CLSC network. The model determines optimal production, transportation, and inventory quantities on CLSC network. The proposed models are validated using numerical experiments and sensitivity analyses, and from the results some managerial insights are addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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978 KiB

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Cooperation or Competition? Channel Choice for a Remanufacturing Fashion Supply Chain with Government Subsidy

by Kangzhou Wang, Yingxue Zhao, Yonghong Cheng and Tsan-Ming Choi

Sustainability 2014, 6(10), 7292-7310; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6107292 - 22 Oct 2014

Cited by 91 | Viewed by 9359

Abstract

In this paper, we address the problem of choosing an appropriate channel for the marketing channel structure of remanufactured fashion products. To be specific, we consider a remanufacturer who has two options for selling the products: (1) provide the remanufactured products to a manufacturer, then the manufacturer sells both new products and the remanufactured products to customers, and (2) sell the remanufactured products directly to customers. Because of the relatively low acceptance of remanufactured products and environment consciousness of customers in developing countries like China, we model the two scenarios as decentralized remanufacturing supply chains, with the manufacturer being the Stackelberg leader and the government offering subsidy to the remanufacturer to incentivize remanufacturing activities. We find that the subsidy can incentivize remanufacturing activity regardless of the remanufacturer’s channel choice. A “too high” or “too low” subsidy makes the remanufacturer compete with the manufacturer, and an intermediate subsidy results in cooperation between the two members of the remanufacturing supply chain. Meanwhile, if the customers’ acceptance for remanufactured products is higher, the remanufacturer will be more likely to compete with the manufacturer. However, the remanufacturer’s optimal channel choice may be inefficient in the sense of social welfare and environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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758 KiB

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Sustainable Rent-Based Closed-Loop Supply Chain for Fashion Products

by Zhi-Hua Hu, Qing Li, Xian-Juan Chen and Yan-Feng Wang

Sustainability 2014, 6(10), 7063-7088; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6107063 - 16 Oct 2014

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 30441

Abstract

The textile and clothing industry generates much pollution and consumes a large amount of resources. Improper uses and disposal of clothing products make the problems much more severe. Fast fashion products shorten the valid lifecycle and generate more waste than regular clothing products. Considering the features of fashion products, a system of a rent-based closed-loop supply chain is developed to improve the sustainability of fashion products. The supply chain processes (fashion design and manufacturing, laundry, logistics and disposal), the operations management issues (inventory management, closed-loop logistics, human-clothing matching, booking system and the rental pricing) and the sustainability promotion aspects (customization, responsive system, culture and policy aspects) are investigated by devising sustainable strategies. The rationalities of the developed system and strategies are reviewed and elucidated in detail. The results may contribute to building sustainable closed-loop fashion supply chains, the related information systems and operational and managerial mechanisms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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767 KiB

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Evolutionary Game Analysis of Remanufacturing Closed-Loop Supply Chain with Asymmetric Information

by Jian Li, Weihao Du, Fengmei Yang and Guowei Hua

Sustainability 2014, 6(9), 6312-6324; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6096312 - 12 Sep 2014

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 8424

Abstract

Remanufacturing is an effective means to realize energy saving and emission reduction. This paper develops an evolutionary game model with a two-echelon closed-loop supply chain to study evolutionary stable strategies (ESS) of manufacturers and retailers. Through analyzing evolutionary path of the game, we find that there are two possible evolutionary results affected by the profits of manufacturers. Price of remanufacturing products may be a critical factor that determines the ESS. Government subsidy is critical to promote the development of remanufacturing industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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907 KiB

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Sustainable Fashion Supply Chain: Lessons from H&M

by Bin Shen

Sustainability 2014, 6(9), 6236-6249; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6096236 - 11 Sep 2014

Cited by 188 | Viewed by 208641

Abstract

Sustainability is significantly important for fashion business due to consumers’ increasing awareness of environment. When a fashion company aims to promote sustainability, the main linkage is to develop a sustainable supply chain. This paper contributes to current knowledge of sustainable supply chain in the textile and clothing industry. We first depict the structure of sustainable fashion supply chain including eco-material preparation, sustainable manufacturing, green distribution, green retailing, and ethical consumers based on the extant literature. We study the case of the Swedish fast fashion company, H&M, which has constructed its sustainable supply chain in developing eco-materials, providing safety training, monitoring sustainable manufacturing, reducing carbon emission in distribution, and promoting eco-fashion. Moreover, based on the secondary data and analysis, we learn the lessons of H&M’s sustainable fashion supply chain from the country perspective: (1) the H&M’s sourcing managers may be more likely to select suppliers in the countries with lower degrees of human wellbeing; (2) the H&M’s supply chain manager may set a higher level of inventory in a country with a higher human wellbeing; and (3) the H&M CEO may consider the degrees of human wellbeing and economic wellbeing, instead of environmental wellbeing when launching the online shopping channel in a specific country. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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277 KiB

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The Equilibrium Decisions in a Two-Echelon Supply Chain under Price and Service Competition

by Xiaonan Han, Xiaochen Sun and Yancong Zhou

Sustainability 2014, 6(7), 4339-4354; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6074339 - 14 Jul 2014

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5484

Abstract

This article studies a supply chain composed of a manufacturer and two competing retailers. The manufacturer produces two substitutable products and offers respective service levels to customers who buy one of the two products. Each retailer can only order one kind of product from the manufacturer, and then sell them to the market at a certain sale price. The demands for two products are influenced not only by the service levels the manufacturer provides, but also the sales prices of the two products. Furthermore, we investigate the equilibrium behavior of members in the supply chain with the aid of the Stackelberg game, and discover a number of insights concerning some important parameters. Finally, Numerical analysis is presented to validate our theoretical results and compare channel performances. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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1104 KiB

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Green Supply Chain Collaboration for Fashionable Consumer Electronics Products under Third-Party Power Intervention—A Resource Dependence Perspective

by Jiuh-Biing Sheu

Sustainability 2014, 6(5), 2832-2875; https://doi.org/10.3390/su6052832 - 13 May 2014

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 12222

Abstract

Under third-party power intervention (TPPI), which increases uncertainty in task environments, complex channel power interplays and restructuring are indispensable among green supply chain members as they move toward sustainable collaborative relationships for increased viability and competitive advantage. From the resource dependence perspective, this work presents a novel conceptual model to investigate the influence of political and social power on channel power restructuring and induced green supply chain collaboration in brander-retailer bidirectional green supply chains of fashionable consumer electronics products (FCEPs). An FCEP refers to the consumer electronics product (e.g., personal computers, mobile phones, computer notebooks, and game consoles) with the features of a well-known brand associated, a short product lifecycle, timely and fashionable design fit for market trends, and quick responsiveness to the variations of market demands. The proposed model is tested empirically using questionnaire data obtained from retailers in the FCEP brander-retailer distribution channels. Analytical results reveal that as an extension of political and social power, TPPI positively affects the reciprocal interdependence of dyadic members and reduces power asymmetry, thereby enhancing the collaborative relationship of dyadic members and leading to improved green supply chain performance. Therein, reciprocal interdependence underlying collaborative relationship is the key to reducing the external environmental uncertainties in the TPPI context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability in Fashion Business Operations)

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