Corporate Social Responsibility Influencing Sustainability within the Fashion Industry. A Systematic Review

Abstract

The fashion industry, one of the largest industries in the world, is a complicated phenomenon, driven by aspirations of symbolic lifestyle and the creativity of architecture and design. It pushes the use of natural resources to its limits by mass production and a low-cost structure that motivates consumerism at large. The purpose of this study is to explore corporate social responsibility and how it influences sustainability within the fashion industry. A systematic literature review was carried out. This encompassed the academic publications available in two scientific databases focusing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), sustainability, and fashion, covering the period 2003–2019. The findings indicate that the CSR approach taken by managers within the fashion industry is focused on sustainability, business models, and/or supply chain innovation, with commitments undertaken concerning the economy, environment, and/or society, wherein the production of eco-friendly products and workers’ safety are emphasized. Actions that tie CSR and sustainability with companies’ actions are presented in a micro-meso-macro framework, where brand equity, culture, supply chain management, activism, and human rights are evident. The findings of the study are relevant for academia, practitioners, and policymakers, as they provide insight into the operations and impacts of domestic and multinational fashion companies, outlining the most relevant studies on the topic, and also highlighting research trends and gaps in the field.

1. Introduction

Globalization of the economy has changed how companies or industries compete for consumers’ attention by differentiating their products and services [1,2]. On the contrary, in the fashion industry, one of the largest industries in the world [3], and the fourth-largest in Europe after housing, food, and transport [4], standardization is critical but it has led to unsustainable actions by focusing on low-cost production at the maximum production speed [5]. The industry plays an essential role in the global economy and employs around 3384 million people, or 46% of the world’s population of 7260.7 billion people, based on data from 2014 [3]. Accusations of unsafe workplaces, low salaries, violations of workers’ rights [6], and low environmental performance have been constant, and these have intensified over the years, for example, the excessive use of natural resources. Over the decades, the consequences of inaction are evident [7,8,9] together with the resulting negative impacts on sustainable development [7,10,11].

Accusations related to the fashion industry’s conduct are often linked to its ecological footprint, which is a consequence of mass production, prevalent labor abuse, and the marketing methods used in recent years, which have formed a throwaway culture [10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. This culture has resulted in a specific disposal problem globally, as every second, a truckload of textiles goes to landfills or is incinerated [17]. New clothes are discarded when they fall out of fashion [18,19], and often even before they do so. Despite increased consumer awareness regarding social and environmental impacts [13], the fashion industry still negatively affects the customers’ sustainable future [7,10,11].

In spite of the pressure on the fashion industry to implement strategies addressing environmental and social issues, the evidence shows that the industry is still not taking corporate social responsibility (CSR) seriously, as few companies have hired CSR experts so far [20]. According to the fashion mindset and low-price policy, it is still feasible to produce by the lowest-cost methods possible, which has led to consumerism becoming a growing problem. This calls for a more explicit policy regarding pricing and the production space, and creates pressure for collaboration between fashion companies, suppliers, and other stakeholders to produce environmentally friendly products [21,22,23]. The long term benefit of formal CSR and sustainability practices within the fashion sector is that added value for the industry stakeholders would ultimately be created [24].

The fashion industry must face the “negative aspects of the life-cycle of their products” [25] (p. 33) by planning for the future and by conducting their business differently. This could be done by addressing, for example, “the increasing scarcity of energy, water, and their rising cost, together with the rising cost of waste and its disposal” [26] (p. 5), and their workers’ rights when decisions are made on factory closures [26]. In this context, it is worth noting that companies change their behavior and take responsibility for their actions for various reasons. For example, to protect and improve their reputation, reduce stakeholder pressure, create new markets, and gain a competitive advantage [27]. Whether this involves real improvements is uncertain, since it all depends on the nature of the reasons and actions taken. Supporting diversity by donating to charity, funding volunteer programs by changing investment practices are other ways the industry will approach this. [26].

Studies have revealed an increasing number of issues related to consumerism, as consumers have not shown much interest in buying eco-friendly clothes, because the design and texture of such clothes does not appeal to them [28]. To encourage more desirable behavior, fashion designers need to add more value to eco-friendly clothing designs without damaging style or brand identity [29,30]. This is especially true in respect of consumers who use clothes to distinguish themselves from others, or see their clothes as a status symbol or as a means to show off a social position or a specific lifestyle [12]. The attention consumers give to sustainability issues is increased through education and by raising their awareness. An effective way to approach this is by utilizing marketing communication or social media [31,32,33,34], since the communication structure regarding CSR needs a new approach [35]. In order to increase consumer awareness of a sustainable product, fashion companies need to customize their marketing methods, whether these are domestically or globally focused [34,36,37].

Scholars have shown increased interest in the fashion industry in recent years, mainly with regard to fashion supply chains and their sustainability-emphasis, although some of the interest is associated with sustainability and CSR practices within the fashion industry [12,15]. CSR is a broad concept, and it is “described as an umbrella term for sustainability issues” [38] (p. 13), and in some cases, it is labeled as sustainability within the fashion industry [38,39]. This addresses the need to explore sustainability integration regarding ecological, environmental, and social responsibility within the fashion industry [40].

The purpose of this study is to explore CSR and how it influences sustainability within the fashion industry. A systematic literature review is carried out to achieve this goal, since it will help to map existing knowledge. A delimitated search was carried out through the Web of Science and EBSCOhost’s databases, as these databases cover a large proportion of available studies. The results of these studies were published from 2003 to 2019. Many studies can be used as a base from which to summarize how CSR influences sustainability [41,42,43,44,45,46]. Alternatively, the micro-meso-macro framework [47] is used to describe the link between CSR and sustainability [48], as it seems to be the most suitable framework to follow in this research.

The paper is structured as follows. Section 2 explains CSR, sustainable development and sustainability, the connection between CSR and sustainability, the micro-meso-macro framework, and the sustainable fashion concepts. Section 3 begins with an explanation of the methods employed in this review. Section 4 includes the findings, illustrating differences between the years of publication; research focus by regions; the theoretical approach of studies; an overview of studies by their aim, purpose, and objective; overviews of keywords by industry sector and the frequency of keywords, key topics, and related sub-topics; a discussion of CSR; a discussion of sustainability; and contributions and suggestions for future research. Section 5 covers the discussion, and the sixth section is comprised of the conclusion.

2. Background

The review begins with a general discussion of the three main keywords this study employs: CSR, sustainability, and sustainable fashion.

2.1. Corporate Social Responsibility

The CSR concept is well known and has been around for a long time, but some forms of corporate responsibility can be traced back to the eighteenth century [14,38,49]. Latapi Agudelo et al. [50] drew attention to the evolution of CSR understanding, ranging from the discussion of businessmen’s social responsibility in 1953 to the generation of sustainable values in 2016. The definition of CSR has left it unclear as to how companies should take responsibility for their actions towards the environment and society [3]. Nevertheless, as explained in the European (EU) [51] definition, the concept demonstrates how companies voluntarily participate in contributing to a cleaner environment and a better society by structuring their responsibilities [51]. Such actions affect all stakeholders, both internal and external, and influence the companies’ success in the long-term [51]. While the volunteering approach is not legally binding, it influences social consent, or the license to operate, creating an obligation to ensure that operations are conducted ethically and to report cases where things go wrong or when a tragedy occurs [52]. There has been speculation as to what constitutes a socially responsible company, and it is somewhat uncertain. As Milton Friedman [53] points out, the concept entails an unclear and vague statement which indicates that a company is “an artificial person and in this sense may have an artificial responsibility” (p. 1). According to Friedman [53], companies are structured to increase profits and deliver financial benefits for their shareholders. It is the people and how they manage a company that creates responsibility for its social performance [53,54,55].

It is not a simple task to define CSR, as the description of the concept can differ between institutions, businesses, or countries where culture, business practice, and perceptions can affect how social issues and consequences are addressed [56]. Rasche et al. [57] drew attention to five perspectives on CSR, namely normative, integration, instrumental, political, and emergent, which show the motivation for companies to adopt CSR, and the implications if they fail to do so. A common motivation for implementing CSR stems from company leaders’ “ethical obligations” (p. 8), requiring them to meet social expectations of integration by incorporating the three sustainability pillars, economic, environmental, and social, into the company structure. This is especially because CSR is still an “undisputed yet contested precondition for ongoing business development with which managers need to engage rather than respond proactively” [57] (p.10).

When defining CSR as a concept in terms of how businesses operate and what is expected, required, and desired by society, Carroll [49] summarizes the key aspects in a four-layer pyramid or a CSR framework. The layers are economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibility. The aspect of economic responsibility (the bottom layer) illustrates how society requires companies to be profitable and productive when it comes to investments, and how communications and financial structures are formed in the long-term. According to the pyramid, the legal responsibility aspect details how companies are required to be fair, for example, when it comes to products and services, ensuring the laws and regulations set by society are followed. The ethical aspect of the pyramid discusses the community expectations towards companies, pushing them to integrate moral norms and behaviors that are not defined by the legal system, thereby reflecting concepts of fairness and respect towards employees and other stakeholders. The final layer (the top layer) of the pyramid discusses how philanthropic responsibility does not reflect actual responsibility. Instead, it illustrates the nature of social expectations that can influence a company’s reputation, attitudes, and willingness to support charities or give back to society in some way, and the internal and external stakeholders’ roles concerning companies’ responsibilities towards society [49].

2.2. Sustainable Development and Sustainability

In order to understand the history of sustainability, it is appropriate to open this discussion with the classic quotation from the Brundtland report where sustainable development (SD) is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” [7] (p. 41). SD consists of four integral dimensions: economy, environment, society, and culture [58]. Other dimensions were added later: time and human [59], and time and space [60]. The Brundtland report was a milestone in raising awareness of global environmental problems [61], providing a good description of sustainability in practice [7], and creating a path to reach the goal of sustainability through its four principles [62]: (1) contributing to the ecological system by managing the use of natural resources; (2) by using environmentally friendly materials (3) practicing within an efficient ecosystem; and (4) contributing to society by meeting human needs, both globally and domestically [62] (p. 199). Sustainability is a long-term goal for the future where “environmental, societal and economic considerations are balanced in the pursuit of improved quality of life” [58] (para. 2).

Some would argue that the vision is not likely to benefit future generations as the world’s ecosystems are already close to their limits, which is a matter of weak sustainability. In this instance, the focus is on new technology and market demand to support consumerism rather than limiting the overuse of natural resources [63]. This leads to a rejection of the “physical limits to economic growth” [48] (p. 269). Therefore, the goal should emphasize maintaining natural resources and supporting social equity, economic development, and environmental protection to deliver strong sustainability [63]. The discussion in Brundtland’s report, nevertheless, reveals the need to develop new technology and reinforce knowledge and people skills in terms of decreasing resource consumption by developed nations [7]. Strong sustainability requires a commitment towards three pillars, economy, society, and the environment. It also discusses how businesses should deal with the problems created by their existence, such as waste and pollution [44,46,64].

Furthermore, how they plan to promote equity, to support employees’ livelihoods and safety, while securing business profitability and financial performance [44,46] are components of this. Discussing a long-term vision for the economic aspects of well-being and the protection of natural resources is necessary [48,63]. The implementation of an emphasis on sustainability has been challenging for the business sector, society, and governments due to the broad structural framework encompassing negative environmental impacts and the unsustainable trends of mass resources consumption, where the wasteful use of water and land still persists [65].

Sustainability awareness among business front-runners has increased over the last decade and led to the implementation of sustainability goals to a greater extent. These leaders have used the triple bottom line (TBL) framework to analyze social, environmental, and economic impacts by measuring their results annually [66]. Despite good intentions, human welfare seems to be missing in the social equation, and natural resources are still under threat. As pointed out by Elkington, it is challenging to measure a purpose or goal, rather than “success or failure in terms of profit or loss” ([66], para. 4). Sustainability must be discussed in a broader context with the focus being placed on welfare for all human beings and the entire ecosystem [66].

A broad definition of sustainability is a research topic in White’s [67] paper, in which he discusses the vision as a different perspective which varies depending on people’s understanding. The paper reflects on the question of whether sustainability is a visual thing, measurable, or a tool to create a better future and if “sustainability is a vision of the future, he hopes for a shared vision among individuals and organizations” [67] (p. 218). Sustainability is more than a vision for a better future, it is a clear mission from “ecology to art, and agriculture to architecture” [68] (p. 76) as the future is unpredictable. It requires business leaders to dedicate time to creating improvements and interaction with natural resources issues [68]. “A clear, compelling mission should be at the heart of every company’s effort to enhance its positive impacts on the environment and society” [69] (p. 49).

2.3. The Connection between CSR and Sustainability

There are arguments as to whether sustainability has lost its credibility or if the definition has caused misperception as the differences or the ties between CSR and sustainability seem to be unclear to business executives [61]. Examples which illustrate this can be found on the websites of many companies, where CSR is titled “sustainability” [38] (p. 11) or vice versa. The definition of sustainability within science has become more widespread over time and, in some cases, it is discussed as an outcome of CSR, or described as an element under the CSR umbrella [41] (p. 13), especially within the business sector [41].

Sustainability emerged in the early 1970s when the debate on environmental impacts intensified, becoming one of the driving forces for CSR [70]. As stated, it should be “a part of every business decision and operation” [39] (p. 131) and part of a company’s DNA [70,71], guiding how the whole concept is managed [57]. Over 30 years of evolution, the concepts of CSR and sustainability have integrated the environmental, economic, and social aspects, but in different ways [48]. To show these differences, Steurer et al. [48] drew up a framework for sustainable development (SD), CSR, and corporate sustainability (CS) to illustrate the similarities between these concepts, at different levels. The framework pulls together sustainability at the macro level in combination with the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The existence of the organization establishes corporate sustainability (CS) as a concept, while CSR sits within the management approach, which contains a specific management system, such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which can be used to deal with specific issues within those three dimensions at a micro level [48].

2.4. The Micro-Meso-Macro Framework

The micro-meso-macro framework consists of circles, where the innermost circle is the micro level, and the outermost circle is the macro level. The micro level describes the behavior of the economic system [47], whereas the macro level focuses on the local community, small groups, or individual organizations [72] or “refers to the individual carriers of rules and system they organize” [47] (p. 263). The meso level is next, sitting between the micro and macro levels, focusing on intermediate-sized organizations or institutions, social acceptance, integration, and equity, forming the structural architecture for efficiency and knowledge of the ecosystem [47]. The macro level consists “of the population structure of Meso” [47] (p. 263), and this discusses the social trends of everyday habits from a global perspective [72]. The macro level includes the legal aspect (law and regulations), technology, market demand, and new trends, whereas societal, cultural (norms and attitudes), and environmental aspects, such as access to natural resources, is the part that influences sustainability orientation [41]. When this framework is placed in the context of sustainability, sustainable development is seen as a societal concept at the macro level, corporate sustainability is identified as a corporate concept at the meso level, and CSR is recognized as a management approach at a micro level, including systems such as ISO standards. [73].

2.5. Sustainable Fashion

The fast-growing global fashion industry is worth over 3 trillion US dollars. It plays an essential role in the world economy as it holds around 4% of the market share or 385.7 billion dollars market value [3]. In 2015, the annual turnover in fast fashion was 1.8 trillion US dollars, and this is expected to increase by 17% or up to 2.1 US trillion dollars before 2025 [18].

Fashion is often described as a complicated phenomenon. The meaning of the word fashion can, for example, stand for apparel, clothing, footwear, garment, or textile [74]. The fashion industry is driven by aspiration, desire, and creativity [74]. It operates in the space between technology, business, and the arts [75] and is one of the “few remaining craft-based industries” [12] (p. 10) where sewing machines are still used in production [12]. It is a part of everyday activities [76], where there is the ambition and desire of consumers to use fashion products in relation to their symbolic lifestyle features, personalizing their image through textiles, clothing, garments, or apparel outfits [12,74]. Through creativity, in eco and green design, the fashion industry aligns with other creative industries such as architecture and product design. However, unlike some other businesses, the fashion industry was relatively slow to implement any sustainability emphasis [12].

The root of sustainable fashion is traceable to the eighteenth century when the first recorded instances can be found. In this case, men’s waistcoats were redesigned and used as the basis for new embroidered women’s vests. One such item is displayed in the Museum at the Fashion Institution of Technology (FIT) [77] in the United States (US). The ideology of reusing and recycling has, therefore, been around for quite a long time. Another good example is from the late 1960s when the fabric, which is known as paper wear, “made from a variety of nonwoven fiber rather than the actual paper”, [77] (p. 46) was introduced as a disposable product. It was a part of the evolution towards reusing fabrics in the fashion industry. The development continued, and in the 1970s, the recycling of plastic bottles was developed, and they were used to create a clothing fabric, known as a fleece material [77]. Despite examples of sustainable fashion, scholars are still looking for answers as to how the fashion industry can act more responsibly towards the environment and the social impacts of its day-to-day operations [5,11,15,21]. However, because the industry’s commitments are structured around the delivery of new stylish trends to stores every other week, and are still reliant on a low-cost and low-price structure, it is often less expensive to buy a plain white t-shirt than a cup of coffee in a café [5].

The disposal problem created by mass production and consumerism puts pressure on natural resources [17], as new clothes are thrown out when the expectations and perceived value of customers no longer exist [18,19]. This had led to the development of a framework by the European Commission to develop new sustainable “eco-design and other measures” [78] (p. 10) to raise consumer awareness of sustainable products by facilitating access to “re-use and repair services” [78] (p. 10), thereby conforming with circularity by improving transparency in the global production process. In addition, to deal with the disposal problem, the action plan includes an improved program to re-use, recycle, and sort fashion items overall [78].

There are several ways to highlight sustainability within the fashion industry, for instance, by emphasizing more transparency in reporting the production processes. Fashion designers work under constant pressure, where they deal with transportation miles, traceability, and waste in the design process. Therefore, it can be challenging to say whether it is time pressure or lack of interest that leads to these components not being factored into the design process [12]. Given these reasons, sustainability should be addressed as an opportunity to deliver improvements for the future of responsible fashion [12].

Concerning the issue of raising consumer awareness of sustainable products, Benedetto [31] suggests that visual merchandisers should design store plans with this in mind, or that these products should be made more visible in stores to increase their sales. Furthermore, it is suggested that labels explaining the impacts the product has on the environment should be designed so that they are more informative. If company managers implemented these suggestions, it could help firms to differentiate themselves, and gain a competitive advantage over their competitors [31,32], especially for the companies at the forefront of the development. To do so, companies must have access to information, collected through market research, about what motivates consumers in their desire for sustainable fashion [32].

3. Methods

This research follows the systematic literature review (SLR) method described in the Handbook of Organizational Research Methods authored by Denyer and Tranfield [79]. The SLR method is, in this case, used to identify the knowledge gap in the fashion industry regarding sustainability and CSR in order to establish a reliable knowledge base, which aims to serve academia, businesses, and policymakers. The value of conducting SLR is that it “provides a systematic and transparent means for gathering, synthesizing and appraising the findings of studies on a particular topic or question” [80] (p. 104), as it aims to reduce bias throughout the investigation of published literature [79,81]. The aim is also to discover how much is known or unknown about the research topic. This systematic literature review, therefore, lays the ground for empirical studies by focusing on, among other things, CSR and how it influences sustainability within the fashion industry. This will be achieved by collecting information on CSR practices and sustainability innovations to set out what is already known about the topic, which theories have been applied, and to investigate different ideas in this field. In order to do so, this research follows three stages to conduct the SLR, as proposed by Tranfield et al. [81]: (1) planning the review, (2) conducting the review, and (3) reporting and dissemination.

3.1. Planning Review

At the first stage proposed by Tranfield et al. [81], the review’s planning stage consists of identifying and preparing the proposal, developing the need, and the protocol for this review. The need consists of exploring CSR integration, and establishing if or how it influences sustainability-emphasis within the fashion industry [40]. It is also important to identify what is known about the topic, something that, in some cases, is labeled as sustainability [38,39]. The focus was on articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Other publications, such as books and conference papers, were excluded from the review protocol. For the selection stage, two scientific databases were chosen for the search of academic papers. The Web of Science and EBSCOhost’s Academic Source Premier and Business Source Premier were chosen because they include extensive coverage of relevant published papers. The selection of these two databases was based on specific inclusion criteria requiring articles to be published in peer-reviewed journals, documents, and institutional reports written in English. It was also important to have open access to full-text papers online, covering the topic of this investigation. The SLR approach is in its nature inductive, as categories were modified and classified during the review process [82].

The selection process was conducted by following the requirement of a transparent structure of selection criteria relating to each finding, as proposed by Denyer and Tranfield [79], to establish whether it fitted the study purpose. The second stage consisted of identifying, selecting, assessing quality, and the processes of extraction, monitoring, and synthesizing the data [81].

3.2. Conducting the Review

In terms of the review, the search string was defined to identify relevant academic papers serving this study purpose. The search was conducted using search tools offered by each of the selected databases with the usage of standard Boolean “AND/OR” terms, allowing the creation of a single search algorithm where the authors ran their keywords to search through titles and abstracts. The algorithm search string contained corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and fashion; it was also subdivided according to related concepts (see

Table 1. Keywords and sub-keywords used as a search string in this SLR study.

Keywords	Sub—Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility	Corporate Social Responsibility—CSR Corporate Responsibility—CR Stakeholder
Fashion—Fashion industry	Apparel Clothes Garments Textile
Sustainability—The three pillars	Economic Environment Social

). Corporate social responsibility was also defined as CSR, corporate responsibility, and CR, in an attempt to capture studies from around 1970, as the social element was not included in CSR [49] until after 1970 [50]. Additionally, to cover most aspects of CSR, the stakeholders’ role was included to gain a holistic view of CSR, as Carroll suggests [49]. Sustainability was also divided into three domains: economic, environmental, and social, to cover the three pillars of sustainability [41,44,46,64].

Furthermore, to maximize the search, the fashion industry was sub-divided into apparel, clothes, garments, and textile. The final keyword search strings were as follows: (Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR or corporate responsib* or stakeholder* or economic sustainab* or environment sustainab* or social sustainab*) and (Fashion* or apparel* or clothes* or garments* or textile*). These keywords were used to cover a broad selection of CSR and sustainability papers concerning the fashion industry. The search period was from January 1970, as a starting point, to April 2019, aiming to cover as much research related to the topic from this period, and yielded 892 papers. The search and analytical processes were finalized in December 2019.

3.3. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

The keyword search resulted in 892 papers. Thereof, 690 papers were sourced from the Web of Science, and 202 papers were derived from Ebscohost’s database (see Figure 1). In a number of cases, and to be sure that the inclusion was determined correctly, the authors read the entire articles. The process of inclusion, titles, abstracts, and the keywords of each of the 892 papers were read to determine whether they should be included in the review or not. This method was based on examples proposed by Jesson et al. [80] for SLR methods. Through this process, 574 articles were excluded since they were unrelated to the fashion industry, CSR, and sustainability, or they were not written in English. After the initial screening, 318 papers were further examined regarding CSR, sustainability, and fashion. Based on this analysis, 109 articles were excluded. The final result yielded 209 papers that fitted the purpose of the study. The full list appears in Appendix A.

3.4. Reporting and Dissemination

As proposed by Denyer and Tranfield [79], the final stage in conducting the SLR consists of recommendations and reporting so that evidence can be put into practice. The analytical stage was conducted using the qualitative content analysis (QCA) method, with the support of the MAXQDA 2018 software program, which was utilized to examine the text qualitatively [82,83]. During this process, “qualitative data is systematically converted to numerical data” [84] (p. 166) using the Microsoft Excel 365 software program. After reading through the 209 selected papers, the frame was combined with data-driven inductive logic for open coding to identify concepts, development, and the frame was combined with data-driven inductive logic for open coding to identify concepts, development, and implementation, by explaining and integrating each category [85]. The frame was designed for named categories based on definitions within the publications and structured based on data from the search. The QCA method and open coding allowed the researchers to go back and forth through the data collected from the search for analysis whilst finalizing the frame [82]. Thus, it is based on a “strategy for discovering concepts in the researcher’s data” [82] (p. 111). This method, therefore, fits the nature of this study.

Examples of the coding frame are publication, years, markets, methods, theories, aims, purposes and objectives, topics, keywords, and future research suggestions. Topics were divided based upon themes and categorized to relate to the key topics of each study. These categories are CSR, sustainability, and a further category comprised of 12 sub-categories: social responsibility, economic, corporate sustainability, relationships, stakeholders, ethical, strategies, consumption, consumers or buyer’s behavior, technology, marketing, and supply chain and management. The dissemination of the outcome is reflected in the findings section. Additionally, categorization is based on the micro-meso-macro framework [47,72], which further describes the links between CSR and sustainability [48] within the fashion industry. Thus, it is suitable for use as a theoretical framework to follow when discussing the findings of the study.

4. Findings

The findings section is structured around the following topics: (1) years of publication, (2) journals publishing the papers, and research methodology, (3) number of publication per journal in terms of the publication, (4) the geographical distribution of areas of study, (5) theories related to the researcher’s topic, (6) aims, purpose, and objectives of the studies, (7) keywords used for describing the fashion industry, (8) studies by keywords and their frequency, (9) concepts found in the literature, (10) topics of CSR and sustainability in the fashion industry, and (11) contributions and suggestions for future research.

4.1. Years and Journal of Publication

The findings suggest a growing interest in sustainability and CSR issues concerning the fashion industry (see Figure 2). Of the 209 papers examined in this study, 70% (146 papers) were published within a four-year period from 2015 to 2019, 24% (50 papers) were from 2010 to 2014, 6% (13 papers) were from 2003 to 2009, and none were published before 2003. It is noteworthy that articles related to the topic did not appear until the early 21st century, around 2003, although the search criteria were based on the year 1970. One should keep in mind that papers published in 2019 were published during the first four months of the year, since the search concluded in April of that year.

Figure 2 also demonstrates an upward trend in interest in sustainability/CSR-related discussions concerning fashion since 2012, with the exceptions of the years 2013 and 2016, when the number of published papers decreased compared to the previous year.

Table 2. Journals publishing papers on CSR, sustainability, and fashion, and research methods employed.

Journal	Number of Publications	Percentage	Methodology
			Qualitative	Quantitative	Multiple	Other
Sustainability	23	11%	14	5	0	4
Journal of Cleaner Production	17	8.1%	12	5	0	0
International Journal of Consumer Studies	13	6.2%	5	6	0	2
Journal of Business Ethics	11	5.3%	8	2	1	0
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management	9	4.3%	7	2	0	0
International Journal of Production Economics	6	2.9%	3	1	0	2
Journal of Corporate Citizenship	6	2.9%	6	0	0	0
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management	4	1.9%	1	2	1	0
Fashion and Textiles	4	1.9%	0	4	0	0
Accounting Auditing & Accountability Journal	3	1.4%	3	0	0	0
Design Journal	3	1.4%	3	0	0	0
Fibers & Textiles in Eastern Europe	3	1.4%	2	1	0	0
Transportation Research Part E-Logistics and Transportation Review	3	1.4%	2	0	0	1
Others publisher with two publication	28	13.4%	12	9	0	7
Others publisher with one publication	76	36.4%	39	23	4	10
Total	209	100%	117	60	6	26

shows which journals have covered most discussions regarding CSR, sustainability, and fashion, and what methods were employed in these studies. The journal, Sustainability, contained the highest number of published papers related to the topic, or 11% (23 papers), followed by the Journal of Cleaner Production 8.1% (17 papers), the International Journal of Consumer Studies 6.2% (13 papers), and the Journal of Business Ethics 5.3% (11 papers). Out of the 209 selected articles, 105 articles were published in various journals, 28 journals published two articles related to the topic, and 76 journals published one paper each in the period 2003 to 2019. Indeed, 77% (161 papers) of the 209 papers sampled were published from 2014 to 2019. Moreover, Table 2 also shows the methodology employed in the studies. Of those, qualitative methods are used in 56% of the studies (117 papers), quantitative methods in 29% of the studies (60 papers), and mixed methods in 3% of the studies (six papers). Additionally, 12% (26 papers) employed other methods, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), observation(s), and experiments. In terms of qualitative studies, five studies employed a systematic literature review method, and six consisted of other types of literature review papers. The methods employed in other papers include observation, experiments, game theory, and event studies, to name a few examples (see Table 2).

Figure 3 illustrates publication in the top five journals, publishing most of the fashion-related articles regarding CSR and sustainability.

Sustainability ranked first, with 23 published papers, but the first paper was published in 2014. The Journal of Cleaner Production ranked second with 17 papers published, the first one issued in 2004. International Journal of Consumer Studies ranked third with 13 published papers, the first one published in 2009. The Journal of Business Ethics ranked fourth with 11 published papers, but its first paper was published in 2005. The Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management ranked fifth with nine published papers, and its first publication related to this topic was published in 2015.

4.2. Research Focus by Regions

The 209 papers examined where the research was targeted, i.e., country, region, or the global market. The analysis shows that 137 (65%) of the articles are focused on different regions, while 72 papers (35%) approached the subject from a global perspective. The regions receiving the highest levels of attention are Asia with 24% (50 papers), and Europe with 24% (50 papers), followed by the USA with 10% (21 papers). These papers did not specify whether their focus was on the North, South or Central America. In comparison, 1% (three papers) focused on North America specifically, and 3% (seven papers) investigated the South American market. The overall focus on the US market is, therefore, 15% (31 papers). Moreover, 2.5% (five papers) focused on Africa, and just 0.5% (one paper) focused on the Australian market (see Figure 4). This reveals a research gap based on regional focus, particularly a lack of studies focusing on Africa and South America.

A more detailed analysis of the study focus reveals that most of the studies concentrated on a single country, and only 12 studies focused on more than one country. In the latter cases, the strongest focus was on comparing European countries’ conditions, which were featured in a total of five papers. The coverage areas were Spain and Turkey, Italy and France, the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Denmark and Sweden, the Nordic countries of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, and the Western European countries, namely Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom.

The analysis reveals that those who investigated CSR and sustainability in the fashion industry by focusing on the US market were also interested in comparing the US market with the markets of Honduras, El Salvador, Latin America, South Korea, and China. A total of four papers compared US fashion companies with similar firms in the UK. Those who focused on the Asian fashion market were interested in comparing China with South Korea, together with the Canadian, Sri Lankan, and US markets, respectively, in four papers.

4.3. Studies by a Theoretical Approach

As expected, the literature’s theoretical approach varied for apparel, garment, clothing, and textile research regarding CSR and sustainability. The theoretical approach was specified in 63 out of 209 papers. Figure 5 shows how studies at the institutional and organizational levels comply with institutional theory, and these were the most commonly used. In this finding, various theories cover 48% (30 papers), institutional theory covers 21% (13 papers), stakeholder theory applies to 14% (nine papers), the theory of reasoned action (TRA) covers 6% (four papers), the theory of planned behavior (TPB) appears in 6% (four papers), and agency theory applies to 5% (three papers).

Of those 30 papers focusing on various theories, 13 studies concentrated on sustainability, while two studies focused on CSR. In total, nine papers out of those 30 papers covered both CSR and sustainability, where these topics were analyzed through the lenses of the value-belief-norm theory (VBN), the theory of modern slavery, transaction cost economics theory (TCE), the theory of moral responsibility, attribution theory, contingency theory, legitimacy theory, Schwartz’s value theory, social cognitive theory, corporate social theory, and corporate sustainability theory. Finally, six out of those 30 papers used various theories focused on supply chain management, environmental management systems, suppliers, cultural differences, and secondhand consumption using the theory of generations, efficient market theory, and Hofstede’s national cultural dimensions, and the generational cohort theory.

Concepts explored using institutional theory include the Clean Clothes Campaign, codes of conduct, CSR and sustainability reporting, communication, life cycle assessment, CSR in formal and informal practices, and environmental management strategy within the fashion industry.

It is more common for scholars to utilize institutional theory by focusing on CSR rather than sustainability, as evidenced by a total of 13 papers (21%). Seven of those 13 papers focused on CSR, namely formal and informal practices and the fashion industry’s communication methods. In the sustainability approach, three studies focused on life cycle assessment, sustainability impacts, and the reporting processes regarding both CSR and sustainability. In studies where stakeholder theory is used as a framework, this was featured in nine papers (14%). Three papers out of those nine discussed CSR and social responsibility, and one paper focused on sustainability through life cycle assessments. Referring to those using the theory of planned behavior (TPB), reasoned action (TRA), and agency theory, four of these studies (6%) out of 63 focused on CSR in their investigation of the fashion industry. At the same time, five papers discussed the topic from a sustainability perspective (see Figure 5).

According to publications, the stakeholder theory is the third most relevant theory, appearing in 14% (nine papers) of the papers analyzed. This theoretical approach is mostly used to examine CSR at the organizational level, and the majority of the authors discussed the influence of company conduct on the environment and the use of natural resources. They also studied how to compare and measure the advantage of implementing CSR [26,86,87,88,89,90] in the context of social responsibility, the return on equity (ROE), life cycle assessment, and corporate sustainability.

The fourth most commonly employed theoretical approach is the theory of planned behavior (TPB), which appears in 6% of the papers (four papers). This theory is used in relation to sustainable apparel and second-hand clothing. The theory of reasoned action (TRA) was utilized in 6% (four papers). The sixth theoretical approach employed is the agency theory, which appears in 5% (three papers) of the papers focusing on sustainable consumption and the supply chain.

4.4. Overview of Studies by Aim, Purpose, and Objective

The review reveals the aim, purpose, and objective presented by authors of the selected 209 papers. In total, 21% (43 papers) (see Figure 6) aimed to investigate fashion industry supply chains by discussing how sustainability and CSR are practiced or managed [21,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99]. In 18% of the studies (38 papers), researchers aimed to investigate CSR and discussed, for example, the increased social expectation that organizations should employ responsible practices in terms of the environment. How CSR implementation might affect value creation or companies’ competitive advantage, what barriers they have to deal with, and the influence managers have on internal and external stakeholders during the implementing process have also been analyzed. Furthermore, whether such actions might affect consumers’ perceived value when buying from organizations that had integrated CSR strategies, or lead to them considering social and environmentally friendly products, and whether this influences the financial outcome for companies was also considered [20,24,31,55,86,100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114].

A focus on sustainability was evident in 16% of the papers (33) analyzed. In these cases, researchers aimed to study fashion business models regarding innovation for sustainability, corporate sustainability, performance, and how the results are measured or defined to improve company responsibility towards environmental crises and transparency [15,115,116,117,118,119,120]. Researchers were also interested in investigating consumer knowledge of sustainability, especially younger consumers, summarized in their interest, lifestyle, and awareness regarding sustainability-related issues [121,122,123,124,125,126], in the cases of both fast and slow fashion. In addition, focus was placed on building a framework for sustainability and developing a roadmap for the main elements of sustainability, i.e., environmental, social, and economic factors [124,127,128,129,130,131]. Several studies focused on the production and the design process and aimed to conclude if certification related to responsible conduct results in improvements, or greater responsibility in selecting production methods that benefit ecosystems [132,133,134].

In total, 13% (27 of the papers analyzed) aimed to investigate the environmental impacts of fashion by evaluating company performance as well as identifying ways to improve the material usage or the lifespan of organic cotton used in production, or how to minimize pollution during the washing process [135,136,137].

Consumer behavior was the main focus in 10% (21 papers) of the 209 papers analyzed. In this case, the authors aimed to identify specific buying patterns related to consumers’ awareness of environmental and social impacts [138], as well as their attitudes towards sustainable fashion [37,139]. Furthermore, researchers studied how companies tried to promote customer interest in buying sustainable fashion items [30], and how marketing methods affected their decisions [140]. Hence, 4% (nine papers) of the papers analyzed discussed CSR and sustainability strategies, whilst 3% (six papers) of the papers studied business models, political economy, and government boundaries, respectively. Other topics featured in 2% of the papers (five papers), focused on marketing strategies, ethical products, and the circular economy. In cases where the percentage is 1%, three papers investigated each topic in question, and in instances where there was just one paper, this is listed as 0% (see Figure 6).

4.5. Overviews of Keywords by Industry and Frequency of Keywords

The review shows that out of the 209 papers analyzed, 61 papers (29%) labeled the discussion as the fashion industry, 55 papers (26%) used the concept of the apparel industry, 43 (21%) used textile industry, whilst 19 papers (9%) used the concept of the garment industry, and 17 papers (8%) referred to the clothing industry (see

Table 3. Keywords used for describing the fashion industry.

Industry	Numbers of Studies	Percentage of Studies
Fashion industry	61	29%
Apparel industry	55	26%
Textile industry	43	21%
Garment industry	19	9%
Clothing industry	17	8%
Slow (Luxury) fashion	9	4%
Fast fashion	5	2%
Total	209	100%

). Given the nature of industry, the fashion industry is described as a “sub-sector of both the creative industries and the clothing and textiles industries and provides opportunities for innovation and creativity in the manufacturing, textiles, and apparel accessories.” [141] (p. 56).

The general approach regarding the fashion industry reveals, for example, the need to reform or redesign fashion business models concerning management in the supply chain in terms of performance and environmental sustainability [15,115,142]. The culture and cultural differences were discussed in few papers, which also applied to a structural framework for sustainability and eco-friendly products and marketing communication, where social media is the modern approach to gaining customers’ attention [34,120,143,144,145]. The discussion of fashion within the apparel industry in a broader spectrum was focused on the production process, arguing how the outsourcing of production has created negative impacts within countries such as Bangladesh, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka. This was especially so regarding ethical issues such as workers’ rights and welfare, to name a couple of issues [105,146]. Discussions concerning the garment industry reveal, for example, sustainable strategies to tackle sustainability-related issues such as labor welfare, environmentally friendly production processes, and trading [94], to name a few. The general discussions regarding fashion and the clothing industry focused on lack of regulations, the suppliers’ criteria for defining human rights, child labor and long working hours, and increasing awareness amongst consumers regarding sustainability-related issues [89,147].

It should be noted that only nine papers (4%) focused on slow or luxury fashion and five papers (2%) on fast fashion. The general approach used in the slow/luxury fashion related papers was, for example, to investigate how customers form their values towards slow fashion or luxury fashion, the environmental or social performance of slow fashion, human rights in developing countries, and the United Nations’ guiding principles. Those who studied fast fashion investigated whether attitudes towards eco-friendly products and environmental issues influenced consumers to buy sustainable products. The triple bottom line (TBL) framework for sustainability reporting was also among the keywords used in studies focusing on slow fashion.

Of the 209 selected papers, 188 (90%) provided more than one keyword that referred to their study’s content. The results are shown in

Table 4. Most frequently used keywords for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Corporate Social Responsibility
Frequency of Keywords			Frequency of Keywords
Keywords		Percentage	Keywords		Percentage
1. CSR	60	15%	14. Culture	11	3%
2. Industry	44	11%	15. Corporation	9	2%
3. Environment	30	8%	16. Management	8	2%
4. Countries	26	7%	17. Economic	7	2%
5. Labor	23	6%	18. Theories	7	2%
6. Organizations	23	6%	19. Sustainability	6	2%
7. Ethics	22	6%	20. Drivers & barriers	6	2%
8. Social factors	20	5%	21. Human rights	6	2%
9. Business	17	4%	22. Policy, strategic	5	1%
10. Communication	14	4%	23. Values	4	1%
11. Supply chain,	14	4%	24. Institutional	4	1%
12. Consumers	13	3%	25. Activism	4	1%
13. Stakeholders	11	3%
The total frequency of keywords				393	100%

and

Table 5. Most frequently used keywords for Sustainability.

Sustainability
Frequency of Keywords			Frequency of Keywords
Keywords		Percentage	Keywords		Percentage
1. Industry	65	15%	17. Culture	5	1%
2. Sustainability	64	15%	18. Economic	4	1%
3. Business	46	11%	19. Pollution	4	1%
4. Environment	40	9%	20. Regulation	4	1%
5. Products	30	7%	21. Life cycle assessment	4	1%
6. Consumers	28	7%	22. Ethical	3	1%
7. Supply chain	26	6%	23. CSR	3	1%
8. Re-use-recycle	14	3%	24. Drivers & barriers	3	1%
9. Countries	13	3%	25. Theory of planned behavior	3	1%
10. Management	10	2%	26. Human rights	3	1%
11. Measure	8	2%	27. Technology	2	0.50%
12. Designing	8	2%	28. Entrepreneurship	2	0.50%
13. Marketing	8	2%	29. Activist	2	0.50%
14. Structural-policies	7	2%	30. Resources	1	0.20%
15. Social sustainability	6	1%	31. Employee	1	0.20%
16. Consumption	5	1%
The total frequency of keywords				423	100%

covering the frequency of the keywords researchers used to explain their topics related to CSR or sustainability, and these are categorized respectively. The total frequency of keywords related to describing CSR is 393 in the selected papers. CSR has the highest level of frequency, being used in 60 papers (15%), followed by industry, which was included in 44 papers (11%), and environment, which appeared in 30 papers (8%), countries were used in 26 papers (7%), labor in 23 papers (6%), organizations in 23 papers (6%), and ethics in 22 papers (6%), as shown in Table 4.

Table 5 covers the frequency of keywords researchers used to explain their topics related to this review paper. The overall frequency of keywords related to sustainability is 423. The discussion related to the industry has the highest level of frequency, included in 65 papers (15%), followed by sustainability as a stand-alone keyword, included in 64 papers (15%), and business, included in 46 papers (11%). The fourth keyword listed in Table 5 is the environment, which appeared in 40 papers (9%).

Further analysis of keywords with a frequency of over 20 revealed consumers, included in 28 (7%), and supply chain, included in 26 papers (6%). (Further details are listed in Appendix A).

4.6. Analysis of Studies by Key Concepts

Table 6. Breakdown by concepts found in the literature.

Categories Related to the Concepts	Number of Studies	Percentage
Sustainability	82	39%
CSR	74	35%
Other	53	25%
Total papers	209	100%

reveals the use of key concepts in the 209 papers selected for the review. The sustainability concept is the most commonly used in 82 of the papers (39%) studied. The CSR concept was used in 74 papers (35%) analyzed, and other concepts were less frequently used, occurring in 53 of the papers (25%) analyzed.

4.7. Key Topics and Related Sub-Topics

Table 7. Categories and topics of CSR and sustainability in the fashion industry.

Key Topic	Sub-Topics
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)	Activities, Commitments (including Anti-sweatshop, Developing countries, Labor and workers conditions), Culture, Brand equity, Business models, Communication, Drivers and barriers, Ethical fashion, Financial management, Framework, Institutional pressure, Management approach, Regulations, Strategies, Supply chain, Sustainability practices,
Sustainability	Business models (including Innovation), Commitment, Consumption, Drivers and barriers, Environmental practice, Environmental management system, Equity, Knowledge, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Lifestyle (values), Management and performance, Measurement (TBL), Slow fashion, Supply chain, Waste (reuse and recycle)
Other Key Topics	Sub-Topics
Consumers/Buyers behavior	Attitudes, Chinese/Polish consumers, Disposal intention, Life cycle assessment, Purchase intention, Secondhand clothing, Sustainable clothing, Young consumers intention attitude and behavior, Buyers behavior Community, Purchase intention for environmental and sustainable products, The role of clothing status symbol
Consumption	Apparel, Clothing, Fashion products, Slow fashion consumption
Corporate sustainability	Business models, Consumers and businesses, Environment and behavior, Employees perceptions, Low-cost, Reported indicators, Reports
Economic	Circular economy, Circular model for fashion, Creative industry, Markdown money policy, Political economy government boundaries, Social and environmental performance, Sustainability
Environmental	Barriers, Eco-fashion, Efficiency, Environmental practice and impacts, Entrepreneurship, Impacts of clothing. Internal motivation, Local clothes, homemade clothing, Management, Microplastic pollution, Performance, Regulation, Strategies, Sustainable solution, Technology to recycle clothes
Ethical	Codes of conducts, Ethical clothing, Ethical products, Social and eco-labeling
Marketing	Activities, Awareness for green products, Business practice, Luxury fashion strategies
Regulations	Community, Industry, Regulatory pressure, Workers rights internationally, Workers rights suppliers, Government attention towards the local economy, Rana Plaza, Policies and government approach
Relationships	Between corporate sustainability and business model innovation, Between Corporate Social responsibility (CSR) and consumer behavior in an international setting, Relationship building in fashion retail, In social media
Social Responsibility	Corporate responsibility, Civil society organizations (CSOs), Fair Labor Association (FLA), Governments and authorities’ role, Human resources management (HRM), Knowledge and attitudes, Environmentally sustainable apparel (ESA), Life Cycle Assessment guidelines, Practice, Professional fashion models’ reporting, Strategies, Socially sustainable practices, Supply chain orientation (SRSCO), UN guiding principles business and human rights
Stakeholders	A managerial perception, Collaboration, Innovative business strategy, Responsibility
Strategies	Cleaner production, Environmental, Management control systems (MCS) Proactive, Structural adaption
Supply chain Management	Code of conduct, Design, Environmental sustainability adaption, Global supply chain, Green drivers and practice, Human behavior, Labor network, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Measuring Sustainability (TBL), Modern slavery Product lifetimes and obsolescence, Product service systems (PSS) intervention Responsibility, Slow fashion definition and production, Sourcing in China foreign firms, Supply Chain management, Strategic CSR, Sustainability roadmap, Transparency, Used Intimate Apparel Collection (UIAC), Value chain, Value creation, Working conditions
Technology	Biotechnology clothes made of renewable or organic materials, Drying process technique, Self-cleaning textiles

reveals the key topics that researchers associate with CSR and sustainability. Furthermore, it shows that studies related to responsibility within the fashion industry are also labeled under other concepts: corporate responsibility, social responsibility, ethics, and supply chain. In the case of CSR, the sub-topics investigated were as follows: activities, commitments including anti-sweatshop, developing countries, and labor and workers’ conditions, culture, brand equity, business models, communication, drivers and barriers, ethical fashion, financial management, frameworks, institutional pressure, the management approach, regulations, strategies, supply chain, and sustainable practices.

Sub-topics related to sustainability are business models and innovation, commitment, consumption, drivers and barriers, environmental practice, equity, knowledge, life cycle assessment (LCA), and lifestyle (values), management with the main focus on performance, practice, supply chain, and environmental management systems, measurement or the triple bottom line (TBL), slow fashion, and waste to be reused and recycled in fashion items.

Other key topics listed in Table 7 are consumer behavior, consumption, corporate sustainability, economic, environmental, ethical, marketing, regulations, social responsibility, relationships, stakeholders, strategies, supply chain and management and technology. As those aspects were not expressly framed around CSR or sustainability, that discussion falls outside the scope of this paper, although these factors are included in the table to provide more information about the subject, thereby drawing attention to further research opportunities.

The discussion structure in the following two sections, featuring CSR and sustainability, includes the sub-topics identified through an analysis of the papers selected for this review.

4.8. Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities can improve company image in cases where such actions improve social justice, thus having a positive influence on customer purchase intentions [148]. These activities also determine the company culture, reinforced through internal and external communication [145]. CSR commitments impact a company’s performance, underpinning an intention to deliver value to society and establish suitable working conditions, especially in developing countries [26].

CSR relates to how the industry is managed through its activities and commitments towards the labor force and working conditions, how the industry deals with or intends to deal with sweatshops in developing countries, and the side effects of the Rana Plaza collapse building in Bangladesh. Additionally, as Yasmin [149] discusses in her paper, the responsibility lies with the state, which has a role in protecting workers, the factory owners are responsible for awful working conditions, low price and marketing practices, and the buyers in terms of their demand. The subject of CSR commitment is discussed in the context of the leveraging power that large, multi-national fashion companies have in negotiations regarding workers’ welfare and wages, and how activists are diligent in reporting violations of workers’ rights. This is especially so in developing countries [150], thus pushing the fashion sector to confront their environmental and social responsibilities towards workers’ conditions and welfare [134,151,152,153]. In contrast, CSR practices and commitments do not seem to apply as a topic for workers in developing countries, and there are various shortcomings evident in how CSR is practiced [87,154,155]. As was pointed out in Tran and Jeppesen’s paper, social responsibility has been practiced for a long time, and long before the concept of CSR evolved as a formal structure [156] or, as Bartley and Egels-Zanden point out, the actions of activists have motivated companies to develop a code of conduct [151].

CSR commitments are also associated with cultural differences, which can have an inhibiting effect when working conditions need to be improved, given a hierarchy where a top-down structure can affect the implementation of CSR processes [157]. A well-functioning approach, involving both multi-national and domestic stakeholders, is needed to help companies improve CSR commitments, both on the domestic and global market [87,156]. Additionally, companies can use their marketing methods to communicate about CSR, thereby increasing CSR’s global value by opposing the use of sweatshops [143]. As Lee and Lee [36] discuss in their paper, humanitarian activities affect consumers if companies are willing to improve “social welfare and to develop the local community” (p. 25). Additionally, research has shown that if customer engagement is emphasized by involving them in marketing campaigns, it can result in “self-transcendence values, which can lead consumers to believe that they are practicing CSR themselves” [36] (p. 25).

Considering how vital CSR performance is in fashion operations, researchers explored how the CSR performance of a company’s brand equity influences consumers. As Woo and Jin [34] explain, the only CSR that might affect consumers’ awareness is how they treat workers or contribute to human rights. In contrast, responsible production, how companies tackle environmental issues, and other CSR practices, positively impact its brand equity [34].

The topic of a fashion business model demonstrates the importance of redesigning the model so that CSR forms a part of the new structure, especially if the intention is to increase consumer awareness of environmentally friendly products. In the long run, such a reshaping of the business model can result in a competitive advantage. [31].

Communication is an essential factor for companies seeking a competitive advantage. Through communication, companies’ intentions to operate within society in a responsible manner is a part of their CSR structure. CSR communication is a topic in Woo and Jin’s [100] paper focusing on the differences between the United States (US), Asian, and European markets. They draw attention to how the USA’s fashion industry focuses on labor matters, the Asian on social issues, and those who operate on the European market focus on environmental issues. They also discuss how companies use websites to disseminate information to their customers [100]. Mann et al. [108] pointed out how CSR communication on companies’ websites can express their actions or intentions to deal with social and environment-related issues. Therefore, it requires a clear and transparent expression about company achievements [108].

CSR drivers and barriers to be overcome in the implementation process were either discussed in general terms or concerning supply chain management. The Govindasamy and Suresh [114] study took a general approach to the subject, identifying the CSR structure and driving forces of CSR in the Malaysian fashion industry. These driving forces are: “customer satisfaction, sales maximization, employee satisfaction, protecting brand reputation, market access, fulfilling government requirements, leadership in CSR, top management belief in CSR, correct thing to do, and ethical orientation” (p. 2651). They point out that CSR integration within the Malaysian market is at the early stage of implementation. It seems to be based on a “halo effect” regarding competition and ethical practices, in the sense that overall knowledge and awareness of CSR seem to be missing. Therefore, Govindasamy and Suresh’s argument is that lack of management awareness and support are the main barriers [114]. What drives management within the fashion supply chain to emphasize CSR is, according to Perry and Towers [113], labor intensity in production, trust in a buyer-supplier trading relationship, commitment, and cooperation (p. 19), to name a few examples. When discussing barriers within the fashion industry, Shen et al. [111] identified 12 barriers to CSR, namely “lack of stakeholder awareness, training, financial constraints, lack of consumer awareness, lack of concern for reputation, lack of knowledge, lack of regulation, standards and diversity, company culture, lack of revision, and lack of management commitment” (p. 3506).

Ethical fashion focuses on the consumer perspective and the intention to buy a product produced in accordance with ethical standards. These practices and ethical identity have a tighter relationship to slow fashion or luxury brands than to fast fashion, as the former aim to create brand awareness, incorporating their CSR efforts in terms of social impacts [107]. Reimers and Magnuson [158] studied ethical fashion from the consumer perspective. They concluded that social impacts affect consumer attitudes if such products are produced in a fair way and “with right moral intentions and are made by following the industry’s ideal standards” (p. 383). However, as McNeill and Moore [159] identified, consumer attitudes towards used or second-hand clothing center around necessity rather than an interest in wearing other people’s clothes. Thus, potential customers are a problematic target group for those introducing sustainable products to the market, although the ethical consumption of consumers leads to several benefits regarding the environment and social welfare [159].

The topic of financial management and financial returns relates to CSR investments and how companies measure their financial benefits by tracking both the return on investment (ROI) and the internal rate of return (IRR) of implementing CSR. Moore et al. [24] argued that if the intention is to reduce risk, it should also be a “potential source of value creation” (p.118).

Ferrell and Ferrell [99] suggest a framework that the fashion supply chain could utilize when addressing ethical and social issues, which would consequently be of benefit to their reputation. This framework outlines five ISO standards; ISO 9000, ISO 14000, ISO 26000, ISO 31000, and ISO 19600, that stand for quality management systems, environmental management, social responsibility, risk management and compliance management system, respectively [160].

Institutional pressure is a topic that Pedersen and Gwozdz [161] addressed in their study on how CSR affects the Nordic fashion industry and its behavior. The results demonstrated how pressure within stakeholder groups influences a company’s strategic selections as it “stimulates opportunity-seeking at the expense of compliance” (p. 245) when companies shape their CSR initiatives. Additionally, management is essential when CSR is implemented. Cooke and He [162] examined China’s pressure regarding the setting of CSR standards concerning human rights and environmentally-related issues. They concluded that the CSR focus within Chinese companies relates more to the business aspect, such as reputations, economic impacts, and regulations, rather than the social structure concerning how they intend to adopt ethical practices, such as human rights standards.

The management approach in these companies aims to respond to external stakeholder pressure by implementing a social structure, but a holistic view of CSR strategies seems to be lacking. Nevertheless, there is limited information since “most companies have not yet developed a working relationship with other companies to share experience and information related to CSR.” [162] (p. 373). Despite different approaches between countries or cultures regarding how CSR is practiced or how companies carry out their social responsibilities, de Abreu et al. [102] found similarities within Brazilian companies as Cooke and He [162] had within Chinese companies. Fashion companies in neither of these countries “embedded a CSR practice in their strategic plan” [102] (p. 125). Preuss and Perschke [20] explained that the fashion industry still lacks formal approaches in terms of CSR strategies. The focus remains on the supply chain partners instead of adopting CSR in a professional manner by implementing it throughout the company.

Regulations, legal, and political perspectives. Knudsen [163] emphasized different approaches to CSR as a framework in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK). These differences are reflected in how the US approach focuses more on regulations or the legal framework, while the UK approach seeks standardized solutions through “government-led processes that facilitate discussion and learning among a range of key stakeholders.” (p. 179). In the latter case, CSR frameworks and strategies should reflect customer expectations towards company responsibility and standards, and how companies intend to communicate with internal and external stakeholders [25,104]. These communications need to be reliable and accountable to strengthen and preserve the relationship with stakeholders [101].

By implementing CSR strategies in line with the supply chain structure, the fashion industry can reduce its usage of natural resources and promote sustainability practices [164]. Diddi and Niehm [39] describe social responsibility within the fashion industry as a comprehensive concept to understand the interests and attitudes of consumers towards CSR activities. They also draw attention to how managers can gather information concerning the interests and behavior of customers regarding ethical choices when they buy fashion products. This information can be utilized in the development of company marketing strategies.

The fashion supply chain discussion draws attention to human rights and how the issue is especially significant in relation to workers in developing countries or where outsourcing occurs [104,165]. White et al. [104] draws further attention to how actions taken regarding workers’ welfare and working conditions are more closely related to protecting a company’s reputation, than they are to taking preventive measures for the sake of workers’ well-being. Therefore, the focus on standards within the supply chain needs to embrace the perspective of social responsibility and ethical management, whether the company is operating on the domestic or global market (see Table 7).

4.9. Sustainability

The key topics discussed in this section concerning sustainability are business models, commitment, consumption and customer behavior, drivers and barriers, supply chain management, and textile waste (see Table 7).

The business models center on the linearity of current business models or the transformation to circular models [15]. The argument is that it is crucial to change or design new business models when companies change sustainability approaches or innovate new products or technologies. In order to monitor the success of sustainable actions, it is essential to measure performance, both environmental and social, as well as financial outcomes [15,116]. Todeschini et al. [115] compared two types of companies, new businesses and those who have gained a competitive advantage through many years of experience. Companies who have gained a competitive advantage are more willing to develop new business models for sustainability through innovation, whilst “born-sustainable startups are striving to make their business model replicable and scalable” [115] (p. 770). However, business model innovation needs to be aligned with a company’s culture and values when adopting sustainability practices, as per the insights of Pedersen et al. [116].

Sustainability commitment is meant to deal with economic, social, and environmental issues, as Arrigo [127] highlighted in his study regarding sustainability communication in the slow fashion sector. As identified by Arrigo [127], managers of luxury fashion companies seem to be responsible for communications, which increases the awareness of their customers regarding sustainable products, consequently improving the brand reputation of sustainable development.

Austgulen [166] discusses the consumers’ consumption of fashion clothing and speculates whether environmental responsibility “is placed on their shoulders” (p. 459) by their action and buying behavior, instead of viewing the sustainability of fashion products as a liability the industry should bear. Therefore, as suggested, it is essential to push customers towards responsible consumption by educating them about the impacts mass production has on the environment. This is done, e.g., by balancing the supply and demand of items produced and sold [166]. It has proven difficult for the fashion industry to promote environmentally friendly clothing in a way that gains sufficient consumer attention. For example, they are “struggling with understanding how to improve or at least avoid reducing consumers’ receptiveness to their new green luxury models” [30] (p. 1526). Therefore, products that aim to be environmentally friendly must be marketed as other, highly fashionable products [30]. Cho et al. [167] explain how fast fashion business models have initiated consumerism over the years through mass production and a low-price strategy, and how marketing pushes consumers to use fashion garments to identify themselves. They point out that consumption is changing, and while customers are more willing to purchase fashion items with low environmental impacts, the industry has not responded to such demands as it still relies on a low-cost and low-price structure [167]. One way to influence sustainable consumption is to target fashion leaders who try to improve environmental and social welfare by becoming spokespersons for sustainable fashion [168]. Additionally, companies could use fashion bloggers and social media platforms, given that such actions can increase customer interest in more environmentally friendly products, and thereby potentially reduce excessive consumption [120].

Drivers and barriers are topics Desore and Narula [169] covered in their paper on consumers’ underlying motivations for purchases, as such motivations form one of the drivers of ”environmental initiatives” (p. 8). These drivers lay the ground for companies’ strategies. Desore and Narula [169] developed a framework of barriers influencing consumers’ decisions when buying environmentally friendly products. These include lack of information, limited knowledge and awareness, overpriced products, low quality, poorly designed or out of fashion items, and confusion regarding labels and greenwashing (p. 10). Pedersen and Andersen [170] explained the barriers hindering the fashion industry from adopting more sustainable practices and discussed opportunities to tackle social and environmental issues. They suggested issues could be solved by collaborative action between internal and external stakeholders. One of the key issues is that “sustainability challenges in the fashion industry are deeply rooted in current fast-fashion business models and consumption patterns” (p. 318). Limited regulations and the lack of support from authorities is a subject of focus in the paper by Majumdar and Sinha [91], where barriers for small and medium-sized (SMEs) clothing companies in India are explored. The authors’ discussion refers to how this lack of support negatively affects sustainability outcomes and creates uncertainty regarding responsible actions. If companies are unable to respond to the pressure to enforce environmentally-friendly production, their reputation is at risk, and poor quality performance in this regard might affect their ability to gain a competitive advantage [171].

In the paper by Shubham et al. [172], environmental practices are discussed concerning how institutional pressure is used to implement corporate environmental practice (CEP) in the fashion industry. The focus is on management, particularly how managers should encourage the sharing of knowledge and employee training across company functions and departments.

An environmental management system (EMS) is a topic researched by Li and Wu [173]. This study focuses on financial performance after the adoption of an EMS system within Chinese fashion companies. Their findings indicated a negative financial result for the companies they examined, where operational efficiency was affected by increasing investment costs, such as those relating to employee training. The adoption of an EMS appeared to decrease turnover. They pointed out that companies often “adopt EMS passively due to the regulatory authority or the pressure of supply chain partners” (p. 9). The debate concerning competitive advantage by implementing sustainability throughout the supply chain is the subject of Panigrahi and Rao’s [139] paper, in which they discuss the pressure from governments and stakeholders for fashion companies to participate in “environmental conservation” (p. 59) in order to gain a competitive advantage.

Equity is a topic in Norman et al.’s [121] study. It reflects on interactions between customers and suppliers within the fashion industry who carry out sustainability actions using the conduct approach’s Code of Conduct. They revealed more positive experiences in customer interactions with suppliers who have advocated sustainability than non-advocates in developing countries. Suppliers within developing countries perceive “governance initiatives” (p. 383) to tackle unsustainability as an unfair means of encouraging more sustainable actions.

Knowledge is critical if business conduct is to become more sustainable. This is the focal area of Connell et al.’s [123] study, which evaluated sustainability courses and student attitudes, and whether education changed their views regarding the fashion industry. It is essential to monitor the industry know-how [123] as a lack of knowledge and awareness of sustainability has been evident, especially among students and younger consumers [125]. Management knowledge in the case of chemical consumption in the production process is lacking, according to Borjeson et al. [174]. A knowledge-based strategy within companies dealing with fabrics and textiles is required in order to “understand properties of chemicals, as well as on supplier’s work and knowledge needs” (p. 135). To achieve this, responsible supply chain management is needed to improve knowledge concerning “enhanced integration of the complex worldwide actor networks and interactions of textile supply chains” (p. 136).

The life cycle assessment of products or services assesses their environmental impacts and energy consumption. Researchers used LCA as a framework to improve sustainability performance within the fashion industry [135,175,176,177,178,179]. The discussion relates to the sustainable practices adopted and consideration of what constitutes acceptable sustainability performance standards within the fashion industry [179], and the importance of providing a framework for managers to improve company actions towards the environment and socially related issues [135,177,178].

The impacts of consumers’ lifestyles are discussed in Lee et al.’s [124] study, which investigated sustainable values, business stewardship, and consumers’ lifestyles. They used a value and lifestyle (VALS) framework to identify the impacts sustainable products have on consumers’ clothing consumption. The focus group were environmentalists, but the purpose was to investigate how likely this group is to buy responsibly by focusing only on environmentally friendly products and how the participants handled their clothing during usage and when the items are no longer required. Lee, Kim, and Yang [124] also discussed how companies’ environmental and social structures and actions could influence consumers’ decisions concerning purchases of environmentally friendly fashion items. Such actions might affect consumer values and shape their lifestyles.

The role of management concerning sustainability relates to, for example, how companies ensure access to the natural resources needed for production by involving internal and external stakeholders in the environmental and social structures, and practices of their companies [97,98,180,181,182,183]. Further, managements need to monitor and measure performance because “without measuring sustainability performance concerning targets and receiving feedback, it is impossible to control the system, and its managers, the industry sector, are like blind drivers of a car” [179] (p. 699). The management topic also relates to finding the answer to what environmental and social standards are used in the production process within the supply chain [180], and achieved by studying the reasons behind supplier decisions in the developing countries which promote responsible practices towards sustainability [184].

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework, together with the triple bottom line (TBL) approach, is used to measure the features of the environmental, economic, and social aspects of supply chain sustainability and improve company performance. These practices can increase a company’s accountability and lead to more transparency across supply chains [92]. The company’s efficiency improves if the employees’ role, culture, and climate are considered in the context of environmentally and socially related issues, something which is often neglected.

Jung and Jin [185] emphasized the differences between slow fashion and environmentally sustainable fashion in their paper and discussed how the “conceptual distinction” (p. 510) is unclear despite a growing interest among scholars in the subject. They discussed the dimensions of slow fashion and pointed out that “slow fashion encompasses slow production, (does not exploit natural and human resources), and consumption (entails a longer product lifespan from manufacturing to discarding)” (p. 510). The discussion as to how the interest of consumers in environmentally sustainable products in slow fashion could be reinforced was the subject of De Angelis et al.’s [30] paper. Their investigation examined what type of practices slow or luxury fashion companies could embrace to lessen the burden of consumerism, and how those practices should be structured as part of a company’s sustainability actions, focusing on the raising of consumer awareness concerning environmentally friendly items.

The discussion of management for sustainability highlights the fashion supply chain, the industry’s environmental and social impact, and the mark it imposes on global markets through the outsourcing of production. The discussion in Khurana and Ricchetti’s [181] study draws attention to the importance of transparent actions within the supply chain, both in terms of domestic and global actions, since the industry seeks to produce its products within countries where social and environmental standards are weak. Emphasis on sustainability should transform into actions that are implemented throughout the supply chain, as Macchion et al. [186] discuss in their paper, focusing on a strategic approach for sustainability. One way to achieve this goal is to gather information about consumer behavior to build a strong marketing structure and to educate them about environmentally sustainable fashion [32]. For example, sustainable practice is encouraged by emphasizing waste reduction through reuse and recycling initiatives for old garments or textile fabrics [187].

4.10. Contribution and Suggestion for Future Research

The review synthesizes the contributions of published papers and their authors’ suggestions for future research regarding what is still unclear in terms of CSR and sustainability within the fashion industry (see

Table 8. Suggestions for future studies.

Subject	Suggestions for Future Studies
Advertisement	Advertisement and green advertisements [33] Anti-consumption advertisements [189] Social media messages, influences on subjective norms, close friends and relatives [120]
Consumption	Purchase intentions, attitudes regarding anti-consumption behavior [189] Second-hand clothing, other than renting and swapping clothes [190] Consumers’ overconsumption as a motivation to increase profits [164] Political consumption, informal clothing exchanges, improved laundering, maintenance, mending, and disposal strategies [166]
CSR	Hazardous waste, investment, plant closings, political support [26] Workplace-related CSR and intangible assets in more depth [86] Labor-intensive industries in developing countries [87] Motivations and rationales leading firms to adopt CSR initiatives [157] The nature of institutional pressures [161] Potential influences related to social desirability [191] The pressures of growth and CSR across companies of different sizes [20] The dynamics of non-verbal and verbal communication [192] Human resource components-impacts on the product-service success [142] CSR drivers-aspects and dynamic effects on sustainable lifestyle [124] Indicator disclosures and changes over time [193] If executives’ perception concurs with employees’ perception [142] The views of other actors in the supply chain network [194] The stimulus to outsource and reduce the cost, foreign companies [195]
Cultural	Marketing strategies to enhance communication of fast fashion [40] Theorize relationship partners with different cultural backgrounds [196] Cultural differences, perceived justice, governance mechanisms [121] Cross-cultural differences in different countries-luxury consumers [30]
Development on existing study	Epistemological issues, absorptive capacities, and the difference between acquiring knowledge and information [172] Corporate sustainability performance [138] How actors use corporate sustainability as a risk management tool during an actual crisis [119] Tradeoff investigations at the tactical and operational planning levels [23] Distinct clusters of green consumers [140]
Environmental	Carbon emission evaluation functions, various supplies, energy, waste, and labor [118] To improve environmental sustainability by the use of a carbon footprint tax, examine the carbon quota issue and the corresponding probable trading mechanism in an open market for green shipment control [197]
Performance	Corporate performance regarding human rights [198] The productivity and financial performance of SMEs before and after the implementation of green technologies [91] The relationship between sustainability and performance outcomes [180] Whether sustainably performing companies increasingly invest in socially responsible governance [105] Misalignment between internal and external practices, potential implications for companies, deepening relationships between strategic approaches to sustainability and performance [186]
Supply chain	Consumers’ ethical decision-making and supply chain management in the apparel industry [199] The impact of social compliance effectiveness, workers’ rights violations in the global supply chain [200] Government regulation, market structure, customer pressure [201] Outline sophisticated managerial, academic implications at supplier level [182]
Sustainability	Development of reliable systems between the three pillars of sustainability [117] Sustainable packaging, manufacturing processes, and the design process [31] Industry practitioners to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage [202] Design for recycling, integration and creative design process [203] Union, NGO relationship, workers’ rights and other areas of CSR [204] An element of good practice, influence factor for high-performing companies [198] The relationship between perceptions of self and ethical purchasing behavior, and the likelihood of sustainable clothing consumption [159] Sustainability strategies, elements of fashion business models, driving forces influencing actions, measurements, key performance indicators, transparency, and disclosure [15] Improvement and standardization of indicators, reliable systems for the three pillars [177] Evolution of fashion business models, driven by enlightened sustainable startups [115] Sustainable apparel purchasing behavior needs exploration [123] Association between retail price, cost of the physical return, and the impact of product return on market demand [96] Relationships between different types of sustainable textiles and apparel products [205] Income levels and attitudes, environmentally sustainable apparel, educational standards, behavioral intentions, product development, marketing and retailing strategies [206] Developing a sustainability stewardship framework for future studies [128] The moral responsibility of corporate sustainability in other countries [207]
Stakeholders	Explore brand influence, the brand’s stakeholders to identify and evaluate conscientious brands [88] Political context, the existence of avenues for engagement and dialogue, opportunities for civic engagement and translating constituencies into stakeholders [109]
Theoretical suggestions	Employ established theories, e.g., stakeholder theory or institutional theory [184] Address the extent to which theorization by a central actor is picked up by other actors, the impact that it has on further change and stability in the field [208]

). By analyzing the papers’ contributions, it is clear that the majority intended to gain practical knowledge to inform the future direction of responsible fashion. Others aimed to fill an empirical gap with their study and contribute to the literature by framing the knowledge of the fashion supply chain’s performance. The papers investigated issues related to human rights and the cultural challenges the fashion industry is dealing with by outsourcing production, for example, linked to human resource management and fashion business model specifics. Furthermore, the body of existing research has gathered information on what motivates fashion companies to implement CSR and sustainability structures, highlighting how management approaches [142], brand commitment, and commitments within the slow fashion sector concerning unsustainable actions [127] are emphasized. Moreover, the papers have sought to develop a strategic framework for sustainability by observing industry actions regarding social and environmental impacts and how the fashion industry measures and reports its performance [15,122,123,180,183]. As stated by the researchers, practical implications include information about organizations that have implemented CSR practices which operate across borders, something that requires them to adopt and adapt to new legislation so that their actions appeal to stakeholders, in both local and worldwide markets [39,87,145,161]. Research has addressed the long-term economic benefits of collecting information regarding consumer behavior and attitudes towards sustainable fashion brands. Additionally, focus has been placed on the impact marketing can have on the future direction of sustainable fashion [39,40,148,188], to name just a few examples of research contributions.

Regarding potential future research and some of the unanswered questions, Karaosman et al. [40] highlighted customer purchasing behavior relating to fashion companies who have adopted CSR on a global scale. They suggested investigating how cross-cultural company marketing strategies can improve communication within the fashion industry [40], together with examining the effect advertisements can have on consumer attitudes regarding consumption and purchasing behavior [189]. Battaglia et al. [86] point out that the relationship between intangible assets and the workplace-related aspects of CSR needs further investigation, suggesting that qualitative research will give new insights compared to their study on the topic. Haque and Azmat [87], studying CSR in developing countries, described the fashion industry as a labor-intensive industry. They called for more information on how CSR affects the manufacturing of ready-made garments (RDG) in low-wage areas, also pointing out the need for further exploration of the impacts of trade unions on social compliance effectiveness, and the interrelationship between “government, political leaders, factory owners, and international partners” [87] (p. 182).

Future research agendas include what determines and motivates companies to adopt CSR initiatives compared to others, specifically concerning supply chain management and the ethical decision-making of consumers [157]. In particular, the focus could be placed on the fundamental aspects of CSR issues in the fashion industry and how the industry utilizes CSR actions to increase profits, decrease costs, and conduct their business ethically [164]. Furthermore, the overconsumption of clothing has increased the trend of throwing away relatively new clothes. Therefore, research could be undertaken to explore how such behavior leads to disposal problems, and how the issue could be solved by investigating clothing swapping or renting models for new and old garments [190]. Additionally, in order to understand the motivations underlying consumption, the focus of future research could be on assessing the relationship between ethical purchasing and individual behavior [159]. See further suggestions for future studies in Table 8.

5. Discussion

The purpose of this study was to explore CSR and how it influences sustainability within the fashion industry, to identify what is already known about the topic and where research gaps exist. This paper is comprehensive as it covers an extended period (16 years) of studies from 2003 to 2019, including the basic characteristics of work in CSR and sustainable fashion covered in peer-reviewed journals publishing fashion-related articles, and evaluates research focus by region. The paper provides an overview of the research methods employed in the studies, and the main theories employed. Additionally, this study outlined the researchers’ aim, purpose, objective, and the main topics and keywords used in each investigation. Moreover, it outlines the studies’ core contributions in the review and states the direction for future research suggested by the various authors.

The analysis revealed topics and sub-topics related to CSR, sustainability, and the fashion industry, and how these concepts tie together in practice within the fashion industry. Also, it identified industry conduct regarding society and the environment by collecting information on CSR practices and sustainability innovations, thus revealing what is already known about the topic. Through business models, innovation is driven through commitments regarding the economic, environmental, and social pillars of sustainability. For instance, this is carried out by raising consumer awareness by educating them about the impacts of mass production, contributing to reducing consumption, and developing eco-friendly, highly fashionable sustainable products [30]. Furthermore, sharing knowledge and training employees is also a way for companies within the fashion industry to conduct their business activities more sustainably [172]. The role of managers is to ensure the company’s access to natural resources, and to conduct ethical business by implementing environmental and social structures as a set of precedents for both internal and external stakeholders to adopt or participate in [97,98,184,185,186,187]. Measuring performance is also a key success factor, as this is a prerequisite for making improvements [179]. Managers, furthermore, rely on the Triple bottom line (TBL) approach to measure the environmental, economic, and social aspects of the supply chain [92], which requires transparency about their conduct. The implications of outsourcing production to countries where environmental standards are weak is also emphasized. For instance, this is evident in the lack of regulations and authority support in small and medium-sized (SMEs) clothing companies in India [91]. The discussion refers to how this lack of support negatively affects sustainability outcomes and creates uncertainty regarding responsible actions within the fashion industry. If companies cannot respond to pressure to instigate environmentally-friendly production, their reputations are at risk, and poor performance may affect their ability to gain a competitive advantage [171,181]. The importance of a strategic approach to sustainability is, therefore, also discussed [186].

Perhaps the clearest example of sustainability-related emphasis relates to the problems of sweatshops. In these cases, there is evidence of the strengthening of commitments related to workers’ rights and labor conditions in factories after the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 [149]. The fashion industry is urged to improve its CSR commitments by collaborating with multi-national and domestic stakeholders in the areas where production occurs [87,156]. Acting against the use of sweatshops would amplify the global value of CSR [146]. Lack of training, knowledge, and management commitment is also an issue, as are a lack of standards and regulations, consumer awareness, and overall concern for improving brand image and the reputation of the fashion industry [111]. As a solution, Ferrell and Ferrell [99] developed a framework where ethical and social issues are addressed, suggesting that this tool may enhance the industry’s reputation by outlining a standardized way for improving practices.

In order to understand how scholars tie sustainability-related actions with CSR, key concepts can be categorized according to Steurer et al.’s [48] and Dopfer et al.’s [47] ideas. Based on keywords identified through the analysis (see Table 4 and Table 5), a micro-meso-macro framework is proposed, showing how CSR influenced sustainability within the fashion industry. The analyses reveal that CSR and sustainability keywords tied to the micro level relate to consumers, drivers and barriers, employees, and managers. Keywords that tie together CSR and sustainability at the meso level are business, drivers and barriers, CSR, the supply chain, and sustainability. At the macro level, the keywords are activism, countries, culture, drivers and barriers, economic, human rights, and industry, all of which are evident regarding CSR and sustainability.

Drivers and barriers appear in all three levels, micro, meso, and macro, as motivation and hindering factors and, at the same time, as barriers in the process when companies attempt to implement CSR and sustainability in their structures or supply chain. There are also barriers related to the company’s cost of implementing and measuring sustainability. These barriers relate to the pricing policy for environmentally friendly products as consumers might consider the products too expensive to buy [113,159,209]. The motivation to overcome these barriers relates to the managerial understanding of CSR activities and policies and requires employees to receive personal training to enhance CSR involvement and outcomes. Employees’ knowledge and understanding of sustainability can positively influence customers’ interests in environmentally friendly products, which then might see a certain value in buying such products [169,209]. The drivers and barriers at micro, meso, and macro levels relate to the organization’s knowledge and visionary leadership for addressing environmental and social impacts [47].

At the Micro level, a similar discussion relates to employees, drivers and barriers, and management. However, in CSR the focus is on corporations, organizations, structure, and institutions, whilst in the case of sustainability, the focus is on consumption, design, and measures, to name a few. The focus on the meso level, both in respect of CSR and sustainability research, is on the business, drivers and barriers, and the supply chain. The CSR emphasis on the meso level relates to communication, ethics, social issues, stakeholders, and values, but if framed around sustainability, the focus is on entrepreneurship, pollution, social sustainability, and the theoretical approach. The macro level discussion involves topics such as activism, culture, and human rights, regardless of whether the discussion is framed around CSR or sustainability. The CSR framing focuses on labor, while the sustainability framing adds regulation, resources structure, and technology to the discussion (see Figure 7).

Micro:(1) The consumers’ approach in the micro dimension relates to (a) their behavior and concern for the society and environment, whether they responded to sustainable and ethical fashion [35,164,168], and whether they are (b) interested in buying from fashion brands that have implemented CSR [20]. (2) Drivers and barriers relate to, (a) Govindasamy and Suresh [114], who discussed the motivation to implement CSR structures in apparel industries due to stakeholder pressure in Malaysia, (b) the management’s lack of knowledge and access to resources is one of the main barriers in the implementation process [114,169], (c) what stimulates fashion businesses to implement a sustainability structure, (d) how customers lack knowledge and awareness of green products, and (e) how highly-priced environmentally friendly products can affect buying decisions [169]. (3) Employees, (a) attitudes concerning a company’s policy for CSR [20], and (b) behavior and commitments towards the company’s sustainability goals [210]. (4) Management concerns (a) the company’s use of a management control system to evaluate their sustainability performance [211], and (b) the history of management in an Italian family textile business [212].

Meso: (1) The business approaches in the meso dimension include discussion of (a) brand equity of CSR practices concerning positive consumer perceptions towards companies who conduct CSR practices by dealing with the environmental and economic impacts of their products [34], (b) A blue-collar worker is a focus in Chen et al.’s [213] study on the aspect of working conditions among Chinese workers in the fashion industry and how they value their work facilities now that demands for better living conditions have increased, (c) Paik and Krumwiede [26] emphasized worker conditions in their study by discussing the Bangladesh tragedy, where fashion brands outsource most of their productions, and (d) the brand image, where CSR practices lead to a more positive brand image which, in turn, affects consumers’ purchasing intentions [148]. Within the focus on (2) Drivers, Wu et al. [171] discussed the drivers for green supply chain management as (a) “represent company” green management ability, (b) inter-organizational assistance, and (c) government consulting services (p. 634). In (3), CSR in the meso dimension relates to (a) the structure as part of the sustainability roadmap [129], (b) the growing interest in implementing CSR within the industry to respond to market expectations of a responsible marketing structure for ethical production [25], and (c) discussion of how responsible practices have grown over the years as the agenda and urgency to strengthen cooperation between stakeholders within the domestic and international market has focused on improving workers’ facilities and welfare [156]. Within (4), the discussion of fashion supply chains reveals (a) management initiatives regarding the fashion industry by exploring execution and considering the strategic positioning of firms and trends [98], (b) environmental impacts [209], (c) the relationship between drivers and government involvement within green supply chain management [171], and (d) social issues in the sustainable supply chain [182]. In (5), sustainability discussion relates to the variance of (a) employee perceptions towards corporate sustainability and their involvement in organizational citizenship behavior within Chinese and US fashion businesses [207], and (b) the value of sustainability in a business model focusing on low-cost production [119].

Macro:(1) The activism approach in the macro dimension relates to a) anti-sweatshop movements and global labor issues [214], and (b) leading to global production networks (GPNs) and the fashion industry to adopt codes of conduct voluntarily [151]. In (2), the drivers and barriers in the discussion reveal a focus on (a) what kind of barriers firms in the fashion industry are dealing with concerning the implementation of an environmental sustainability structure, motivations, and drivers [169], and (b) what drives sustainable actions within the fashion sector [15]. Within (3), the economic aspects of studies focus on (a) the CSR dimension from economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic perspectives regarding consumers’ purchase intentions [36], (b) the economic success of organic products [215], and (c) the importance of green entrepreneurship in terms of economic development [216]. In (4), the countries’ discussion is marked by (a) developing countries and the management of social sustainability between fashion companies, negotiators, and suppliers (factories) [97], and (b) if or how suppliers are implementing sustainable social practices within developing countries [184]. Within (5), environmental aspects of studies focus on (a) environment and social responsibility, commitments to engage social welfare [134,150,152,153,167], (b) responsible management and risk management [160], (c) promotion of environmentally friendly products [30,120]. In (6), the culture approach reveals (a) if cross-culture will affect brand equity by implementing CSR [34]. In item (7), the approach regarding human rights reveals (a) discussion of policies to protect social welfare and rights by using UN guiding principles on business and human rights as a guideline [198]. Within (8), the industry approach reveals (a) the diversity of the fashion industry.

The ideas set out for future CSR research in the findings suggest further investigation of the environmental impacts of production [26], the stimulus to outsource and reduce costs, especially in respect of multinational companies [195], and the impacts on the product-service success [142]. Other issues include human resource components [142], workplace-related [112], the influence of labor-intensive industries, focus on developing countries [86], plant closings, and political support [26], and the dynamics of non-verbal and verbal communication [192]. Furthermore, there needs to be more focus on CSR and intangible assets [86], investment [26], the motivations and rationales which lead firms to undertake CSR initiatives [158], the nature of institutional pressures [161], and potential influences related to social desirability [191], as well as, the pressures of growth and CSR across companies of different sizes [20]. Additionally, future research could address how CSR drives dynamic effects on sustainable lifestyles [124], indicator disclosures and changes over time [193], if and how executive perceptions concur with employee perceptions [142], and the different views of other actors in the supply chain network [194].

The suggestion for further investigation on sustainability within the fashion sector relates to the environmental impacts from fashion production through a focus on the development of reliable systems covering the three pillars of sustainability [117], sustainable packaging, manufacturing processes, and the design process [31], designing for recycling, integration and the creative design process [203], and improvement and standardization of indicators, and developing reliable systems for the three pillars [177]. Regarding workers’ welfare, the suggestion for further investigation is to examine NGO relationships, unions, workers’ rights, and other areas of CSR [196]. In terms of consumers and consumption, the suggestions call for further investigation of the relationship between perceptions of self and ethical purchasing behavior, the likelihood of sustainable clothing consumption [159], and sustainable apparel purchasing behavior [123]. Regarding the operational level and sustainability structure, the suggestion relates to implementing sustainability strategies, elements of fashion business models, driving forces influencing actions, measurements, key performance indicators, transparency, and disclosure [15], and aspects of good practice and influence factors for high-performing companies [198]. The evolution of fashion business models, driven by enlightened sustainable startups [115], the relationships between different types of sustainable textiles and apparel products [204], and the association between retail price, cost of the physical return, and the impact of product return on market demand [96]. The income levels and attitudes, environmentally sustainable apparel, educational standards, behavioral intentions, product development, marketing and retailing strategies [206], industry practitioners to achieve sustainable competitive advantage [202], developing a sustainability stewardship framework for future studies [128], and the moral responsibility of corporate sustainability in other countries [207].

In terms of a theoretical framework, the authors suggest an investigation to explore the employment of established theories, e.g., stakeholder theory or institutional theory [184] in order to address the extent to which other actors pick up theorization by a central actor and the impact that it has on further change and stability in the field [208].

6. Conclusions

There is an increasing interest within academia regarding CSR and sustainability actions within the fashion industry. This interest appears to be related to the expanding role of environmentally sustainable fashion and evaluating how the fashion industry handles its responsibility towards the economy, environment, and society. Although several authors have discussed CSR and sustainability within the fashion sector, most of them have studied CSR and sustainability separately.

Through a systematic literature review, this study has attempted to answer the question of how CSR influences sustainability within the fashion industry by collating information on CSR practices and sustainability innovations to establish what is already known about the topic. This study suggests that CSR studies emphasize managerial approaches to sustainability actions by innovation through the business model or supply chain. In addition to increasing a company’s commitment towards the social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainability, consumer awareness of mass consumption impacts is raised. Moreover, the company reputation is retained, when it would otherwise be is at risk, by expanding the supply of eco-friendly products, and establishing commitments and the contingencies of workers’ safety and welfare. These actions are linked to CSR, as shown by the micro-meso-macro framework, (See Figure 7) which includes consumers, their behavior and concern for the society and environment, the brand equity of CSR practices, culture, and global production networks. The ties between CSR and sustainability also contribute to implementing sustainable actions within the fashion supply chain and managing social sustainability between fashion companies, negotiators, and suppliers by increasing cooperation between stakeholders within domestic and global markets. The concepts also connect via the relationship between environmental sustainability barriers and drivers, government involvement, employees’ perceptions, and sustainability’s overall value. Brand image is maintained via responses to environmental impacts by creating a sustainability roadmap and conducting more ethical production. The connection between CSR and sustainability also relates to the economic success of organic products, green entrepreneurship, and the legal, ethical, and philanthropic aspects of consumers’ purchasing intentions. There is also a discussion of outsourcing tactics in low-cost business models and activism actions to prevent sweatshops and boost human rights to secure ethical working conditions and facilities in developing countries.

The main contributions of this study are to provide a comprehensive review of academic publications regarding CSR, sustainability, and fashion, performed by mapping existing knowledge of how the industry conducts its practices and how it intends to respond to the likelihood of more socially and environmentally friendly standards in the future. It contributes to the literature by identifying the relevant CSR and sustainability topics, as well as the research gaps and possibilities for future studies, by extending the existing knowledge on sustainability and fashion. The same applies to the CSR, and sustainability-related emphasis within the fashion industry presented on micro-meso-macro levels. Furthermore, this study may be of use for the industry, practitioners, and policymakers in gaining a deeper understanding of the critical issues and how they are addressed, and also for policymakers regulating the industry in respect of the issues that cannot be solved through industry self-regulation via CSR practices. It provides insight into the operations and impacts of domestic and multinational fashion companies, outlining the most relevant studies on the topic, highlighting research trends and gaps in the field, and determining a conclusion on how the interactions or ties between CSR and sustainability relate to their economic, environmental, and social dimensions.

This review was limited to academic papers from two databases, followed by including and excluding criteria. The selection was limited to articles written in English, focusing on CSR, sustainability, and fashion, which might have led to the omission of relevant papers that were not written in this language. These were limiting factors for the study, as they were either outside the scope of this paper, or were not specifically focused on topics such as social responsibility, environmental, economic, corporate sustainability, relationships, regulations, stakeholders, ethics, strategies, consumption, consumer behavior, technology, marketing, and supply chain and management. These limitations, however, create a basis for future research by providing a more comprehensive range of primary information, laying the groundwork for the theoretical framing of the interactions between CSR, sustainability, and fashion by providing more information about the subject. In particular, it would be interesting to study a dualistic/chameleon behavior of the industry, where it has negative environmental and social impacts, but at the same time promotes sustainable practices and CSR programs. This raises questions such as: How genuine are the sustainability and CSR practices and programs of fashion companies and is it possible to measure the real impacts weighing both the pros and cons of the fashion industry behavior? In this regard, empirical investigation is of critical importance. Moreover, the fashion industry might see a paradigm shift of relevance to explore. This paradigm shift is caused by behavioral changes of consumers that are becoming more aware of the low importance of fashion products, given the current pandemic crisis, therefore realizing the need to promote the principles of sustainable development.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020 must also be included as a limiting factor in this study. However, the growing pandemic has also opened the door for further studies. A pathway for an empirical study to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on industry behavior has clearly been established, as the fashion sector is under a continuous spotlight. Furthermore, to study the influence the crisis has had on the industry’s capacity or inclination to conduct according to sustainable development principles would be illuminating, as would an investigation on how the pandemic might have influenced consumer behavior in terms of fashion trends, and impact on suppliers and their employees. Another opportunity for further research is a more in-depth analysis of another perspective on social responsibility, sustainability, regulations, stakeholders, ethics, strategies, consumption, marketing, and management within the fashion sector, before and after COVID-19.