Sustainability in the Fashion Industry: the Key Role of Traceability for Responsible Companies

Abstract

Sustainability is one of the present and future challenges for the fashion industry, in order to satisfy an increasingly conscious consumer and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN 2030 Agenda. From a business point of view, innovation lies in integrating sustainability in the company’s strategy to fully appreciate economic, social and environmental benefits. The aim of this elaborate is to highlight the importance of traceability for fashion companies in achieving sustainability goals and efficiency. On one side, traceability is the starting point for an evaluation of products and processes along the production chain, in order to understand critical ones and improve them. On the other side, traceability allows companies to be transparent with stakeholders, building trust in the brand. The first chapter of the elaborate is a literature review regarding fashion industry and sustainability, while the second one focuses on traceability and analyses two case studies successfully applying it in their value chain. In the third chapter, four qualitative interviews with Italian footwear manufacturing companies study in deep the integration of sustainability into the production chain of small-medium enterprises. The answers have been analysed using some sustainability indicators to evaluate the current commitment of each case study in terms of sustainable development and to understand how they can benefit from traceability in the future.