How eco-innovations can lead the way towards the creation of a sustainable business model A multiple case study of the apparel & footwear industry

Abstract

The objective of this research paper is to analyse what are the types of eco-innovations and sustainable strategies of the apparel and footwear industry that are more suitable for the creation of a sustainable business model.

The study is elaborated in two parts. On one hand, the apparel companies are analysed based on their types of eco-innovations and sustainable strategies. In order to obtain an evident result, a matrix has been used to categorize the eco-innovations under the transformational strategies perspective. Moreover, the study proceeds by evaluating the overall environmental performance of the companies at stake, to create a tension between theoretical and practical results.

On the other hand, the research advances with an analysis of customer’s perceptions about the companies’ sustainable strategies and environmentally sustainable products. To obtain a clear result, a survey has been used to evaluate consumers' opinions on a sample of 150 respondents, which has been investigated through a principal factor component analysis. Outcomes show a clear preference for one of the companies analysed. Anyway, an unavailability of deeper data has blocked the possibility to have a complete analysis of the environmental performance and to correctly establish which should be the best practices to adopt.

Customers perceptions on companies’ sustainable initiatives show a weak interest about environmental issues, even though clear preferences emerged for the same company that has been privileged in the first part of the analysis. Anyway, customers' perceptions on sustainable products have shown unclear results, mainly establishing a common misunderstanding between the concept of environmental sustainability and the interest towards environmentally friendly product. Nevertheless, most of the customers show an unawareness towards the sustainability aspect of the companies, highlighting a fundamental problem of disinformation.

Key words: sustainable business model, eco-innovations, transformational strategies, environmental performance, consumer