New strategies for a more sustainable fashion industry in an international context. The fashion startups that will shape the global scenario.

Abstract

The linear model through which the fashion industry is based upon is no longer sustainable, it is one of the most impacting industries worldwide in terms of climate change, water consumption, waste and also social negative impacts.

Even if famous fashion brands (in the luxury but also in the fast fashion segment) are now pursuing some strategies of engagement in the sustainability field, and trends such as circular economy, fair trade, lowsumerism and sharing economy are some of many emerging entrepreneurial ways to address this issue, they are still not engaged into a circular path in this way not having real positive impacts.

Very innovative start-ups and companies are trying to provide some new business models to have a real effect on the nowadays uncontrollable fashion global value chain. The current study through the combination of a review of literature and the analysis of interesting case studies of innovate entrepreneurial start-ups and companies, it will provide possible solutions to the main research questions that needed to be fulfilled: How the “born- sustainable” start-ups and companies can have an impact on the transition to the sustainability of the worldwide fashion industry? What are the next steps for a circular transition of the apparel industry?

The findings revealed various themes, such as the real need to shift from a linear model to a circular model, the importance to support the “sustainable” business models and develop new facilities and improvements as well as the need to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies to make the transition to a more sustainable business agile and quickly.

The results shows that there are different chances to minimize the impacts the worldwide fashion industry achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals; there is the need in the change of people purchases’ decisions, development of new BMs, support and commitment from Governments and International institutions.