Scaled Collaborations – The Future of Sustainability Within the Garment Industry

摘要

Problem definition The world is becoming more global, leading to supply chainsbecoming complicated, and companies struggling to addresssocial and environmental issues within the garment industry.Sustainability activities undertaken by clothing brands have shownmarginal results, and the need for alternative solutions has beenrealised. Therefore, a movement towards inter-firm collaborationshave been established and the challenge faced by clothing brandstoday is how to scale up these collaborations in order to reachpermanent change.Purpose The purpose of this research is to interpret and understand thecurrent actions of clothing brands’ sustainability practices inorder to understand the important aspects influencing theirdecisions regarding scaled up collaborations.Methodology This is a qualitative study based on interviews in order to achievean in-depth analysis regarding the process of scaling upcollaborations within the garment industry. The empirical findingswere connected with existing literature regarding organisationalbehaviour, strategy and corporate sustainability, opening up formore general conclusions.Conclusions The two main factors affecting clothing brands’ decisions to scaleup their collaborations are those that yield legitimacyand a competitive advantage. To adjust to a future ofcollaborations, clothing brands need to develop competencies andstrategies accordingly. If these collaborations do notmanage to be scaled up, clothing brands’ ability to make a positivesustainable change within the garment industry will be critiqued.