Scaled Collaborations – The Future of Sustainability Within the Garment Industry

Abstract

Problem definition The world is becoming more global, leading to supply chains becoming complicated, and companies struggling to address social and environmental issues within the garment industry. Sustainability activities undertaken by clothing brands have shown marginal results, and the need for alternative solutions has been realised. Therefore, a movement towards inter-firm collaborations have been established and the challenge faced by clothing brands today is how to scale up these collaborations in order to reach permanent change. Purpose The purpose of this research is to interpret and understand the current actions of clothing brands’ sustainability practices in order to understand the important aspects influencing their decisions regarding scaled up collaborations. Methodology This is a qualitative study based on interviews in order to achieve an in-depth analysis regarding the process of scaling up collaborations within the garment industry. The empirical findings were connected with existing literature regarding organisational behaviour, strategy and corporate sustainability, opening up for more general conclusions. Conclusions The two main factors affecting clothing brands’ decisions to scale up their collaborations are those that yield legitimacy and a competitive advantage. To adjust to a future of collaborations, clothing brands need to develop competencies and strategies accordingly. If these collaborations do not manage to be scaled up, clothing brands’ ability to make a positive sustainable change within the garment industry will be critiqued.