From Fibre to Fashion: Understanding the Value of Sustainability in Global Cotton Textile and Apparel Value Chains

Current sustainability frameworks and tools to assess and track social and environmental impacts of textile and apparel (such as life cycle analysis) along the chain, although important, provide a narrow focus on metrics (such as a reduction in inputs) or on economic value. This paper proposes a tailored method which combines value chain thinking with qualitative value mapping techniques to identify what sustainable value means and to whom, who benefits both in and beyond the chain (such as wider society, the environment, local communities), as well as opportunities to create sustainable value in the future. Results from interviews with stakeholders of a single connected cotton value chain demonstrate that this approach can identify sustainable value propositions specific to different actors in the chain, temperature-test whether stakeholders are willing to pay a premium price for sustainability efforts, and identify novel sustainable value opportunities that disrupt the chain. In addition to extending knowledge around sustainability in the textile and apparel industry, our contribution also lies in the development of a tailored tool which can be adapted and used for other value chains.

Automated summary

The paper proposes a tailored method that combines value chain thinking with qualitative value mapping techniques to identify sustainable value, and conducts empirical research among stakeholders of a single cotton value chain. The results demonstrate the success of this method in identifying sustainable value propositions for different actors in the chain and discovering novel sustainable value opportunities.