Date of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

While clothing is an integral part of our daily lives, it’s current mode of production pose a serious threat to the environment. Current fashion production practices, named fast fashion, has evolved in the past few decades and has brought with it some economic benefits but considerable environmental challenges. The need for sustainable fashion, otherwise known a slow fashion practices have arisen. Using a qualitative approach to study design, this research sought to identify best practices in the management of supply chains in the top four sustainable fashion brands. Primary and secondary source information regarding sustainable practices and economic performance was gathered and analyzed. The collected data was compared against the industry standard in sustainable certification, Cradle to Cradle and was also analyzed using Environmental Economic Theory. Results of this study indicated that there are specific strategies that can be implemented to facilitate sustainable practices within the supply chain of an economically viable fashion brand. This study contributes to the literature of the field and sets the stage for the potential creation of a model for the best standards of sustainable practices within the fashion industry.

Download

Share

COinS