Practices for environmental sustainability in the textile, clothing and leather sectors: the Italian case

Organisations have been approaching servitisation in an unstructured fashion. This is partially because there is insufficient understanding of the different types of Product-Service offerings. Therefore, a more detailed understanding of Product-Service types might advance the collective knowledge and assist organisations that are considering a servitisation strategy. Current models discuss specific aspects on the basis of few (or sometimes single) dimensions. In this paper, we develop a comprehensive model for classifying traditional and green Product-Service offerings, thus combining business and green offerings in a single model. We describe the model building process and its practical application in a case study. The model reveals the various traditional and green options available to companies and identifies how to compete between services; it allows servitisation positions to be identified such that a company may track its journey over time. Finally it fosters the introduction of innovative Product-Service Systems as promising business models to address environmental and social challenges.

[1]  Dennis M. Patten The relation between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: a research note , 2002 .

[2]  Martin K. Patel,et al.  Life Cycle Assessment of Polysaccharide Materials: A Review , 2008 .

[3]  Alexander Dahlsrud How corporate social responsibility is defined: an analysis of 37 definitions , 2008 .

[4]  Hussein A. Warsame,et al.  Managing Public Impressions: Environmental Disclosures in Annual Reports , 1998 .

[5]  H. Jenkins,et al.  Corporate social responsibility in the mining industry: Exploring trends in social and environmental disclosure , 2006 .

[6]  Tanya Domina,et al.  Consumer Textile Recycling as a Means of Solid Waste Reduction , 1999 .

[7]  Jyrki Niskanen,et al.  The objectivity of corporate environmental reporting: a study of Finnish listed firms' environmental disclosures , 2001 .

[8]  Tim L Dawson,et al.  Progress towards a greener textile industry , 2012 .

[9]  Jonnalagadda Raghava Rao,et al.  Single Step Hair Removal and Fiber Opening Process: Simultaneous and Successive Addition of Protease and x-Amylase , 2006 .

[10]  Göran Svensson,et al.  Aspects of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM): conceptual framework and empirical example , 2007 .

[11]  Jennifer Stoll,et al.  Dress for success: automating the recycling of school uniforms , 2009, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[12]  Zhong Bao Qin,et al.  Research on the Application of Green Technology to Leather Shoes in their Life Cycle , 2011 .

[13]  John G. Lynch,et al.  Validity and the research process , 1986 .

[14]  I. Maignan,et al.  Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe and the U.S.: Insights from Businesses’ Self-presentations , 2002 .

[15]  K. Seers Qualitative data analysis , 2011, Evidence Based Nursing.

[16]  D. Tranfield,et al.  Towards a Methodology for Developing Evidence-Informed Management Knowledge by Means of Systematic Review , 2003 .

[17]  S. Parker Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities , 1970 .

[18]  Martin Nowack,et al.  Review and downscaling of life cycle decision support tools for the procurement of low-value products , 2012, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

[19]  John C. Thomas,et al.  Re-conceptualizing fashion in sustainable HCI , 2012, DIS '12.

[20]  Stephen J. Fowler,et al.  Incorporating sustainable business practices into company strategy , 2007 .

[21]  Stefan Seuring,et al.  Co-ordinating Sustainable Cotton Chains for the Mass Market , 2003 .

[22]  H Goworek,et al.  Social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry: a case study of a fair trade retailer , 2011 .

[23]  J. Church,et al.  Environmentally sustainable fibers from regenerated protein. , 2009, Biomacromolecules.

[24]  F. Schmidt,et al.  Corporate Social and Financial Performance: A Meta-Analysis , 2003 .

[25]  Anastasios I. Zouboulis,et al.  Leather production modification methods towards minimization of tanning pollution: "Green Tanning". , 2012 .

[26]  F. F. Aspiras,et al.  Utilization of textile waste cuttings as building material , 1995 .

[27]  Juan P. Hinestroza,et al.  Application of Nanotechnology for high performance textiles , 2004 .

[28]  Miriam Borchardt,et al.  Redesign of a component based on ecodesign practices: environmental impact and cost reduction achievements , 2011 .

[29]  Cheng-Chen Lin,et al.  Cultural and leadership predictors of corporate social responsibility values of top management: a GLOBE study of 15 countries , 2006, Journal of International Business Studies.

[30]  Joan Farrer,et al.  The power of a single prototype: Sustainable fashion textile design and the prevention of carcinogenic melanoma , 2010 .

[31]  E. J. Power Sustainable developments in knitting , 2012 .

[32]  Eija Kalliala,et al.  Environmental profile of textile wet processing in Finland , 2000 .

[33]  O. Holsti Content Analysis for the Social Sciences and Humanities , 1969 .

[34]  Marie de Saxcé,et al.  LCA of bed sheets – some relevant parameters for lifetime assessment , 2012 .

[35]  D. Cormier,et al.  Environmental reporting management: a continental European perspective , 2003 .

[36]  Andy Neely,et al.  Introduction to Special Issue: Innovation and Productivity Performance in the UK , 2004 .

[37]  M. Sarrà,et al.  A comparative life cycle assessment of two treatment technologies for the Grey Lanaset G textile dye: biodegradation by Trametes versicolor and granular activated carbon adsorption , 2012, The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.

[38]  D W Pennington,et al.  Life cycle assessment: Part 1: Framework, goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, and applications , 2004 .

[39]  K. Eisenhardt Building theories from case study research , 1989, STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI.

[40]  M. Milne,et al.  Some determinants of social and environmental disclosures in New Zealand companies , 1996 .

[41]  A. Jose,et al.  Environmental Reporting of Global Corporations: A Content Analysis based on Website Disclosures , 2007 .

[42]  Matthew J Realff,et al.  EcoWorx, Green Engineering principles in practice. , 2003, Environmental science & technology.

[43]  Miguel Angel Gardetti,et al.  Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles: Values, Design, Production and Consumption , 2013 .

[44]  R. Weber Basic content analysis, 2nd ed. , 1990 .

[45]  A. Duta,et al.  Sustainable treatment of wastewaters resulted in the textile dyeing industry , 2011 .

[46]  Susanne Geissler,et al.  Natural dyes in modern textile dyehouses — how to combine experiences of two centuries to meet the demands of the future? , 2003 .

[47]  Kate Fletcher,et al.  Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys , 2008 .

[48]  Molly Eckman,et al.  Social Responsibility in the Global Apparel Industry , 2009 .

[49]  John R. Easton Supply Chain Partnerships for Sustainable Textile Production , 2004 .

[50]  H. V. D. Werf,et al.  The environmental impacts of the production of hemp and flax textile yarn , 2008 .

[51]  Marilyn Waite,et al.  SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES: THE ROLE OF BAMBOO AND A COMPARISON OF BAMBOO TEXTILE PROPERTIES-PART 1 , 2009 .

[52]  M. D. Brito,et al.  Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: Organisation and performance , 2008 .

[53]  Sulaiman A. Al-Tuwaijri,et al.  The Relations Among Environmental Disclosure, Environmental Performance, and Economic Performance: A Simultaneous Equations Approach , 2003 .

[54]  B MilesMatthew,et al.  Qualitative Data Analysis , 2018, Approaches and Processes of Social Science Research.

[55]  Alison Gwilt,et al.  Shaping sustainable fashion: changing the way we make and use clothes , 2011 .

[56]  Antoinette Rose,et al.  From the Green City , 1997, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[57]  David Hui,et al.  Modern Applications of Nanotechnology in Textiles , 2008 .

[58]  Paul S Phillips,et al.  Life cycle assessment for reuse/recycling of donated waste textiles compared to use of virgin material: An UK energy saving perspective , 2006 .

[59]  Ernst Worrell,et al.  Environmental impact assessment of man-made cellulose fibres , 2010 .

[60]  Yair Levy,et al.  A Systems Approach to Conduct an Effective Literature Review in Support of Information Systems Research , 2006, Informing Sci. Int. J. an Emerg. Transdiscipl..

[61]  Tanya Domina,et al.  The Textile Waste Lifecycle , 1997 .

[62]  Maria Caridi,et al.  Environmental sustainability in fashion supply chains: An exploratory case based research , 2012 .

[63]  Leslie Davis Burns,et al.  Environmental Analysis of Textile Products , 2006 .

[64]  Jocelise J Jacques,et al.  A study of material composition disclosure practices in green footwear products. , 2012, Work.

[65]  Ting Chi,et al.  Building a sustainable supply chain: an analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in the Chinese textile and apparel industry , 2011 .

[66]  Ernst Worrell,et al.  Open-loop recycling: A LCA case study of PET bottle-to-fibre recycling , 2010 .

[67]  Jose-Luis Galvez-Martos,et al.  Environmental improvement of product supply chains: A review of European retailers’ performance , 2012 .

[68]  Frank Wiengarten,et al.  Supply chain environmental investments in dynamic industries: Comparing investment and performance differences with static industries , 2012 .

[69]  J. Pinto,et al.  Textile waste as an alternative thermal insulation building material solution , 2013 .

[70]  John F. Kennedy,et al.  Ecotextiles: The Way Forward for Sustainable Development in Textiles, M. Miraftab, A.R. Horrocks (Eds.). Woodhead Publishing Limited, Cambridge (2007), x + 221 pp., £115.00, ISBN: 1-84569-214-4 , 2008 .

[71]  Palanisamy Thanikaivelan,et al.  Sodium metasilicate based fiber opening for greener leather processing. , 2008, Environmental science & technology.

[72]  N. Reddy,et al.  Biofibers from agricultural byproducts for industrial applications. , 2005, Trends in biotechnology.

[73]  Iván Muñoz,et al.  Environmental assessment of different photo-Fenton approaches for commercial reactive dye removal. , 2006, Journal of hazardous materials.

[74]  Ibrahim Dincer,et al.  Life cycle assessment of a fluidized bed system for steam production , 2012 .

[75]  S. Toms,et al.  Firm Resources, Quality Signals and The Determinants of Corporate Environmental Reputation: Some UK Evidence , 2002 .

[76]  C. N. Sivaramakrishnan,et al.  Insighis into specialty chemicals : A look at the various chemicals and auxiliaries used in textile wet processing , 2006 .

[77]  C. A. Money Leather working group audit considerations , 2010 .

[78]  Huantian Cao,et al.  C2CAD: a sustainable apparel design and production model , 2009 .

[79]  J. Raghava Rao,et al.  Green Chesmestry Approach in Leather Processing: A Case of Chrome Tanning , 2011 .

[80]  Bart L. MacCarthy,et al.  Sustainable collaborative supply networks in the international clothing industry: a comparative analysis of two retailers , 2012 .

[81]  C Mdr,et al.  Well dressed? The present and future sustainability of clothing and textiles in the United Kingdom. , 2006 .

[82]  Rosi Fieldson,et al.  An assessment of carbon emissions from retail fit-out in the United Kingdom , 2009 .

[83]  Subramanian Senthilkannan Muthu,et al.  Quantification of environmental impact and ecological sustainability for textile fibres , 2012 .

[84]  Cwm Yuen,et al.  SELECTED APPLICATIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY IN TEXTILES , 2006 .