Sustainable practices in the supply chain of the fashion industry : the cases of Nike, Adidas, and Puma

Abstract

In recent years, sustainability has emerged as a high-discussed topic with the rise of environmental concerns. There has been an increase in awareness of the environmental impacts of the fashion industry, which is stimulated by its growing apparel demand, the wide range of pollution, and considerable energy consumption caused by the production process. To examine the efficacy of existing sustainability strategies on environmental issues in the supply chain of the fashion sector, this paper conducts a comparative case study on three cases, which are Nike, Adidas, and Puma, and analyzes their corporate reports to see how companies comprehend their initiatives. This paper discovered that the three companies are converging in their supply chain practices and measurement of sustainable performance, but still face challenges in their sustainability practices. This paper, therefore, concludes that although the fashion industry has begun to respond positively to environmental issues, it still needs further steps in its practices.