Pedagogy and Professional Development

Sustainability and Transparency in the Global Cotton Supply Chain: A Practice-Based Experiential Learning Opportunity Tracing Stakeholder Opinion

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Abstract

The global supply chain for most textile and apparel (T&A) firms contributes to a variety of environmental and ethical issues worldwide. Sustainability issues are prevalent throughout the entire T&A supply chain, and the cotton industry is no exception. Within the global cotton supply chain, efforts to adopt improved sustainability practices have been underway for years. Experts are working to reduce the environmental impact of cotton and educate the public about new cotton growing and manufacturing innovations. The Cotton Ranking (2020) shows significant progress with major brands in the use of sustainable cotton. However, there is also a growing gap between companies that focus on sustainability and those that still do too little or nothing. As the T&A global supply chain is one of the most complex supply chains globally, T&A students need to understand the impact cotton has on the industry and the impact a sustainable cotton supply chain can have on the world. However, currently, there are limited teaching resources for students to gain knowledge regarding cotton sustainability. Due to the difficulties and inconsistencies surrounding sustainability communication and reporting, students have few opportunities to learn from the cotton supply chain stakeholder perspective.

Therefore, the purpose of this project was to develop a practice-based experiential learning project to provide students with an opportunity to explore and understand cotton supply chain sustainability and transparency through tracing public and stakeholder opinions. This project provided students tools and methods to collect first-hand industry information from key stakeholders in the cotton supply chain and further enhance students’ understanding of the current transparency issues in the T&A industry. This project helped students learn how T&A companies communicate sustainability issues with stakeholders by tracing opinions from multiple parties involved in the T&A supply chain.

Keywords: sustainability, transparency, supply chain, cotton, experiential learning

How to Cite:

Zhao, L. & McBee-Black, K., (2022) “Sustainability and Transparency in the Global Cotton Supply Chain: A Practice-Based Experiential Learning Opportunity Tracing Stakeholder Opinion”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 78(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.13784