Proceedings

Sustainability and the Environment: Textiles Used in Small and Medium Apparel Firms in the United States

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to conduct a content analysis on sustainable textiles selected by small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the apparel industry based in the United States and understand how these textiles contribute to the triple bottom line. A content analysis approached is used with the main data source of online websites of ten apparel design firms. The findings show that the sustainable textiles contributed to the triple bottom line environmentally through Global Organic Textile Certified (GOTS), Eco label certified, natural, unbleached, low impact dyes, hand dyed, closed looped production system; socially through transparency of where the fabric and garment is made, fair trade textiles, fair trade factories, fair labor practices, and manufactured in USA and economically through retail price. This research shows that firms are able to meet the triple bottom line while using sustainable textiles at various retail prices.

Keywords: Small and Medium Enterprises, Small Enterprise, Triple Bottom Line, Apparel, Textiles, Sustainability

How to Cite:

Ingram, J. S. & Lee, Y., (2020) “Sustainability and the Environment: Textiles Used in Small and Medium Apparel Firms in the United States”, Sustainability in Fashion 1(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/susfashion.11484