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Apparel manufacturers' achievement of green manufacturing (GM) goal remains low. This paper aims to identify and prioritise the barriers to GM implementation in apparel companies.

First, an extensive literature review is conducted to identify the key barriers to GM implementation. Second, 374 usable questionnaires are collected from apparel manufacturing companies to (a) examine the impact of and (b) rank the barriers. Third, interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is applied to test the relationships among barriers. Finally, structural equation modelling (SEM) is applied to improve the model derived from the ISM.

The results reveal that the independent barriers – lack of eco-literacy among upstream or downstream supply chain members, lack of specific company-level training and monitoring of the progress of GM implementation and inadequate support from regulatory authorities – are the root causes of all the barriers. These three barriers are also at a low level of the ISM model, indicating that they significantly affect the entire system and therefore should be accorded the highest priority in dealing with these barriers.

The results are useful for decision-makers and apparel companies to understand identified barriers, develop potential GM interventions and formulate appropriate strategies to overcome these barriers.

The listed barriers are yet to be comprehensively synthesised in a coherent model and empirically tested in the apparel sector using a combination of the ISM and SEM techniques. The empirically validated model presented in this study is an important step in that direction.

The South American textile industry is experiencing unprecedented opportunities to enter the US textile/apparel market and be a collaborator in the US textile/apparel supply chain. This study intends to provide an illustration of South American small to medium‐sized companies in the textile/apparel industry concerning supply chain management such as quality, logistics, forecasting techniques, lead time, inventory management, and integration of supply chain.

The study in this paper first identifies the principal issues that concern US companies that must be addressed by small companies in their chase to become suppliers in the US textile/apparel industry. Second, this paper provides general descriptions of small textile companies in South America and discusses their performance in the different areas of supply chain management such as quality, logistics, forecasting, production planning, and supply chain integration. A survey is done to provide the comparison between what is expected in the US textile/apparel industry and the performance of South American companies.

The analyzed results provide recommendations based on the evaluation of strengths and weaknesses that may be used as references for these small companies to increase their potential of being active partners in the US supply chain.

This research provides the US and South American textile/apparel companies with the understanding of the issues and constraints of potential South American suppliers and allows them to establish strategic alliances with South American suppliers.

The study provides a clear view of the strengths and weaknesses of South American small to medium‐sized textile/apparel companies that can help both US and South American companies in the pursuit of new opportunities in textile/apparel supply chain collaborations.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the applications of postponement strategy in the textile and apparel industry, with a particular focus on the supply chain structure, relationships and enabling activities supporting postponement strategy across the supply chain.

For this research, a case study approach, supported by structured interviews, was adopted. The purpose was to explore the application of postponement with the objective of gathering considerable data from an organization or multiple organizations to develop the clearest possible picture of the phenomenon.

The nature of product, downstream demand and the supply chain structure impacts the choice of postponement strategy. Companies operating with manufacturing and logistics postponement share data across their supply chain extensively, while companies adopting purchasing postponement work towards enhancing suppliers’ capabilities and fostering relationships across their supply chains.

The case study method limitations include lack of rigor and statistical generalization, small sample size and convenience sampling and lack of establishment of causal relationship. However a thorough study design and process can make case‐based research more rigorous and reliable, but caution still needs to be exercised while applying findings on differing scenarios.

The case studies depict the application of postponement and the enabling supply chain structures. Previous studies have either looked on the organizational perspective or supply chain perspective with regards to the power and dependence attributes. These cases look at the interaction routines and structures among the supply chains.

This research presents a study on the supply chain process of an Indian apparel industry considering various parameters involved. The study aims to identify the main parameters to improve the supply chain process and develop a comprehensive structural relationship to rank them to streamline the apparel supply chain process and business environment.

The team of five experts from this apparel industry was made to give scores to multiple parameters. The TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) technique is used to develop the model for eleven key parameters and then rank them.

Based on the data analysis the planning, customer and warehouse storage have emerged as top three key parameters while the non-replenishment approach, push and pull strategy and manufacturing of the product are identified as the bottom three parameters from a hierarchy level. These parameters have been ranked based on their contributing attributes in this apparel supply chain process.

The study provides an overall ranking of parameters and the implications are in the direction of helping the industry to improve its supply chain performances rather than focus only on productivity. Further, the key parameters are identified as critical inputs and show that the firms are being more proactive and well prepared comprised of the industry.

The study indicates that the key parameters are identified by this apparel brand to improve its supply chain process. The key supply chain process involves planning, manufacturing, distribution, end customer and returns logistics of the goods, etc. So, this research also provides the focused parameters on the supply chain performance received by end customer from the supplier and rank them for effectiveness and improve their overall organizational performance. It also provides a critical observation of their supply chain process improvement which includes different brand uses, strategies and approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the empirical issues of the implementation of coordination for textile‐apparel supply chains.

Employing case study, the paper examines three different types of coordination practice in three different structures of textile‐apparel supply chains: vertical integration chain, efficiency oriented chain and 3P‐hub chain. The coordinators are three leading Hong Kong based international textiles and apparel companies in these cases. The case sources are published articles, company web sites and some open seminars offered by the case companies.

In textile and apparel industries, brand owners generally coordinate the supply chain. There are also other coordination practices in industries. Through the research observations and analyses in the cases it is found that the integrated company, powerful garment manufacturer and trade agent play the role of coordinators in vertical integration chain, efficiency oriented chain and 3P‐hub chain, respectively. No matter what type of coordination practice, information sharing and product flow coordination should be comprehensive. Coordinators are the information centers of the whole supply chain. They should have power to manage the supply chain. They should actively integrate the whole chain for maximum total profitability.

This paper is just an overview of coordination practice in textile‐apparel supply chains. The case sources are published articles, company web sites and some open seminars made by the case companies. The methodology should be more systematic.

Coordination in textile‐apparel supply chains is still an unresolved question both from the theoretic and practical points of view. This paper fills in some of the gaps.

The issue affecting US textile/apparel companies in global business competition is to find suitable suppliers for their operations. The selection and evaluation of their global suppliers to meet the goal of having effective and efficient supply chain operations and strengthening their position in the market become critical for US textile/apparel manufacturers to maintain their competitiveness in today's market. Aims to develop an evaluation model.

The development of a simple, flexible, and easy to use evaluation model that includes the consideration of five main clusters to reflect the performance of a global supplier in a textile/apparel supply chain.

A case presented in this paper shows that the model provides textile/apparel companies with an easy way to evaluate their suppliers and make their selection of suppliers more efficient and effective. Most textile/apparel companies using this model can help them establish strategic alliance with global suppliers to reduce costs and increase competitiveness in the market.

Textile/apparel companies can use this model to find capable suppliers as their partners in the supply chain. With minor modifications, this model also can help companies in most industries for enhancing their supply chain operations with capable suppliers.

Provides a simple model that can help companies in many industries enhance their supply chain operations.

The objective of this study is to investigate how country risk, different political actions from the government and bureaucratic behavior influence the activities in industry supply chains (SCs) in emerging markets. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of these external stakeholders’ elements to the demand-side and supply-side drivers and barriers for improving competitiveness of Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in the way of analyzing supply chain. Considering the phenomenon of recent change in the RMG business environment and the competitiveness issues this study uses the principles of stakeholder and resource dependence theory and aims to find out some factors which influence to make an efficient supply chain for improving competitiveness. The RMG industry of Bangladesh is the case application of this study. Following a positivist paradigm, this study adopts a two phase sequential mixed-method research design consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches. A tentative research model is developed first based on extensive literature review. Qualitative field study is then carried out to fine tune the initial research model. Findings from the qualitative method are also used to develop measures and instruments for the next phase of quantitative method. A survey is carried out with sample of top and middle level executives of different garment companies of Dhaka city in Bangladesh and the collected quantitative data are analyzed by partial least square-based structural equation modeling. The findings support eight hypotheses. From the analysis the external stakeholders’ elements like bureaucratic behavior and country risk have significant influence to the barriers. From the internal stakeholders’ point of view the manufacturers’ and buyers’ drivers have significant influence on the competitiveness. Therefore, stakeholders need to take proper action to reduce the barriers and increase the drivers, as the drivers have positive influence to improve competitiveness.

This study has both theoretical and practical contributions. This study represents an important contribution to the theory by integrating two theoretical perceptions to identify factors of the RMG industry’s SC that affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. This research study contributes to the understanding of both external and internal stakeholders of national and international perspectives in the RMG (textile and clothing) business. It combines the insights of stakeholder and resource dependence theories along with the concept of the SC in improving effectiveness. In a practical sense, this study certainly contributes to the Bangladeshi RMG industry. In accordance with the desire of the RMG manufacturers, the research has shown that some influential constructs of the RMG industry’s SC affect the competitiveness of the RMG industry. The outcome of the study is useful for various stakeholders of the Bangladeshi RMG industry sector ranging from the government to various private organizations. The applications of this study are extendable through further adaptation in other industries and various geographic contexts.

The aim of this paper is to propose an innovative quantitative approach to measure visibility in outbound supply chains and to implement it in order to evaluate the current degree of visibility that focal companies operating in the apparel industry have on their supply chains.

The study is based on an in‐depth literature review on supply chain visibility and on 11 case studies in the apparel industry.

The outcome of the paper is twofold. First, it proposes a metric for measuring visibility in complex outbound supply chains. Second, it analyses the quantity and quality of visible information in eleven companies belonging to the apparel industry, comparing visibility on outbound supply chains vs inbound supply chains.

Although the paper shows the usefulness of the proposed metrics in supporting value assessment, a structured tool is still to be developed. Moreover, the visibility metric is suitable for benchmarking analyses, but the sample presented in the study is still limited and should be enlarged by further studies, also considering other industries.

The metrics so far proposed by researchers to assess the level of visibility in complex supply networks are mainly focused on the upstream supply chain; this paper fills the gap by proposing a quantitative metric for assessing the degree of visibility on the outbound supply chain. Moreover, some interesting insights about visibility in the apparel industry have been found on the basis of 11 case studies.

The redesign of a product supply chain, in terms of production, cost and delivery capabilities can be effectively accomplished by mapping, analyzing and simulating the changes in the supply chain prior to implementation. The case being discussed pertains to the apparel industry in the USA. The beginning of 2005 marked the end of a 30‐year old quota on the apparel market in the USA. This has led many western apparel manufacturers to outsource their production to low‐labor cost countries. This in‐turn has led to increased customer lead‐times. This paper aims to discuss how the implementation of proper IT systems and supply chain measures can reduce lead‐times and also reduce total cost.

An integrated approach is utilized to model the impact of apparel outsourcing added to a US apparel producer supply chain by studying the process map, data analysis, and simulation of the supply chain using Visio, Excel and @Risk simulation software. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the hypotheses on responsiveness and relative costs were tested with and without the outsourcing feature in the US apparel producer supply chain.

The cost savings through outsourcing in the low‐cost labor countries in Asia for the US apparel producer supply chain can be huge and the lead‐time is quite substantial. Thus, outsourcing is not a viable solution for meeting short‐term market demands. However, for large seasonal orders, outsourcing could be an enormous cost‐saver. The lead‐time of the US apparel producer supply chain could be improved if certain controllable factors such as order processing could be made more efficient.

Recent studies by Acaccia, Conte, Maina and Michelini as well as the Leadership for European Apparel Production From Research along Original Guidelines (LEAPFROG, www.leapfrog‐eu.org/), were reviewed. However, no recent study that uses Monte Carlo simulation to measure the supply chain in the apparel market for the USA was traceable in the existing literature except one done by Naylor, Burdick and Sasser at Duke University in 1967. The process modeling of the US apparel producer supply chain with the outsourcing feature will be a useful decision analysis tool. With more data and better understanding of the industry, this simulation model can be easily expanded to obtain a more in depth understanding of any US apparel producer supply chain with an outsourcing capability. Even with making some realistic assumptions in the model, one can easily see the potential benefits of outsourcing. The study found that the customer lead‐time was averaging around 57 days at three‐fourths of the original cost with the minimum customer lead‐time being 41 days. Improved IT and logistics capabilities can minimize the variability recognized in major components of customer lead‐time, such as ocean freight transportation time, order processing time and manufacturing time.

The contribution of the research results from the apparel industry application, where simulation studies of this kind have recently not been executed for a US apparel manufacturer. It also showcases an innovative approach in analyzing outsourcing strategies for a US apparel producer supply chain. The study makes a business case that process improvement can be effectively accomplished with an integrated approach of using widely available inexpensive and user‐friendly computer‐based tools.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a supply chain management framework covering different business environment levels, that is, macro, micro and supply chain levels, and also to evaluate Haiti vs China as apparel-sourcing partners by assessing macro-level, supply-chain-level and micro-level environments from the US apparel buyers’ perspective.

In order to achieve this, first, a framework covering these business environment levels was developed and tested through path analysis. Prior to path analysis exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify proposed factor structures. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews with a sample of 41 apparel companies that operate in the USA and source from China and Haiti.

This study found that both supply-chain-level and micro-level environments positively impact global supply chain performance. Supply-chain-level also has a direct effect on micro-level environment and macro-level environment has only a direct effect on supply-chain-level environment. Interviews and discussions based on this framework indicate that Haiti’s proximity to the USA, price, low-wage rates, small-order sourcing opportunities and good basic sewing skills are among Haiti’s strengths.

This study is unique in developing a multi-level environment framework for supply chain management and in comparing Haiti and China in terms of their supply chains to evaluate the potential competitiveness of Haitian apparel supply chain.