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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of voluntary Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) certification (i.e. OHSAS 18001) on fashion and textiles‐related companies’ financial performance.

From all US‐listed fashion and textiles‐related companies, 44 companies that obtained OHSAS 18001 certification were used as samples. A long‐horizon event study was conducted to estimate the sample companies’ abnormal changes of sales and return‐on‐assets (ROA) over non‐OHSAS 18001 adopters in the same industry.

The authors found that OHSAS 18001 adoption has a positive impact on fashion and textiles‐related company’s sales performance. Nevertheless, the OHSAS 18001 adoption has a negative impact on the company's ROA performance.

Because of the increasing fashion customers’ attention on the occupational health and safety (OHS) issues on personal goods, such as fashion, apparel and beauty products, major fashion brands and retailers often require their suppliers to implement a voluntary OHSMS, in order to avoid any OHS scandal, such as sweatshops and child labour. However, the impacts of OHSMS on fashion and textiles‐related manufacturers have never been examined empirically. The paper provides the first empirical evidence of impacts of OHSAS 18001 on fashion and textiles‐related companies’ financial performances.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between ethical fashion and consumer purchase behavior (their willingness to pay a premium for ethical fashion), with the focus on consumers’ concerns and beliefs about, and knowledge of, ethical fashion.

A self‐completion questionnaire was administered to 109 respondents. Factor analysis and other statistical analyses were applied to test hypotheses.

The findings suggest that consumer beliefs about ethical fashion, which are based on their perceptions of a company in terms of its reputation in the fashion industry, influence their support for what they perceive as socially and environmentally responsible businesses.

The sample size, which is relatively small, is a limitation for this research. The data were collected in Hong Kong, limiting findings to that geographic region.

An important implication is that consumer education is essential to mitigate the prevailing throwaway culture and raise consumer awareness of ethical issues facing the fashion industry. Thus, retailers should take initiatives to educate consumers so as to ensure the success of their newly‐launched ethical fashion products.

The paper proposes an approach to clearly understand the impacts of ethical fashion on consumer purchase behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships between product‐ and store‐related attributes of eco‐fashion and fashion consumers’ eco‐fashion consumption decisions; and if such relationships are subject to the price premium level of eco‐fashion.

A survey was conducted with consumers in Hong Kong: in total, 216 consumers participated in the survey. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to check the validity and reliability of the scales. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis.

The findings showed that only store‐related attributes of eco‐fashion positively influence consumers’ eco‐fashion consumption decision, yet, such relationship can be weakened by the price premium level of eco‐fashion.

Fashion consumers’ response to product‐ and store‐related attributes of eco‐fashion is still important in predicting fashion consumers’ eco‐fashion consumption decision. Fashion consumer environmental attitudes can predict fashion consumers’ eco‐fashion consumption decision better than fashion consumers’ attitude towards eco‐fashion.

It is not enough for fashion companies to manufacture fashion clothing in an ethical production system and develop and design fashion clothing with sustainable and recyclable materials. They must also improve store‐related attributes of eco‐fashion to better satisfy fashion consumer needs, and should be cautious in the direct and moderating effect of price premium level of eco‐fashion when determining the price premium level of eco‐fashion.

The paper contributes to research by advancing understanding on how consumers make ethical consumption decisions in purchasing fashion, and provides retailers with managerial insights into devising marketing plans to promote eco‐fashion consumption, which facilitate fashion companies’ development of a sustainable fashion supply chain. Limitations and directions for future research are also presented in the paper.

The purpose of this paper is to explain why fashion companies would “go green” and to evaluate business models and sustainable supply chains. By applying the Five‐R framework, the authors further evaluate the initiation, implementation and institutionalization journey of a local fashion company and generate important insights and findings.

It is an exploratory qualitative study. The Five‐R conceptual framework is reviewed, proposed, and applied for a real case analysis.

From the studies, data and literature gathered and analyzed hitherto, it is evident that fashion companies can seize competitive advantage through strategic management of environmental challenges. In their greening initiatives, fashion companies should strongly consider the product development process and extend stewardship across the multiple life‐cycles of products. The Five‐R framework, together with its future extensions, can offer an opportunity to clearly display what has been achieved by the company at present and also succinctly demonstrate what area the company is lacking in or where there is room for further beneficial development.

This research focuses on examining the scenario of one real company. The findings need not be generalized and applicable to all companies: this is a major research limitation of this study.

The research findings can help explain and conceptualize fashion companies’ journal of going‐green. Some specific recommendations are given and managerial insights are generated.

This paper undertakes a qualitative real case analysis to study green supply chain management (SCM) challenges by applying the Five‐R framework. The authors believe that this study belongs to the first group of research works which specifically examine this area in the domain of fashion marketing and management.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the knowledge content on green fashion and the expectations regarding the sustainable supply chain held by consumers and shared within online communities. In sustainable and eco‐sectors, the supply chain is of outmost concern for consumers, as most benefits derived from the eco‐purchase are linked to the green and ethical credentials of the supply chain.

A netnographic approach is used. Discussions on green fashion were collected in two green fashion forums over two periods (2007‐2008 and 2010‐2011) and were content analyzed.

Results show a switch in knowledge content between the two periods, from a focus on sustainability to a focus on fashion. Also, there is an evolution in the nature of knowledge content, being initially subjective and becoming more objective and showing expertise during the last period studied. As the communities gain maturity, members are interested in sharing precise knowledge on a variety of aspects linked to the sustainable supply chain, including fabric, materials, manufacturing processes, transportation, distribution, and recycling or re‐use of fashion items. In addition, the role of the members evolves toward educating newcomers and sustaining the development of the green fashion sector.

This research contributes to the field by offering an original perspective on the green fashion supply chain and consumer vision of the industry, through the point of view of major actors and online communities. It advocates for a consumer orientation in the building of sustainable fashion supply chains.

The purpose of this paper is to explore perceptions of Indian consumers regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the apparel industry, and to investigate its importance in the apparel decision‐making process.

A qualitative research design was used as the methodological basis for the study. In‐depth interviews were conducted in India with a total of 26 participants (19 males and 7 females). Interviews lasted between one and two hours and were conducted until saturation in responses was achieved.

Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed via a thematic approach; six themes emerged that are used to organize participants’ responses regarding CSR in the apparel industry. A conceptual framework grounded in the data was developed that highlights relationships between factors that surfaced as important to CSR in the decision‐making process.

Because data were collected specifically with Indian consumers, study findings may not be applicable to consumers in other developing countries. Participants were asked about their perceptions of CSR as consumers, thus it would also be important to know how manufacturers in India view CSR and what it means for their businesses.

Results of this study provide in‐depth insight into Indian consumers’ perceptions of CSR in the apparel industry. Understanding CSR from the Indian consumers’ perspective helps to articulate the economic and social value of addressing ethical concerns within the global apparel supply chain.

The paper's findings are consistent with those of previous studies on CSR and the paper is one of the first to examine the issues relative to the Indian consumer population. India is an important sourcing destination for international apparel retailers, and at the same time, boasts a large population of consumers with a growing level of purchasing power. The paper provides insight into what this group thinks about CSR in an industry that contributes significantly to their country's economy.

The fair trade system was established as an alternative to the free trade system. In the case of fair trade apparel, certification standards are nascent and there is no consistent logo or labelling to aid consumers in their quest to purchase fairly‐made garments. The purpose of this paper is to examine the practices and marketing strategies of three fair trade apparel businesses based in a metropolitan city in the USA, where there are no clear standards to follow. The interviews taken for these case studies were conducted before the launching of a certification program for fair trade apparel by TransFair USA.

This research comprised three case study fair trade apparel companies – two wholesale and one retail. The case studies are based on in‐depth interviews, the examination of documents provided by business owners, and publicly available information on each of the companies.

These three case studies revealed differences in fair trade practices. The wholesalers communicated that they perceived a hierarchy of importance in fair trade practices, placing an emphasis on labour standards and workers’ rights and considering environmental standards to be secondary. The lack of a standardized logo for labels on fair trade apparel has meant that the businesses have had to find creative ways to communicate their fair trade practices to consumers. None of the participants felt that this lack of standardization negatively impacted their businesses.

There is need for a standardized label to make fair trade apparel easily identifiable for consumers and for the further development of standards for fair trade apparel and the marketing of fair trade apparel.

Standards for fair trade apparel are currently being developed and the paper provides valuable information about the process by which fair trade standards are formed and marketed in practice.

The purpose of this paper is to determine how national cultural context may be harnessed to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation when sourcing fashion garments from developing country manufacturers.

A qualitative case study approach was adopted, using purposive sampling to select seven export garment manufacturers of varying size and business model in Sri Lanka. Primary data were collected through on‐site, face‐to‐face interviews with managerial level and operational level informants within each company and through non‐participant observation within factory environments.

It was found that harnessing the local cultural context can support and progress CSR implementation at the factory level: in Sri Lanka, the Buddhist philosophy provided the moral underpinning and hence facilitated supplier engagement with CSR implementation. The presence of governmental support reduces the likelihood of CSR transgressions by adding an extra level of accountability for suppliers. Furthermore, the level of socioeconomic development also affects CSR implementation, as managerial competency increases with higher education levels.

Analysing the success of CSR implementation in the Sri Lankan export garment manufacturing industry enables the identification of country‐specific factors which support CSR implementation. The managerial perspective taken within the research would be of use to fashion brands and retailers that are looking for ways of progressing CSR implementation in their global supply chains.

This paper presents industry‐specific data from a key global garment manufacturing country on a commercially sensitive subject. It identifies factors within the national cultural context that support CSR implementation in the fashion supply chain.