Special-Issue Information

The global fashion industry stands at a moment of paradox. On one hand, it commands unprecedented cultural influence and technological sophistication; on the other, it remains a significant driver of climate emissions, water use, waste generation, and precarious labour. Brands deploy sustainability language with growing fluency, and investors scrutinise ESG indicators with increasing zeal, yet the gap between promise and performance persists. Carbon‑neutral capsule lines coexist with record‑high production volumes; blockchain traceability launches in flagship collections while subcontracted workers remain invisible. The resulting dissonance suggests that incremental initiatives—however well publicised—are insufficient to realign fashion’s economic logic with planetary and social boundaries.

This Special Issue, therefore, proposes to examine what we term the sustainable fashion equation: the multidimensional challenge of synchronising consumer values, corporate action, and policy frameworks so that they reinforce rather than undermine one another. The equation metaphor acknowledges that progress in one variable is easily neutralised by inertia or rebound effects in another. For example, consumer willingness to pay for ethical apparel may falter if price signals are distorted, while supply‑chain transparency mechanisms lose traction without supportive regulation. Solving the equation demands research that integrates behavioural insight, organisational analysis, and governance studies in a single analytical frame.

Scholars have generated important literature on green branding, slow fashion, and corporate social responsibility. Nevertheless, critical gaps endure. Much scholarship isolates consumer attitudes without tracing their translation into supply‑chain incentives, or profiles best‑practice firms without interrogating the systemic constraints that keep such practices exceptional. We therefore seek manuscripts that bridge intent and impact, values and value chains, individual choice and institutional accountability. Contributions might, for instance, map how motivational crowding shapes reuse behaviours, how extended‑producer‑responsibility schemes alter procurement norms, or how indigenous craft models challenge linear growth assumptions.

We encourage submissions from behavioural science, marketing, design research, textile engineering, sustainability studies, supply‑chain management, law, and public policy. Topics could include—but are not limited to—circular business models and end‑of‑life infrastructures; quantitative detection and legal governance of greenwashing; comparative evaluations of voluntary versus mandatory ESG disclosure; just‑transition pathways for decarbonising fibre cultivation through to last‑mile logistics; worker‑centred innovations in remuneration; and intersectional analyses of equity and identity in sustainable fashion narratives. Methodological plurality is welcome: life‑cycle assessment, econometrics, ethnography, experimental psychology, mixed‑methods, and theoretically driven conceptual work all have a place, provided rigour and relevance are demonstrated.

By foregrounding the interdependence of consumer agency, corporate accountability, and state capacity, this collection aims to illuminate leverage points where coordinated intervention can transform fashion from a beacon of overconsumption into a test‑bed for regenerative production and inclusive prosperity. We invite original, unpublished manuscripts that advance theory, deliver empirical insight, and offer actionable pathways toward making sustainable fashion the default rather than the exception. All submissions will undergo double‑blind peer review in accordance with the Journal of Sustainability’s standards.

Objective & Scope

This Special Issue aims to:

• Examine consumer decision-making in the context of sustainable and ethical fashion.
• Analyse how corporate strategies and ESG frameworks support or undermine true sustainability.
• Interrogate the gaps between consumer values and actual purchasing behaviour.
• Explore innovations in circular business models, impact measurement, and responsible production.
• Evaluate regulatory and policy mechanisms that can drive systemic change.
• Highlight strategies for decarbonising fashion supply chains, improving transparency, and addressing greenwashing.

We encourage submissions using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, as well as conceptual and theoretical contributions that expand the academic discourse on sustainable fashion. Submissions from Global South contexts, indigenous practices, and informal economies are especially welcome.

Keywords

Sustainable Fashion • Consumer Behaviour • Corporate Responsibility • Circular Economy • ESG Strategy • Greenwashing • Supply Chain Transparency • Responsible Consumption • Systemic Change • Climate Action