The role of developing countries in the global fashion industry sustainability discourse: Ghana in perspective - A narrative review

Article Sidebar

pdf
Published: May 20, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22515/sustinere.jes.v8i1.357
Keywords:
Developing countries, Fashion industry, Sustainability, Rethinking opportunities

Issue
Vol. 8 No. 1 (2024): pp. 1 - 137 (April 2024)

Main Article Content

Dr Akosua Mawuse Amankwah
Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Professor Edward Appiah
Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Professor Charles Frimpong
Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Professor Anthony Kent
Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Abstract

Fashion Industry practices globally are considered to have major negative impacts on both the environment and society. Production and consumption have increasingly moved towards the industry’s model of take-create-dispose. As this phenomenon is observed to take center stage in more industrialized and advanced nations, developing countries including Ghana, also contribute directly or indirectly to the negative impacts. Fashion production in Ghana is predominantly centered on small to medium-scale enterprises, and their mode of operation allows for customized small runs tailored to specific end-customers, thereby providing an avenue for exploring sustainable strategies that may have a positive impact on the environment and society.  This paper takes a narrative review approach to how the fashion industry in Ghana impacts sustainability and the opportunities to make positive impacts on sustainability at a global level. It demonstrates how Ghana, as a developing country, imports raw materials for both textile and apparel production from counterparts in developing and developed countries and contributes to negative environmental impacts associated with sourcing countries. However, with the emergence of sustainable strategies, local contemporary fashion designers can embrace culturally friendly sustainable models to enhance their practice toward industry sustainability.


 

Article Details

How to Cite
Amankwah, A. M., Appiah, E., Frimpong, C., & Kent, A. (2024). The role of developing countries in the global fashion industry sustainability discourse: Ghana in perspective - A narrative review. Sustinere: Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 8(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.22515/sustinere.jes.v8i1.357
Section
Articles
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

Dr Akosua Mawuse Amankwah, Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Akosua Mawuse Amankwah is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Industrial Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. She holds Master of Design in Professional Design for Textiles and Fashion from Heriot Watt University, 2007 and PhD in Fashion Design Technology, from KNUST. She facilitates Design and Marketing related courses in undergraduate and graduate programs. Her Research Interest is in Ghana Fashion Industry Sustainability. She is a member of the Institute of Textiles and Fashion Professional Ghana; The International Learning Network on Sustainability (LeNS); and an outreach member of The International Foundation of Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI)

Professor Edward Appiah, Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Coming from Design background, Edward Appiah had his doctorate degree in Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town (South Africa), with a research in Technology in Education. He headed the Department of Communication Design, KNUST for four years; later as the Coordinator, Research and Postgraduate Studies in the department; Vice Dean, Faculty of Art, KNUST; currently the Africa Regional Coordinator for Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability  (DESIS) – a network of design labs, based in design and design-oriented universities, involved in transforming education through design minds and design-oriented activities and also the Director-General, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment; a member of the Ghana Education Service Council and Board Member, National Teacher Council.

Professor Charles Frimpong, Faculty of Art, CABE, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Charles Frimpong is an Associate Professor in Textiles at the Department of Industrial Art of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology where he has taught for over 20years. His research interest and publications cover advances in Industrial Textile Production Methods, Indigenous Textiles and Fashion. In 2014, he was awarded the ITAA Janet Else Visiting Scholar Award in Charlotte, North Carolina for his dedication and excellence in the teaching and training of students in the area of Textiles and Fashion

Professor Anthony Kent , Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United Kingdom

Professor Kent holds a degree in Modern History from Oxford University, an MBA, and PhD from the University of the Arts London. He joined Nottingham Trent University in 2013 as Professor of Fashion Marketing. His current research interests are in the convergence between digital and physical environments with a focus on fashion retailing and his second area of interest is in sustainable fashion. Professor Kent has delivered academic papers at a wide range of conferences including Fashion Colloquia, Design Management International, EURAM and the British Academy of Management. He is Chair of the Research Committee of the International Foundation for Fashion Technology Institutions. His most recent publication is “Understanding Personalisation” with Tom Fisher and Iryna Kuksa, published by Elsevier in 2022.

References

Abass, K. (2020). How water scarcity adds to women’s burden in northern Ghana. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/how-water-scarcity-adds-to-womens-burden-in-northern-ghana-138357

Abecassis-Moedas, C. (2007). Globalisation and regionalisation in the clothing industry: Survival strategies for UK firms. International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 4(3), 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJESB.2007.013253

Accenture. (2016). From rhetoric to reality: The Circular Economy Economy Index of Dutch businesses. Accenture, 1–32.

Adagblenya, B. D. (2017). Assessing Ghana’s trade under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) (Issue 84255). https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/84255/1/MPRA_paper_84255.pdf

Amankwah, A. M., Appiah, E., Frimpong, C., & Kent, A. (2023). Examining the structure of the fashion industry in Ghana in ensuring the successful adoption of sustainable approach. Sustinere: Journal of Environment and Sustainability, 7(2), 161–175. https://doi.org/10.22515/sustinerejes.v7i2.304

Amed, I., & Berg, A. (2018). The State of Fashion 2019: An ‘Urgent Awakening’ for the Industry | Intelligence | BoF. McKinsey, 102.

Armstrong, C. S., Blouin, J. L., Jagolinzer, A. D., & Larcker, D. F. (2015). Corporate governance, incentives, and tax avoidance. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 60(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2015.02.003

Arrigo, E. (2020). Global sourcing in fast fashion retailers: Sourcing locations and sustainability considerations. Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020508

Asinyo, B., Frimpong, C., & Amankwah, E. (2019). The State of Cotton Production in Northern Ghana ISSN 2277-7156 Original Article The State of Cotton Production in Northern Ghana. International Journal of Fiber and Textile Research, January.

Ayoki, M. (2017). The impact of multi-fibre agreement phase-out on Sub-Saharan Africa’s textiles and clothing exports (88122).

Barnes, L., & Lea-greenwood, G. (2006). Fast fashioning the supply chain : shaping the research agenda. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 10(3), 259–271. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612020610679259

Bick, R., Halsey, E., & Ekenga, C. C. (2018). The global environmental injustice of fast fashion. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 17(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-018-0433-7

Bocken, N. M. P., Short, S. W., Rana, P., & Evans, S. (2014). A literature and practice review to develop sustainable business model archetypes. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 42–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.11.039

Cachon, G. P., & Swinney, R. (2011). The Value of Fast Fashion : Quick Response , Enhanced Design , and Strategic Consumer Behavior. 57(4), 778–795. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1303

Cao, H., Scudder, C., & Dickson, M. A. (2017). Sustainability of apparel supply chain in South Africa: application of the triple top line model. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 35(2), 81–97.

Cass, A. O. (1996). Political marketing and the marketing concept. 30(10), 37–53.

Claxton, S., & Kent, A. (2020). The management of sustainable fashion design strategies: An analysis of the designer’s role. Journal of Cleaner Production, 268(122112), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122112

Curwen, L. G., Park, J., & Sarkar, A. K. (2013). Challenges and Solutions of Sustainable Apparel Product Development: A Case Study of Eileen Fisher. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 31(1), 32–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X12472724

DEFRA. (2011). Sustaianble Clothing Roadmap. In Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Dissanayake, K., & Sinha, P. (2013). Environmental Sustainability. International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, 8(January), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1077/CGP/v08i01/55036

ECAP. (2019). European Clothing Action Plan (Issue December).

Egels-Zandén, N., Hulthén, K., & Wulff, G. (2015). Trade-offs in supply chain transparency: The case of Nudie Jeans Co. Journal of Cleaner Production, 107, 95–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.04.074

Elkington, J. (1998). Partnerships from cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st-century business. Environmental Quality Management, 8(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.3310080106

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2010). Towards the Circular Economy. https://www.aquafil.com/assets/uploads/ellen-macarthur-foundation.pdf.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2013). Ellen MacArthur Foundation-Rethink the future.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2015). Growth within: a circular economy vision for a competitive europe. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/growth-within-a-circular-economy-vision-for-a-competitive-europe

Environmental Audit Committee. (2019). Fixing Fashion: Clothing consumption and sustainability clothing consumption and sustainability. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/report - summary.html%0Ahttps://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1 952/full-report.html

Fatemi, M. N. (2009). Towards Zero Waste Strategies : Practices and Challenges of Household Waste Management in Dhaka. Technical, Environmental and Socio-Economical Contexts - WasteSafe 2009, 186–192.

Fernando, M. (2010). Corporate social responsibility in the wake of the Asian tsunami: Effect of time on the genuineness of CSR initiatives. European Management Journal, 28(1), 68–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2009.08.002

Fletcher, K. (2008). Sustainable Fashion and Textiles. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781849772778

Fuchs, L. (2016). Circular Economy Approaches for the Apparel Industry. University of St.Gallen Hochschule für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften.

Gabrielli, V., Baghi, I., & Codeluppi, V. (2013). Consumption practices of fast fashion products: a consumer‐based approach. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 17(2), 206–224. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-10-2011-0076

Gardetti, M. A., & Torres, A. L. (2013). Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles Values, Design, Production and Consumption. Taylor & Francis.

Gereffi, G., & Fernandez-Stark, K. (2014). Global Value Chain Analysis: A Premier.

Gereffi, G., & Memedovic, O. (2003). The Global Apparel Value Chain: What Prospects for Upgrading by Developing Countries? United Nations Industrial Development Organization.

Ghana Statistical Service. (2015). Integrated Business Establishment Survey: Summary Report. https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/11920261

Goto, J. (1989). The Multifibre Arrangement and its Effects on Developing Countries. The World Bank Research Observer, 4(2), 203–227. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3986510

Gwilt, A., & Rissanen, T. (2011). Shaping Sustainable Fashion: Changing the way we make and wear clothes. Earthscan.

Ha-Brookshire, J. (2015). Global sourcing: new research and education agendas for apparel design and merchandising. Fashion and Textiles, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-015-0039-4

Hammad, H., Muster, V., El-Bassiouny, N. M., & Schaefer, M. (2019). Status and sustainability: Can conspicuous motives foster sustainable consumption in newly industrialized countries? Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(4), 537–550. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-06-2019-0115

Hayashi, M. (2007). Trade in Textile and Clothing: Assuring Development Gains in a Rapidly Changing Environment. United Nations.

Hofstetter, J. S., De Marchi, V., Sarkis, J., Govindan, K., Klassen, R., Ometto, A. R., Spraul, K. S., Bocken, N., Ashton, W. S., Sharma, S., Jaeger-Erben, M., Jensen, C., Dewick, P., Schröder, P., Sinkovics, N., Ibrahim, S. E., Fiske, L., Goerzen, A., & Vazquez-Brust, D. (2021). From Sustainable Global Value Chains to Circular Economy—Different Silos, Different Perspectives, but Many Opportunities to Build Bridges. Circular Economy and Sustainability, 1(1), 21–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43615-021-00015-2

Hoque, S. F., & Sinkovics, N. (2016). Supplier strategies to compensate for knowledge asymmetries in buyer–supplier relationships: implications for economic upgrading. European J. International Management, 10(3), 254–283. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2016.076292

Jacometti, V. (2019). Circular Economy and Waste in the Fashion Industry. Laws, 8(4), 27. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws8040027

James, A. S. J., & Kent, A. (2019). Clothing Sustainability and Upcycling in Ghana. Fashion Practice, 11(3), 375–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/17569370.2019.1661601

Karaosman, H., Morales-Alonso, G., & Brun, A. (2017). From a systematic literature review to a classification framework: Sustainability integration in fashion operations. Sustainability (Switzerland), 9(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9010030

Kavitha, T. (2017). Consumer buying behavior of online shopping- A study. International Journal of Research in Management & Business Studies (IJRMBS), 4(3), pp.38-41.

Kim, J. O., Traore, M. K., & Warfield, C. (2006). The textile and apparel industry in developing countries. Textile Progress, 38(3), 1–64. https://doi.org/10.1533/tepr.2006.0003

Kirchherr, J., Reike, D., & Hekkert, M. (2017). Resources, Conservation & Recycling Conceptualizing the circular economy: An analysis of 114 definitions. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 127, 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005

Köksal, D., & Strähle, J. (2021). Social sustainability in fashion supply chains—understanding social standard implementation failures in vietnam and indonesia using agency theory. Sustainability (Switzerland), 13(4), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042159

Koszewska, M. (2018). Circular Economy - Challenges for the Textile and Clothing Industry. Autex Research Journal, 18(4), 337–347. https://doi.org/10.1515/aut-2018-0023

Kozlowski, A., Bardecki, M., & Searcy, C. (2012). Environmental Impacts in the Fashion Industry. A life-Cycle and Stakeholder Framework. The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 45, 17–36.

Lacy, P., & Rutqvist, J. (2015). Recovery and Recycling: Making History of Waste. In Waste to Wealth. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137530707_5

Li, B., Chen, P., Li, Q., & Wang, W. (2014). Dual-channel supply chain pricing decisions with a risk-averse retailer. International Journal of Production Research, 52(23), 7132–7147. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2014.939235

Liyanage, K. L. A. K. T., & De Silva, N. (2018). Zero Landfill Framework For Apparel Industry Solid Waste. The 7th World Construction Symposium 2018: Built Asset Sustainability: Rethinking Design, Construction and Operations, July, 1–44.

López, R. R., Herrera, M. K. I. F., Gómez, E. A. M., & Amaya, P. C. P. (2020). Knowledge and Skills of a Logistics Manager Required by the Manufacturing Industry of Ciudad Juárez BT - Techniques, Tools and Methodologies Applied to Global Supply Chain Ecosystems. In J. L.

García-Alcaraz, C. Sánchez-Ramírez, L. Avelar-Sosa, & G. Alor-Hernández (Eds.), Techniques, Tools and Methodologies Applied to Global Supply Chain Ecosystems. Intelligent Systems Reference Library (pp. 109–127). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26488-8_6

Lüdeke-Freund, F., Stefan, G., & Bocken, N. M. P. (2018). A Review and Typology of Circular Economy Business Model Patterns. Journal of Industria Ecology, 23(1), 36–61. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12763

McColl, J., & Moore, C. (2011). An exploration of fashion retailer own brand strategies. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(1), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612021111112368

Mukherjee, S. (2015). Environmental and Social Impact of Fashion: Towards an Eco-friendly, Ethical Fashion. International Journal of Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(3), 22–35.

Nayak, R., Akbari, M., & Maleki Far, S. (2019). Recent sustainable trends in Vietnam’s fashion supply chain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 225, 291–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.239

Nicita, A., Oganivtsev, V., & Shirotori, M. (2013). Global Supply Chains: Trade and Economic Policies for Developing Countries. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 55, 9–34.

O’Cass, A. (2004). Fashion clothing consumption: antecedents and consequences of fashion clothing involvement. European Journal of Marketing, 38(7), 869–882. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410539294

Osei­Assibey, E. (2015). Export Promotion in Ghana.

Pal, S., & Sandberg, E. (2017). Sustainable value creation through new industrial supplyChains in apparel and fashion. 17th World Textile Conference of Association – of Universities for Textile (AUTEXT)-Shaping of the Future of Textile Location. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/254/20/202007

Pedersen, E. R. G., Earley, R., & Andersen, K. R. (2019). From singular to plural: exploring organisational complexities and circular business model design. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(3), 308–326. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-04-2018-0062

Pingki, M.J., Hasnine, S., Rahman, I. (2019). An experiment to create Zero Wastage Clothing by stitching and slashing technique . Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 8(1).

Rodgers, L. (2015). Where do your old clothes go? https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30227025

Šajn, N. (2019). Environmental impact of the textile and clothing industry. What consumers need to know. European Parliamentary Research Service, January.

Sandin, G., & Peters, G. (2018). Environmental impact of textile reuse and recycling – A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 184(March), 353–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.266

Sandvik, I. M., & Stubbs, W. (2019). Circular fashion supply chain through textile-to-textile recycling. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(3), 366–381. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-04-2018-0058

Seuring, S., & Müller, M. (2008). From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16(15), 1699–1710. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.04.020

Seyoum, B. (2010). Trade Liberalization in Textiles and Clothing and Developing Countries: An Analysis with Special Emphasis on the US Import Market. The International Trade Journal, 24(2), 149–181. https://doi.org/10.1080/08853901003652351

Shi, W., & Wang, M. (2015). Decadal changes of water properties in the Aral Sea observed by MODIS-Aqua. Journal of Geography Research: Oceans, 120(7), 4687–4708. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JC010937

Singh, S. (2018). The African Growth and Opportunity Act. Advances in Geoeconomics, 276–284. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315312132-25

Sirilertsuwan, P., Hjelmgren, D., & Ekwall, D. (2019). Exploring current enablers and barriers for sustainable proximity manufacturing. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(4), 551–571. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-09-2018-0114

Spring, A. (2017). Landfill becomes the latest fashion victim in Australia’s throwaway clothes culture. The Guardian.

Stahel, W. R. (2016). The Circular Economy. Nature, 531, 435–438.

Stål, H. I., & Jansson, J. (2017). Sustainable Consumption and Value Propositions: Exploring Product–Service System Practices Among Swedish Fashion Firms. Sustainable Development, 25(6), 546–558. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.1677

Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S. R., Vries, W. De, Wit, C. A. De, Folke, C., Gerten, D., Heinke, J., Mace, G. M., Persson, L. M., Ramanathan, V., Reyers, B., & Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries : Guiding changing planet. Science, 1259855(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855

Turker, D., & Altuntas, C. (2014). Sustainable supply chain management in the fast fashion industry: An analysis of corporate reports. European Management Journal, 32(5), 837–849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2014.02.001

Vezzoli, C. (2006). Design for Sustainability: the New Research Frontiers. 7o Congresso Brasileiro de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Em Design, 3(January 2006), 83–106.

Vezzoli, C., Ceschin, F., Osanjo, L., M’Rithaa, M., Moalosi, R., Nakazibwe, V., & Diehl, J.-C. (2018). Designing Sustainable Energy for All. Sustainable Product-Service System Design Applied to Distributed Renewable Energy. In Designing Sustainable Energy for All. Sustainable Product-Service System Design Applied to Distributed Renewable Energy. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70223-0

Vijayakumar, G., & Robinson, Y. (2016). Impacts of Lean Tools and Techniques for Improving Manufacturing Performance in Garment Manufacturing Scenario: A Case Study. International Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology, VII(II), 251–260.

WECD. (1987). Our common future. World Farmers’ Times, 374. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315270326-140

World Bank. (2012). Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

WRAP. (2017). Valuing Our Clothes: the cost of UK fashion. https://wrap.org.uk/resources/report/valuing-our-clothes-cost-uk-fashion

WTO. (2019). World Trade Statistical Review 2019. https://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2019_e/wts19_toc_e.htm

Yalcin-enis, I., Kucukali-ozturk, M., & Sezgin, H. (2019). Risks and Management of Textile Waste : The Impact of Embedded Chapter 2 Risks and Management of Textile Waste (Issue February, pp. 1–36). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97922-9