Sustainable development in the Indonesian textile industry : A qualitative study of drivers and barriers met by brand manufacturers

Abstract: Today's textile industry is developing and all the more companies are starting to focus on sustainability issues, as demands from society rapidly increases. The aim of this study is therefore to identify what pressures are put on companies within the textile sector in Indonesia from both internal and external stakeholders. Through this, an identification of drivers and barriers that are met while working with sustainable development is defined. Research on sustainability within Indonesia's textile sector is today very limited. Because of this, a qualitative design with semi-structured interviews with brand manufacturers active within the Indonesian market has been conducted. The chosen method was found to be best suited to obtain a deep understanding of the actual situation in a short period of time. The study is based on three companies, all located in Bali where the interviews also took place. Results indicate that brand manufacturers in Indonesia do not experience any pressures from stakeholders. However, when working with sustainable development there are drivers and barriers that has an impact of these initiatives. The respondents all shared a personal interest and devotion in sustainability matters but experience great difficulties working effectively to develop in these areas, given the state of the Indonesian textile industry today.