Think slow, it lasts longer : A qualitative study on how slow fashion can contribute to strategic sustainable development.

Abstract: Today's fashion industry, which is characterized by fast demand shifts and overconsumption, is argued to be contributing to the world's increasing environmental and social issues, and thus bringing harm to the global environment and society. Due to this, a “rebellion” has evolved accordingly, and can further be described as the Slow Fashion movement that strives to create a sustainable fashion industry. This type of rebellion has been adopted by both consumers and organizations, but little research has been made on closing the gap between slow fashion theory versus practice. Slow fashion can further be referred to as a concept that contributes to less consumption, product quality, and ethical working conditions. However, to what extent the concept aligns with strategic sustainable development has yet to be researched. One framework that is built to evaluate different tools and concepts is the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). This framework has been developed for three decades and continues to do so to this day. Although applicable in any industry and proven to be successful in supporting strategic sustainable development for those using it and giving recommendations on how to work towards sustainability, it has yet to become a widely used framework. Combined with the need for extended knowledge on slow fashion, this has led to the study’s research question:  “ How can the FSSD be used to evaluate and improve the slow fashion movement's fitness for strategic sustainable development?”  To answer the study's research question, a combination of a descriptive and exploratory study was conducted. The study is further based upon previous research within the field of the FSSD, slow fashion, and sustainable supply chains as well as empirical findings collected through semi-structured interviews with small organizations working with slow fashion. In addition, the empirical findings showed similarities between the slow fashion concept and the FSSD which subsequently led to an extended framework being formed to answer the research question. This framework is further a modified version of the FSSD that companies can take part in, which simplifies the planning process of working towards a sustainable society and environment within the fashion industry. The framework also helps organizations to put themselves in a global context and to understand the complex sustainability challenge. Finally, it contributes with practical recommendations in the form of actions that companies can adopt to contribute to societal and environmental sustainability.