Department of Business Administration
Master’s Program in Business Development and Internationalisation
Think slow, it lasts longer
A qualitative study on how slow fashion can contribute to strategic sustainable
development .
Kajsa Ehn & Emelie Wiklund
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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.
Keywords: Slow Fashion, Supply Chain Design, The Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, Fashion Industry, Strategic Sustainable Development
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Acknowledgements
We want to give our warmest appreciation to the respondents for their time and sharing of experiences as business owners. Without their participation this study would not have been possible. We also would like to express our gratitude towards our supervisor, Christopher
Nicol, for providing us with inspiring inputs throughout this thesis course.
Last but not least, we want to thank each other for an educating and fun spring, and for a great teamwork during the past months of hard work.
May 28th, 2021
Umeå School of Business, Economics and Statistics Umeå University
Emelie Wiklund Kajsa Ehn
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Table of contents
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Problem Background 1
1.1.1 Today’s Fashion Industry and How it is Changing 1
1.1.2 Slow Fashion 3
1.1.3 A Step Towards Sustainability 3
1.2 Research Gap 4
1.3 Research Question 6
1.4 Purpose 6
1.5 Delimitations 6
2. Scientific methodology 8
2.1 Choice of Subject 8
2.2 Pre-understandings 8
2.3 Defining Philosophical Assumptions 9
2.3.1 Ontological Assumptions 9
2.3.2. Epistemological Assumptions 9
2.3.3 Axiological 10
2.4 Research Approach 10
2.5 Research Design 11
2.5.1 Information Collection Method 11
2.6 Literature Search 12
2.7 Source Criticism 13
2.8 Overview of Scientific Methodology 14
3. Theoretical Framework 15
3.1 Slow Fashion 15
3.2 Supply Chains within the Fashion Industry 17
3.2.1 Designing Sustainable Supply Chains 18
3.2.2 Sustainable Supply Chain Challenges and Opportunities 20
3.3 Understanding the Sustainability Challenge 20
3.4 Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) 22
3.4.1 The 8 Sustainability Principles and Backcasting 22
3.4.2 The Five-Level Model of the FSSD 23
3.5 Analyzing Slow Fashion through the FSSD 25
4. Practical Methodology 26
4.1. Qualitative Information Generation Methods & Information Sources 26
4.1.1 Sampling Technique 27
4.1.2 Interview Guide 28
4.1.3 Conducting the Interviews 29
4.1.4 Recording & Transcription 30
4.2 Analysis Method 32
4.3 Ethical and Social Considerations 33
4.4 Overview of Practical Methodology 34
5. Empirical Findings 35
5.1 Slow Fashion in Practice 35
5.1.1 Choice of Suppliers 35
5.1.2 Production 37
5.1.3 Material 38
5.1.4 Challenges in Production 40
5.2 Systems Level 41
5.2.1 Collaborations within the Fashion Industry 41
5.2.2 Local Contributions 41
5.2.3 Global Contributions 43
5.3 Success Level 45
5.3.1 Vision & Goals 45
5.4 Strategic Guidelines Level 46
5.4.1 Planning Processes and Strategic Moves 46
5.4.2 Balancing Sustainability and Financial Goals 48
6. Analysis 50
6.1 Slow Fashion in Theory versus in Practice 50
6.1.1 Choice of Suppliers 50
6.1.2 Production 51
6.1.3 Material 51
6.1.4 Challenges in Production 52
6.2 Systems Level 53
6.2.1 Collaborations within the Fashion Industry 53
6.2.2 Local & Global Contributions 53
6.3 Success Level 55
6.3.1 Environmental 55
6.3.2 Social 57
6.4 Strategic Guidelines Level 59
6.4.1 Planning Process and Strategic Moves 59
6.4.2 Balancing Sustainability and Financial Goals 60
6.5 The Strategic Sustainable Framework for Slow Fashion 61
7. Conclusion 65
7.1 General Conclusion 65
7.2 Theoretical Contributions 66
7.3 Practical Contributions 67
7.4 Social Contributions 68
7.5 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research 68
7.6 Quality Criteria 69
7.6.1 Trustworthiness 69
7.6.2 Authenticity 70
Reference list 71
Appendix 1. - Interview Guide 76
Appendix 2. - 8 Sustainability Principles 79
Appendix 3. - SA8000 80
List of Tables
Table 1. Overview of Scentific Methodology 14
Table 2. Overview of Practical Methodology 34
Table 3. Overview of Coded Research Information 35
List of Figures
Figure 1. The Funnel Metaphor 21
Figure 2. The Five-Level Model of the FSSD 23
Figure 3. Conventional Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development 25 Figure 4. The Strategic Sustainable Framework for Slow Fashion 62
1. Introduction
In the following chapter, the problem background and earlier theories within the chosen research field will be presented, as well as the spotted research gap. Moreover, the study's purpose and research question will be defined, followed by the study's delimitations.
1.1 Problem Background
What is fashion and why does it exist? According to Eckert & Stacey (2001, p. 1), fashion is a "collective cultural phenomenon generated by the individual but linked to actions of a very large number of garment designers aiming to create distinctive but similar clothes".
It is further described as a powerful and autonomous force that has both a practical and cultural purpose (Eckert & Stacey, 2001, p. 2). Fashion provides a signal to which group people belong (i.e. group identity) but also the position and status someone has. The way someone dresses acts as a form of communication in regards to roles, intentions, and expectations that are held by participants in any type of social interaction (Eckert &
Stacey, 2001, p. 3). It is further acknowledged that fashion as a phenomenon stems from the idea that upper classes during different eras in time wanted to maintain indicators of their superior status. As time has gone by and fashion has evolved, the patterns of group identity have accordingly become more complex. Additionally, research has found that now, more than ever, clothes express both individuality and obedience/compliance to the norms that exist among certain groups. As mentioned above, fashion is a way to communicate and does so by telling how someone differs from what is perceived as standard for a group but also communicates attitudes and personality characteristics.
Fashion itself is a participant in “the network of interactions through which we communicate and construct our understanding of the world" (Eckert & Stacey, 2001, p.
3). How people use clothes and other items related to fashion depends on how the individual perceives them, and how the collective perceives these things depends on how the individual uses them. How people select clothes is further influenced by a variety of conflicting motivations, and perhaps the strongest force to drive the phenomenon forward is the desire among people to be seen as someone up-to-date. As opposed to this, there is also a desire among people to not be seen as odd and to stand out too much, which simultaneously keeps fashion coherent. Lastly, for some people, the expression through their choice of clothes is either completely tacit, while for others it is carefully planned, either to perform conformity or to rebel against a particular culture and its inherent demands. Lately, the latter form of expression through fashion has been adopted by both consumers and companies as a form of rebellion against fast fashion and over- consumption (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 511; Macchion et al., 2018, p. 9). This type of
"rebellion" is called Slow Fashion and can be better described as a movement that strives to create a sustainable fashion industry, which will be reflected more upon later in this chapter.
1.1.1 Today’s Fashion Industry and How it is Changing
Today, the fashion industry is argued to be contributing to the world's increasing environmental issues and thus bringing harm to the global environment (Fung et al., 2020, p. 883; Hur & Cassidy, 2019, p. 208; Todeschini et al., 2017, p. 760). According to Brooks et al. (2017, p. 493), fashion is "one of the world's largest economic and cultural sectors".
It is also a system that has complex geographies, which can make it complicated to study.
It is further found that this particular industry represents 2% of the world's total GDP and contributes to 10% of the world's total emission pollution (Fung et al., 2020, p. 883). The fashion industry further generates 20% of the global wastewater and the process of creating clothes includes several non-environmental friendly steps for example bleaching, dyeing, and transportation (Hur & Cassidy, 2019, p. 208). Apart from the issues mentioned above, the fashion industry is rapidly changing and despite the rise of strategies for sustainability, the waste from the fashion industry continues to increase (Hur
& Cassidy, 2019, p. 208). Therefore, the current consumption of clothes is considered unsustainable which, in turn, has led to a growing interest in incorporating sustainability into the fashion industry (Macchion et al., 2018, p. 9).
The fashion industry is further represented by fast shifts in demand, which has led to the rise of fast fashion companies (Fung et al., 2020, p. 883). Fast fashion itself is represented by quick response systems, short lead times, and flexible supply chains that are needed to meet a fast-changing demand (Pantano et al., 2018, p. 916). The fast fashion concept is further symbolized by mass-production to reduce costs, and since trends are ever- changing, fast fashion clothes also imply short life cycles. According to Jung & Jin (2014, p. 511), it is apparel consumption itself that is the biggest environmental issue today. The change towards environmentally friendly materials is simply not enough to reduce the environmental impact as much as needed. Therefore, it is important to find new sustainable ways for apparel consumption and organizations to find new ways to structure their business to tackle this problem. Following this, it has become more common for big retailers to focus on incorporating sustainability into their practices (Todeschini et al., 2017, p. 760). According to Macchion et al. (2018, p. 10), there is an identified competitive advantage for businesses that incorporate environmental and social practices into their business, since it is harder to replicate by competitors, which further may be a reason for the growing interest in the topic.
Additionally, there are other forces driving businesses to change and take a more sustainable approach. The growing amount of research focusing on pointing out benefits with sustainability in the fashion industry and research on how businesses should implement sustainable practices into their business models implies that the topic is of wider interest (Goryńska-Goldmann & Gazdecki, 2018, p. 318). Further, as consumers today are more aware of sustainability issues, they use this awareness to put more pressure on companies to act sustainable (Goryńska-Goldmann & Gazdecki, 2018, p. 318;
Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 1; Vieria de Freitas Netto, 2020, p.1). This applies to other stakeholders as well (Mason & Simmons, 2014, p. 78). Research has also aimed to investigate the financial impact on businesses when adopting sustainable practices, in which there are different outcomes. For instance, Malesios et al. (2018, p. 970) could not find any clear relationship between businesses acting sustainable and economical winnings. Meanwhile, other studies have simultaneously shown a relationship between sustainability and long-term financial profits (Maletic et al., 2015, p. 192; Newman et al., 2020, p. 1455). Companies have realized the benefits of incorporating sustainability into their practices such as increased sales, better reputation, and that customers are willing to pay more for sustainable products (Vieria de Freitas Netto, 2020, p. 1), which in turn has led to businesses adopting green marketing strategies (Szabo & Webster, 2020, p. 1;
Torelli et al., 2020, p. 407). However, this has led to many cases where businesses communicate their sustainable practices without practicing them in reality, which further can be described as Greenwashing (Szabo & Webster, 2020, p. 1; Torelli et al., 2020, p.
407). Greenwashing has been a problem since the mid-60s (Torelli et al., 2020, p. 407)
and has resulted in consumers being more sceptical towards businesses' green marketing (Szabo & Webster, 2020, p. 2). Therefore, it is important that companies not only communicate their sustainable business practices but also change how they operate so that sustainability and belonging strategies permeate the entire company.
1.1.2 Slow Fashion
As a response to the above, several initiatives have emerged. Among these is the slow fashion movement which, as previously mentioned, strives to integrate sustainability on all levels within the fashion industry (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 511; Macchion et al., 2018, p.
9). Slow fashion is quite a newly introduced concept and stems from the slow food movement (Štefko & Steffek, 2018, p. 1). Many times, the concept has been misunderstood as the opposite of fast fashion, implying that slow means that the customer will have to wait longer to receive their items, which is not always the case (Fletcher, 2010, p. 262). Even if the slow fashion movement emphasizes slower production and consumption (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 511), it also contains some other important aspects (Brewer, 2019, p. 7; Fletcher, 2010, p. 262). Although there is no specific definition of slow fashion, there are still some characteristics of movement that can aid the understanding of it. In short, slow fashion prefer and put focus on quality over quantity (Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 3), durable products (Brewer, 2019, p. 7; Fletcher, 2010, p. 262), and, it emphasizes ethical and fair working conditions as well as ethical sourcing (Brewer, 2019, p. 7). Another characteristic of the slow fashion movement is that it requires businesses to take on a more holistic approach regarding consumption and production to maximize the product's life cycles (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 512). Further, it is also stated that slow fashion products should be classic and not sensitive to trends (Fletcher, 2010, p. 262). Businesses working with slow fashion have been criticized for contributing to overconsumption and working with clothes that instead could have been donated to charity (Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 3). This could be seen as contradictory to what slow fashion is about since one goal with the movement is to convince people to consume less (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 512). Although the concept can be seen as relatively new, it is constantly gaining more acceptance and researchers are now arguing that it can act as a guide for other fashion concepts to become more sustainable (Štefko & Steffek, 2018, p. 1). To become sustainable and to work with slow fashion, companies need to rethink their processes and practices (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 512) as well as focus on embedding sustainability into all layers of the business (Brewer, 2019, p. 7).
1.1.3 A Step Towards Sustainability
As mentioned above, increased pressure among consumers and other stakeholders has caused organizations and among these, fashion companies, to change the way they operate (Goryńska-Goldmann & Gazdecki, 2018, p. 318; Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 1; Vieria de Freitas Netto, 2020, p.1). Furthermore, as many organizations also have realized, they can have a positive impact on society and the environment by dealing with the root cause of problems before they happen, the implementation of sustainability strategies has increased accordingly (Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 1). Such changes of adopting new strategies (i.e., strategies for sustainable development) have implied changes in business models as well, as the business drivers are no longer the same. Since slow fashion is a concept with a clear focus on sustainability by contributing to less consumption, product quality, ethical working conditions, etc. (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 511), it is reasonable to argue that such a concept implies new strategies and thus also innovation of business models. One framework in particular that aids the process of innovating business models is the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development
(FSSD). The purpose of this framework is first and foremost to "[...] aid organizations in thoroughly understanding and putting themselves in context of the global sustainability challenge, and to move strategically towards sustainability" (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p.
17). Within the framework, sustainability is addressed and defined through 8 principles that are used to prevent systematic damage on both the ecological and social systems (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 23). This can further be described as taking a holistic approach as FSSD looks at the whole system in which an organization is. As the movement strives for businesses to take on a more holistic approach regarding sustainability issues (Jung & Jin, p. 512), this framework can prove to be useful to achieve this. Moreover, apart from improving innovation of business models, the FSSD can also be used to analyze and develop frameworks, tools, and different concepts. Since slow fashion can be described as a concept, the FSSD can be used to analyze this and increase its utility for strategic sustainable development (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 27). Apart from this, using the framework also makes it possible for organizations to prevent potential and unknown damages that otherwise would have arisen because of unsustainable behavior (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 17). To conclude, the FSSD does not intend to replace nor exclude different forms of support (i.e., frameworks, tools, concepts) for strategic sustainable development (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 28). Instead, the overall purpose is to aid clarification and coordination of the use of their respective strengths. By using the FSSD, it is possible to reduce negative impacts on both ecological and social systems and meanwhile capture opportunities, such as finding new markets and winning new market shares but also to reduce risks and costs.
1.2 Research Gap
Although the FSSD works as intended, which is to support strategic sustainable development for those using it and has provided many good examples on how to proactively work towards sustainability, there are still very few using it to the sustainability challenge (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 28). Hence, this calls for a need to make the framework more widespread than it currently is. There are currently many other frameworks that exist that also are specific to sustainability within the fashion industry (Fung et al., 2020, p. 883; Hur & Cassidy, 2019, p. 214). However, none of these explicitly state they are built on components/an initial framework that works to create a common understanding of the complex sustainability challenge and provide guidance for any type of business in any industry. In other words, neither of these frameworks seem to comply with the 8 sustainability principles, which Broman & Robèrt (2017, p. 22) argue are essential for businesses if they want to build a successful sustainability strategy. As mentioned above, the FSSD also considers complexity, making it easier to structure analyzes and to avoid confusion when planning. This is important as Fung et al. (2020, p.
883) states that the fashion industry can be difficult to analyze as it contains several actors and intermediaries. Kozlowski et al. (2019, p. 4) further argue that "to obtain a real and lasting impact, there needs to be a greater understanding of the complexity and interacting issues within sustainable design". In other words, with Kozlowski et al. (2019) emphasizing the importance of this issue, and with the FSSD being built to facilitate understanding of it at the same time as it not being addressed in other frameworks, it calls for an investigation on how using the FSSD can help provide better strategies and practices that function for any organization within the fashion industry. What is also worth mentioning is that previous research on sustainable frameworks for the fashion industry has mainly been done on bigger organizations (Fung et al., 2020, p 884; Hur &
Cassidy, 2019, p. 210). Based on this as well as the above reasoning, it would be of interest to conduct further research on how smaller organizations, from an FSSD
perspective, can change their practices to contribute to a sustainable environment and society.
Continuing in the context of fashion in which there has been a steady growth in terms of interest in slow fashion practice (Jung & Jin, 2014, p. 510). However, the academic understanding of the phenomenon is very limited which is not only acknowledged by Jung & Jin (2014), but by Todeschini et al. (2017, p. 759) as well. The authors state there is a noticeable gap between theory and practice in terms of sustainable fashion businesses, which shows there is a need for further research within the theoretical field, but also a practical field of slow fashion, and to close the gap between these (Jung & Jin, 2014, p.
510; Thorisdottir & Johannsdottir, 2019, p. 1; Todeschini et al. 2017, p. 759). The slow fashion concept further aims to include sustainability into the overall components of the supply chain. Contrary to this, the move towards adopting this initiative and letting it affect how companies conduct business can be considered difficult, as "there exists uncertainty as to how innovative and how sustainable fashion business models should be structured" (Presley & Meade, 2018, p. 138). Hur & Cassidy (2019, p. 215) strengthens this argument further by addressing an issue of limited design strategies for sustainable fashion, as well as a lack of existing support for sustainable design. This statement can further be related to Jung & Jin's (2014, p. 510) findings in terms of the lack of academic understanding, which is arguable of relevance if one is to be able to address and improve the practical aspects of slow fashion. The mention of the lack of sustainable design support also becomes relevant in the context of FSSD, which is built to analyze how a framework, concept, method, tool, etc., assists the user in moving an organization or society towards sustainability and to critically assess these types of supports' effectiveness and usefulness within this context (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 18). According to Kozlowski et al. (2019, p. 16), context is imperative, and tools, methods, and concepts should be carefully developed for specific contexts, either for daily use or strategic planning. It is further argued that if the fashion industry is to achieve change and reach a sustainable fashion system, it is of importance for organizations to consider transformational strategies. However, such strategies at a transformational level are currently minimal and thus in need of development. Although not mentioned explicitly, the statement above implies a need to take a more holistic approach in the transition to the sustainable fashion industry. Meaning that it is of interest to look at the whole production process and supply chain and not just make small incremental changes, which is possible to connect to slow fashion and its definition. Relating to the FSSD, such a framework would further make it possible to make better use of different types of support for strategic sustainable development, which could happen by for instance spotting a need for the development of new and/or combined support with a purpose to be used to reach a sustainable vision (Broman & Robèrt, 2017, p. 20; 26). The type of support is in this case slow fashion.
Moreover, since slow fashion is a concept and movement with the purpose to design, produce, and consume better by considering environmental and social sustainability (Jung
& Jin, 2014, p. 511), this qualifies as support within the categories of concepts, methods, and tools, to be reviewed through the FSSD. It is relevant to point out that such analyses have been carried out several times before but for other forms of support (Broman &
Robèrt, 2014, p. 26). These have furthermore provided a clear overview of strengths and weaknesses as well as possible combinations of different types of support for sustainable development, which subsequently have helped organizations minimize "the gap between the current unsustainable situation and a future sustainable situation in a strategic way"
(Broman & Robèrt, 2014, p. 26). In other words, this strengthens the suggestion of analyzing the slow fashion concept through the FSSD. Furthermore, by using the framework to analyze the slow fashion concept, it would be possible to increase the concept's utility for strategic sustainable development within the fashion industry.
In conclusion, based on the above reasoning, there exist many good frameworks and concepts (Broman & Robèrt, 2014, p. 27). However, none of these can pose as a framework that is unifying, structuring, and increasing the utility of different types of support to eventually enable the organizations to combine existing, or discover new supporting strategic approaches (i.e. methods and tools) towards sustainability. As the FSSD has proven to be successful in those areas but mostly used on bigger corporations, while at the same time not being a widespread framework, this calls for further use of the framework but on smaller organizations. Furthermore, the fashion industry could have and has a great influence on contributing to a better society and environment (Pookulangara & Shephard, 2013, p. 200). However, as mentioned above, there are a few strategies and concepts that exist. With the concepts that do exist, such as slow fashion, there is a gap between theory and practice, which implies a need for further research.
Therefore, contributing to changing how clothing companies practice sustainable development, such as designing a framework that is suitable for the clothing industry using the FSSD as a pillar, could, in turn, contribute to a greater change in that field.
1.3 Research Question
Based on the outlined research gap, the following research questions have been formulated:
“How can the FSSD be used to evaluate and improve the slow fashion movement's fitness for strategic sustainable development?”
1.4 Purpose
The thesis aims to provide extended academic knowledge and practical suggestions on how small organizations, through their actions, can contribute to a sustainable society and environment. The intent is further to do an analysis focusing on the slow fashion movement as a strategic sustainability concept and through the FSSD, evaluate its fitness for purpose for strategic sustainable development. Further, we aim that this study will result in a deeper understanding of how smaller businesses can contribute to a sustainable society, and a framework specifically designed for organizations in the fashion industry, that can be used by strategists.
1.5 Delimitations
Based on the statements in the research gap, one delimitation for this thesis becomes to put a focus on small companies. As argued in the research gap, there is limited research on how the FSSD can be used by smaller organizations, nor does there exist extensive research on the gap between slow fashion theory and practice. In addition, small organizations might be easier to analyze since it is possible that they have better control over their supply chains. To decide on what is defined as a small organization, we will look at the revenue, which cannot exceed 10 million Euros, and number of employees, which cannot exceed 49 people (Buculescu, 2013, p. 106). Ultimately, the companies that were chosen for this study were based in Sweden and Finland. The second delimitation becomes to put focus on the first three levels of the FSSD as they set the base when
analyzing a concept, whereas the last two are dependent on the first three and are thus not as necessary when doing an analysis through the FSSD (Broman & Robért, 2017, p. 22;
Christen & Schmidt, 2012, p. 402; França et al., 2016, p. 159; Robért et al., 2002, p. 204).
Additionally, the third delimitation for this study becomes analyzing organizations within the fashion industry that practices slow fashion, as there are great opportunities for development in this area. Since this study aims to contribute with extended knowledge regarding how the FSSD can be used to evaluate and improve the slow fashion movement's path towards helping companies reduce their harm to the earth and society, it will be of importance to interview the right people. In this context, we have defined the most appropriate individuals to be people in an organization that understand the company vision, have knowledge about their supply chains, and are in a position to make strategic decisions, such as CEOs and/or founders. The decision to focus on such individuals stems from the reasoning that having a significant role and the above knowledge, the respondents should be able to provide necessary information on how they work with slow fashion but also address challenges with the movement.
2. Scientific Methodology
In this chapter, the choice of subject and the pre-understandings will be presented. This will be followed by a presentation of philosophical assumptions that are the basis for the study's structure. Further, the thesis research approach and research design will be presented. Finally, the process for collecting and searching for literature will be described.
2.1 Choice of Subject
The study field of strategic sustainable development within the fashion industry was determined based on shared interests between the authors of this study. To begin, both authors are interested in business development and how businesses strategically can develop and create long-term value from and for customers, markets, and relationships.
The use of the FSSD was inspired by one of the authors from a previous course taken at Blekinge Tekniska Högskola. The author realized that the framework had been well developed and could aid organizations, concepts, and other frameworks to develop in a strategic way towards a sustainable society. While taking the course the author also realized that this framework could apply to different types of industries. This further led the authors into the area of the fashion industry, due to a shared interest in fashion. When researching the fashion industry both authors got familiar with the slow fashion movement which is a concept that strives towards sustainability within the fashion industry. Further, the authors realized that not much research had been done within the area of strategic sustainable development in regards to the fashion industry, which aided the decision-making process of the subject.
2.2 Pre-understandings
The pre-understanding concept is a quality measure, which is important for qualitative studies and explains what knowledge, experience, and insights the author brings into the research (Stenbacka, 2001, p. 553–554). According to (Gummesson, 2000, p. 79) it is important to consider this during the whole research process. If the authors lack the knowledge, the results can become directly misleading. Further, the authors' pre- understandings can develop throughout the research process. Therefore, it is critical to show transparency and reflexivity throughout the study to justify the validity and to enable the reader to make a judgment of the trustworthiness of the research (Stenbacka, 2001, p. 553-554).
Furthermore, the two authors of this study have a specialization in business development, which is the chosen field of this study. Therefore, they already have some knowledge about how to develop and change businesses in strategic ways. One of the authors already has some knowledge about the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development due to a previous course at Blekinge Tekniska Högskola where the framework was introduced.
During the studies at Umeå School of Business Economics and Statistics, sustainability has been a focus in many of the courses, hence the authors have gained some pre- understanding within this area. To not be biased by existing pre-understandings, the authors have strived towards putting previous knowledge aside. Instead, they have striven towards objectivity and to use source criticism when evaluating research used in the thesis.
2.3 Defining Philosophical Assumptions
In the following sections, the philosophical assumptions of this study will be reflected upon. These assumptions are important to clarify since they influence assumptions throughout the research process (Saunders et al, 2016, p. 127). Three main assumptions will be brought up: ontological, epistemological, and axiological. These three assumptions deal with how individuals perceive reality (ontological), what can be viewed as knowledge (epistemological), and how individual values influence the research (axiological).
2.3.1 Ontological Assumptions
As mentioned previously, ontological assumptions are about how individuals perceive reality (Bryman, 2016, p. 57). There are essentially two main theories regarding the perception of reality, which are called objectivism and constructionism (Bryman, 2016, p. 57). Objectivists argue that reality exists independently and is not influenced by individuals' values and perceptions (Bryman & Bell, 2015, p. 32). On the other hand, constructivists argue that reality is constructed by social actors (Bryman, 2016, p. 57).
Constructivists also state that every individual has their perception of reality (Collis &
Hussey, 2014, p. 47). In addition, it is argued that phenomena can be researched to receive a deeper understanding of this (Bryman, 2016, p. 58).
Hence the purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how smaller businesses can contribute to a sustainable society. Further, to provide the extended academic knowledge and practical suggestions, based on previous research but also empirical findings, on how small organizations, through their actions, can contribute to a sustainable society and environment, a subjective perspective will be adopted throughout this study. To gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, this thesis will be built upon interactions with business owners of small slow fashion companies, in which the criteria within objectivism are not fulfilled. Further, every individual will have their perception of sustainability and slow fashion, which speaks for a constructive view of reality.
2.3.2. Epistemological Assumptions
Epistemological assumptions deal with the issue of what should be viewed as knowledge within a specific area (Bryman, 2016, p. 51). These assumptions impact the study throughout the whole process, which makes it of importance to clarify the epistemological assumptions that have been made through this study (Saunders et al, 2016, p. 127).
Similar to ontology, epistemology includes two main standpoints which are positivism and interpretivism (Bryman, 2016, p. 51-52). According to positivists, the environment should be viewed objectively (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 47), and studies aim to find casual relationships. To consider something like knowledge, it has to be observable and measurable. Interpretivism, on the other hand, argues that there is a difference between studying natural science and studying humans since humans are social actors (Bryman, 2016, p. 52). Moreover, interpretivism argues that a degree of subjectivity has to be added when doing research on people, which is needed when studying complex social environments (Saunders et al, 2012, p. 137). To understand social actions, interpretivism argues that the social contexts have to be taken into account (Bryman & Bell, 2015, p.
28-29). This is contrary to positivists since they believe that knowledge is external to social context. Lastly, interpretivism believes that research is dependent on an individual's understanding and interpretations (Bryman, 2016, p. 52).
As mentioned earlier, this study will take on a constructivist approach, which makes it reasonable to adopt the interpretivist philosophy. This thesis will further be built upon interactions with small business owners, and the results will depend on their interpretations, which would not be possible to investigate by using an objective approach. According to Saunders et al., (2012, p. 137) studies regarding business situations can be complex and individuals are often affected by circumstances of different situations, which makes an interpretivist approach suitable for this type of study.
2.3.3 Axiological Assumptions
As mentioned in section (2.3), axiological assumptions explain how individuals' values impact the research process (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 48). The two contradictory perspectives within this area are positivists and interpretivists. According to positivists, studies should be completely free from researchers' values, and they should be viewed objectively. Interpretivists, on the contrary, argue that research is value-based, and researchers' values affect the study. Moreover, transparency is crucial to interpretivists since the study is not free from values. Therefore, the researcher must be transparent about their values so the reader can decide for themselves the level of trustworthiness of the study (Saunders et al., 2012, p. 139).
Continuing, this study will be based upon interviews and interactions with people, and since the researchers have been engaged in this study, it makes it almost impossible for the study to be completely free from values. In addition, the chosen topic is also influenced by the researcher's interest which must be taken into consideration. This speaks for an interpretivist approach, which also falls in line with the philosophical assumptions being made in the two previous sections. To not be biased, it has been of importance for the authors to keep reflexivity and awareness of values and to not let them influence the study.
2.4 Research Approach
There are three main approaches that researchers can adopt when conducting a study (Bryman & Bell, 2015, p. 23). The first two more contrary approaches are the inductive and deductive approaches. The third one is an abductive approach which is a combination of the two previous approaches. None of the above could be seen as better than the other, as all are dependent on the context in which the research is done. Therefore, in this study, it becomes relevant to declare the nature of the research and the context.
With a deductive approach, the researcher starts with theory to make assumptions about existing observations, to at a later stage be able to form hypotheses to examine (Polsa, 2013, p. 289). The purpose of a deductive approach is then to find proof for the hypothesis to either confirm it or deny it. On the contrary, the inductive process starts by conducting observations and analyzations of reality, and in later stages both theories and hypotheses are based on those observations (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 7). There is no theoretical framework to base the observations on within the inductive approach, which enables the researcher to include unexpected observations into the research. The inductive approach is often based upon interactions such as interviews to collect empirical information (Bryman & Bell, 2015, p. 25). Since this study will be based upon interactions with individuals an inductive approach could be argued to suit this type of research. The deductive approach can also be argued for this type of research since it will move from theory to empirical findings to draw conclusions. Therefore, this thesis could be argued
to use a combination of both approaches. Such an approach is called an abductive approach, which will be described further in the following paragraph.
Researchers have questioned if it is possible to practice a pure form of research approach throughout the research process and concluded that both the inductive and deductive approach could be combined when conducting research (Mason, 2002, p. 181). The combined approach, the abductive approach, can be described as when the researchers switch between their observation, collected information, and theory (Mason, 2002, p.
180). The abductive approach can further be used to examine a chosen topic through collected information, and further to describe or develop new theories or rework already existing theories (Saunders et al., 2012, p. 665). By using the abductive approach, frameworks can be tested and developed and information can be gathered throughout the research process (Mason, 2002, p. 14). In this study, the abductive approach is argued to be the best option for the research process. Interviews will be conducted to generate more knowledge within the area of slow fashion and strategic sustainable development. The interviews will further be based upon existing knowledge, within other research areas, to answer the research question. Moreover, the theoretical framework will be reviewed and modified after the conducted interviews, based on what information is found trough the interviews. This means that both existing research and own empirical findings are being used at the same time to develop a framework for strategic sustainable development designed for the fashion industry.
2.5 Research Design
The study's research design is dependent on its purpose (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 3).
The four main research designs that can be used to fulfil the purpose of a study are;
exploratory and descriptive, analytical and predictive studies. Exploratory studies aim to seek causal relationships between variables and to understand how or why a phenomenon occurs (Saunders et al., 2012, p. 172). Furthermore, these type of studies are suitable when little or no previous research within a specific area has been done (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 4). An exploratory study is further appropriate to understand or clarify a phenomenon or a problem. Contrary, a descriptive study strives to describe an existing phenomenon by beginning the process by asking questions that start with "how" and "what". Analytical studies, on the other hand, seek to analyze why and how a phenomenon occurs and to find a causal relationship between variables (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 5). Lastly, Predictive studies aim to find generalizable results by forecasting the probability that a similar situation will occur in other contexts.
This study aims to be descriptive since the purpose is to describe how small slow fashion companies can contribute to a sustainable society by the use of strategic sustainable development. This is an area where not much research has been done, which falls in line with the purpose of exploratory studies. Therefore, the authors of this study argue for a combination of the use of these two research designs. Furthermore, the aim of the study is not to find causal relationships between variables and neither to generate generalizable results, which is why an analytical or predictive design is not considered as appropriate for this type of study.
2.5.1 Information Collection Method
To begin, the information collection method can be decided after determining the research design (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 3). There are two types of studies, quantitative and qualitative, and the goal is to choose the information collection method that is best suited
to answer the research question. (Collis & Hussey, 2014, p. 2). Furthermore, quantitative research is designed to test hypotheses emerging from previous theories and uses statistics and numbers to confirm or reject these hypotheses (Bryman, 2016, p. 61; Daniel, 2016, p. 94). In addition, quantitative research is connected to a deductive research approach.
In these types of studies, researchers should remain objective, which in turn makes the results of quantitative studies generalizable and repeatable. Qualitative studies, however, are suitable when the aim is to answer socially complex questions (Eisenhardt &
Graebner, 2007, p. 26). This type of research includes several steps, which are general research questions, the choice of respondents and interpretation of information (Bryman, 2016, p. 460). In qualitative research, the researcher also collects empirical information through observations or interviews, which results in theories (Bryman, 2016, s. 458). The qualitative information collecting method is further argued to be better suited with an inductive approach (Bryman, 2016, s. 61).
In this research, a qualitative information collection method will be adopted. Due to the research question of this study, "How can the FSSD be used to evaluate and improve the slow fashion movement's fitness for strategic sustainable development?”, the authors believed that a deeper understanding of this phenomenon was needed to answer the question. Moreover, the deeper understanding calls for interaction with business owners, and the result of this study will be dependent on the social context that it is studied within.
Therefore, an objective approach that is required when using a quantitative information collection method, is not suitable for this study (Daniel, 2016, p. 94). Continuing, a drawback for qualitative methods is that the reliability of the study is usually low. This is because they are dependent on the context in which they have been studied (Collis &
Hussey, 2014, p. 53). The authors of this thesis have therefore tried to explain the context of the study to make the reader understand how it might impact the results. Although, it is not as important in qualitative studies as in quantitative studies that the reliability is high. Instead, it is more important in qualitative studies to explain the methods that have been used, which the authors of this study have strived to explain. Qualitative information is, on the other hand, nuanced and rich, which is suitable when the purpose of the study is to gain a deeper understanding of a specific phenomenon. Moreover, a qualitative information collection method is connected to the interpretivist approach (Collis &
Hussey, 2014, p. 130), which this thesis is adopting.
2.6 Literature Search
In the beginning and throughout this study, a literature search has been conducted within the areas of the FSSD, slow fashion, and the fashion industry, to get an understanding of what research has been done and the outcomes of the previous research within this area.
The initial literature review is of importance since it builds the foundation for the research (Saunders et al, 2003, p. 56). Through the literature search, the research gap as well as support for the research question, will be found (Bryman & Bell, 2015, p. 100). Further, the literature review is critical for the quality and outcome of a study (Vom Brocke et al., 2009, p.1).
Moreover, this study is based on scientific articles that have been reviewed by independent parties. In addition, the articles used in this study have been found through several databases. According to Backman (2016, p. 78), it is favourable to use several databases since one single database has a limited number of articles and cannot be seen as comprehensive enough. Umeå University library’s platform was mainly used throughout the literature search process and the main databases used on this platform
were; EBSCO Business Source Premier, Academic Search Premier, Emerald Journals, and Elsevier. In addition, Google Scholar was used as well. Furthermore, the authors of this study considered the articles used in this study as valid since they had been reviewed independently before being published. The number of citations of the articles were also taken into account during the literature search process since a greater number of citations implies higher credibility of the paper. In some cases, literature was found by going through reference lists of other articles which happened particularly when finding research on the FSSD, since the framework is not as widespread and researched as for instance the slow fashion concept. On the other hand, one thing that was realized during the literature search was that research on slow fashion and the fashion industry had gained a lot of attention and an upstream of research within these areas had grown within the past decades. Further, the criteria for a greater amount of citations and the use of databases made it easier for the authors to sort out less relevant and credible articles.
During the literature search process, some keywords were used. Keywords should be selected carefully to generate relevant information (Saunders, 2002, p. 56). The main keywords that were used are Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, Slow Fashion, and the Fashion Industry. Some keywords were also combined to make sure that as much relevant research as possible could be found. As the research process evolved, keywords such as sustainable supply chains and supply chains in the fashion industry were used since knowledge about supply chains was realized to be of importance to understand the slow fashion movement.
2.7 Source Criticism
Throughout the research process, it is important to be critical to the literature (Thurén, 2013, p. 7-8). Four principles were taken into account while conducting the literature search. These principles are the authenticity of the sources, their relationship in time, the interdependence of the source, and freedom of tendency.
The first principle mentioned above requires the researcher to make sure that the information can be assessed as authentic, which further is to assure the quality of the research (Thurén, 2013, p. 7). The authenticity of the source can be assured by examining the background of the source as well as the background of the authors. In this study, a judgment has been made about the author of the sources' competence within the area.
Moreover, an assessment of the companies publishing the literature has been made to ensure authenticity. In addition, the authors of this study have been critical to the published literature and one criterion for the used articles has been that they had been peer-reviewed. In some cases, the authors of this study found that articles were not peer- reviewed. Examples of this were when they were using Google Scholar as a search instrument but by searching for the same article in other databases, this problem was solved. Moreover, the authenticity of the information can be assessed by determining any noticeable paradoxes, which has also been taken into consideration during the literature search. It was also of importance to assure that the information had gone through critical assessments before using it, which was realized by the authors by looking at the original sources of the information.
The time criteria decide the relevance of the source based on the publishing date since it assures credibility (Thurén, 2013, p. 17). A risk when using older literature is that the information might lack relevance since new research might have arisen within the specific area, hence the research loses value (Thurén, 2013, p. 31). In this study, the authors tried
to find literature that was as close in time as possible. Since research about slow fashion, the fashion industry, and sustainability has gained more attention and the number of publications has increased, the authors did not experience any problems finding relatively updated research. Despite this, the authors did not set up any specific time-span to decide if a source was credible or not, since they did not want to lose any information that could have been of importance for this study. It was more difficult to find updated research on the FSSD, due to the fact that the framework is not as widespread. Although, one source from 2017 was found to strengthen the arguments of the older sources.
Further, the interdependence criterium is of importance to assure that the source is independent of other sources (Thurén, 2013, p. 8). In this study, the authors have chosen to only include information from primary sources since information in secondary sources can be modified from the original information (Leth & Thurén, 2000, p. 24). Primary sources are further considered independent sources. The freedom of tendency criterium is important to consider since it aims to exclude research and information that is portraying something in a misleading way (Thurén, 2013, p. 8). In addition, research can get tendentious if it is purposely based on personal beliefs which can occur if authors are using an incorrect and misleading language (Leth & Thurén, 2000, p. 26). As mentioned previously, only primary sources will be used in this study, which reduces the risk for tendentious information. Further, to strive for tendency-free information, the authors aim to include at least two sources within the same subjects drawing similar conclusions (Thurén, 2013, p. 65). However, in some parts of the thesis, for instance the analysis, mainly one source will be used. That is the source by Broman & Ròbert (2017), and the reason for using it to a greater extent is since the authors are founders of the FSSD. Also, there exist no other research that is newer than the source from 2017 and since the study aims to study a concept through the FSSD, it is reasonable to use this source more than other sources. In addition, in the theoretical framework, the source from Pal (2018) is used to a greater extent when explaining the design of sustainable fashion supply chains.
This is because, compared to other sources, the article by Pal (2018) provided more specific knowledge on the topic.
2.8 Overview of Scientific Methodology
Table 1. Overview of Scientific Methodology
