Purpose Social sustainability is receiving greater attention from human rights activists, researchers, and various stakeholders. Hence, this paper aims to assess the social practices in the textile and clothing (T&C) supply chain and identify potential solutions to social problems through a systematic literature review. Design/methodology/approach A total of 76 original and review articles, published from 2010 to 2025, downloaded from Scopus and eight databases of publishers and indexed in Web of Science or Scopus, were reviewed. Content analysis through coding on, but not limited to, topic, supply chain and method dimensions was performed. Findings The review findings showed that the negative social effects of the T&C supply chain are prevalent at the employment, working life and exit stages of an employee lifecycle. To minimize social effects, five potential solutions were identified, including interweaving social sustainability with workplace issues such as lean manufacturing and ergonomics; promoting socially responsible practices; balancing standardization versus contextualization of codes of conduct; extended and continual monitoring and evaluation; and execution of penalties for non-compliance and incentives for compliance. Originality/value This review considers social issues that threaten the sustainability of the T&C industry, which is a significant contributor to the economic growth of developing countries. This paper organizes social issues in a three-stage employee lifecycle framing (employment, working life and exit), identifies potential solutions to mitigate social problems and highlights future research directions.
Purpose This study aims to examine the financial health of handloom micro-entrepreneurial units in Assam by analysing financial performance indicators. It aims to compare the financial performance of handloom micro-entrepreneurial units across different sizes and loom technologies and to assess their financial viability. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on primary data collected from 252 registered handloom micro-entrepreneurial units of eight selected districts across Assam through structured questionnaires. Financial performance is evaluated using the financial indicators of profitability, efficiency and sustainability. To compare across different unit categories based on number of looms and loom technologies, these indicators are converted into standard scores and combined to construct a composite financial health index. Findings The result shows considerable variation in financial health across the different unit size and loom technologies. Very small units operating with one or two looms show the lowest composite financial health Index score, indicating low profitability and inefficient utilisation of resources. Financial performance improves with the number of looms. Larger units show efficient capital utilisation and stable financial conditions. Among loom technologies, fly-shuttle looms show higher profitability due to lower operating costs and faster production. On the other hand, traditional loin looms remains the least commercially viable. Scale of operation is confirmed as a statistically significant determinant of financial health (p = 0.017). Originality/value This study contributes to the literature on rural micro-entrepreneurship by integrating profitability, efficiency and sustainability indicators into a composite financial health index for handloom micro-entrepreneurial units.
PurposeThe textile and apparel (T&A) industry faces mounting pressure to accelerate its transition to sustainability. This study aims to systematically explore how technological domains drive, support and constrain sustainability outcomes within the T&A industry. Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was conducted, resulting in a final data set of 64 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2024. Each contribution was examined through the lens of the triple bottom line (TBL) framework to identify technologies’ impacts on profit, society and planet. FindingsThe review identifies eight core technologies, grouped into three categories: advanced digital technologies, applied technologies and process-oriented technologies. Common sustainability impacts of technologies are resource efficiency, waste reduction and traceability, while negative effects include high implementation costs, interoperability barriers and limited social acceptance. The synthesis reveals that environmental benefits dominate the literature, while social and economic aspects remain less explored. Artificial intelligence emerges as the most controversial, whereas blockchain shows a more convergent profile across the TBL dimensions despite adoption challenges. Originality/valueThis study provides a taxonomy linking textile-related technologies to the TBL framework, offering a consolidated view of how innovation shapes sustainability. It advances academic research on technology–sustainability linkages in the T&A and provides actionable insights for firms seeking to balance sustainability in their digital transformation.
Purpose The sustainability issue in clothing does not end with the fabrics, but it also extends to the other components of the garment, where buttons and fasteners are mostly non-biodegradable. This study aims to discuss the viability of bacterial cellulose (BC) as a biodegradable material for buttons and highlight an under-researched yet important issue. Design/methodology/approach The symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast was fermented to produce the BC sheets under three production conditions that differed in nutrient compositions, temperature and fermentation time. The dried sheets obtained were naturally conditioned and tested for their thickness and tensile strength. It was further converted into button prototypes to enable practical assessments. Findings The findings show that the formed BC sheets were consistent in thickness and had good tensile strength for small structural applications. During button fabrication and attachment, the material exhibited acceptable flexibility, edge stability and resistance to cracking, suggesting practical suitability for apparel use under limited stress conditions. Practical implications The results provide designers and small-scale manufacturers with the initial arguments in support of BC buttons as an eco-friendly solution to traditional apparel fastenings. Originality/value Most available research describes BC as a fabric or leather-like material, while the present work shifts the emphasis to its usefulness as a fastener (button), offering a modest but necessary step towards fully biodegradable apparel systems.
Purpose This study aims to fabricate silver nanoparticles with well-defined shape and size using a newly prepared and fully characterized poly(MAA)-rice straw graft copolymer, with a 54.7% graft yield derived from rice straw bio-waste. The latter is a cheap, innocuous, biodegradable, biocompatible and sustainable precursor characterized by an oxygen-rich structure via its carboxyl and hydroxyl groups that act as reducing and stabilizing agents for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) fabrication. Design/methodology/approach Poly(MAA)-rice straw graft copolymer having 54.8 graft yield % as precursor is used to fabricate AgNPs with well-known shape and size; then classified using our world-class facilities like UV-visible spectra, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermo gravimetric analysis and Zeta potential. This study was further extended to scrutinize the application of the so-prepared AgNPs after loading them into viscose fabric to fabricate smart technical textiles bearing electrical conductivity, antibacterial properties and ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) characteristics. Findings Classification of AgNPs was confirmed by the color change and UV-visible Surface Plasmon Resonance spectra at 418 nm. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed the carboxyl functional groups involved in synthesis. Transmission electron microscopy investigation disclosed some aggregation of the AgNPs, with sizes ranging from 5 to 40 nm, with an average particle size of 27.5 nm. The crystalline face-centered cubic phase nature was confirmed by X-ray diffraction; while the negative Zeta potential value −29.5 mV demonstrated good stability, and the higher thermal stability was recorded using thermo gravimetric analysis. According to the current exploration, a substantial increment in electrical conductivity equal 1.421 × 10–7Ω−1•m−1 and a higher antibacterial efficiency expressed as zone inhibition area equal 14.8 mm and 9.2 mm for gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and gram-positive bacteria (Escherichia coli), respectively, in addition to good UPF equal 14.43 in comparison with the untreated one. Originality/value The innovation addressed here is undertaken by using a newly prepared and fully characterized sustainable and eco-friendly precursor for the fabrication of AgNPs with well-known shape and size; then loading it onto viscose fabric samples to fabricate smart technical textile bearing electrical conductivity, antibacterial and UPF.
