Modelling interdependencies amongst barriers to lean adoption for sustainable fast fashion

With a value of over US$1.7 trillion and providing jobs to over 300 million people around the world, the fast fashion industry is one of the most polluting and water-intensive industries in the world, accounting for an estimated 93 billion cubic meters of water each year and nearly 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. While lean thinking provides a clear path to waste reduction and sustainable change, the way in which it can be implemented in fast fashion organisations is hampered by a complex mix of organisational, structural, and cultural barriers, with the interplay between these barriers not well understood. The research method used in this study is Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) and MICMAC analysis, which are used to identify, prioritise and map the interdependencies between the eleven critical barriers that have been identified for Lean adoption in the fast fashion industry, in connection with SDG 8, SDG 12 and SDG 17. Structured interviews with eighteen experts, identified using triple helix sampling, were the main data collection method for this study. The reachability matrix is a four-level hierarchical structure, with the lowest level being lack of top management commitment, which appeared as the most independent high-driving barrier, and the highest level being low adaptability to regional contexts, which was the most dependent barrier. The MICMAC classification has also revealed six linkage variables, namely workforce training, awareness, access to consultants, communication, CSR integration and soft-Lean practices, which lie between these two extremes. Study results show that leadership commitment is a meta-capability required before applying training, CSR investment, and communication. This study is a theoretical extension of the concepts of dynamic capabilities, resource-based view and stakeholder theory for the context of Lean-enabled circular fashion supply chains and provides practitioners (managers, industry bodies and policymakers) with a sequenced roadmap of interventions to prioritise for a more sustainable, fair and Industry 5.0 fashion industry.