Supplier selection in small and medium sized firms: The case of the U.S. textile and apparel industry

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine supplier selection among small- and medium-sized firms in the US textile and apparel industry. For small- and medium-sized firms, one powerful method of improving the firm’s competitiveness in the dynamic business environment is through strategic approach of supplier selection, which emphasizes supplier’s contributions to the total product and to overall customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical survey-based research methodology was implemented and data were collected from small and medium firms in textile and apparel business in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, California, and New York which are the major areas of the US textile and apparel industry.FindingsThis study demonstrates the supplier selection practices of the small- and medium-sized firms in the US textile and apparel industry and their perceptions of supply market and supplier evaluation systems. Results indicate that supplier selection criteria impact firm performance in different ways. Small- and medium-sized firms carry out supplier selection based on product quality, supplier responsiveness, and strategic consideration which positively impact overall customer service level and overall customer satisfaction.Originality/valueThis paper focuses on supply chain management practices, specifically the supplier selection issue in small- and medium-sized firms in the textile and apparel industry

Chapter 4 Exploring the environmental and social impact of informal market practices in the apparel industry

This chapter explores global apparel consumption and its dependence on production supply chains in low-income countries where unsustainable and informal market practices are rampant. Recent life cycle studies of garments show that over 80 percent of environmental impact stems from the production phase of apparel. Up to 80 percent of this production is outsourced to the informal sector in developing countries. Besides the environmental impact, apparel manufacturing also affects sustainable development and includes many social issues related to poor working conditions and below living wages etc. Along with the growth of fast-fashion consumption, apparel production with its high dependence on low-income countries with coal-based energy sources, highly complex and untransparent industry structure with many tiers of suppliers, and the wide-spread use of informal market practices in the industry, is the reason why the environmental impact of the industry is accelerating rather than improving. Measures to mitigate the negative environmental and social impacts can spur a movement away from informal practices but can also risk moving informal practices further out in the tiers of the value chain and to domestic production, making such practices less transparent and the informally employed more vulnerable to lack of social security

Promoting fair globalization in textiles and clothing in a post-MFA environment

The working paper reports on the current trade conditions in the textile clothing industry in the post Multifibre Agreement era. Additionally, the paper advocates for a fairer globalization, promoting better work conditions, labor wages and general social equality in producer countries

Systems thinking in designing automotive textiles

We present the complexities in terms of designing automotive exterior seating materials (seat coverings and interior linings) at Sage Automotive Interiors (UK), which is a division of a global international automotive textile supplier with headquarters in the US. Sustainability and innovation are emphasized in documents communicating the company’s vision. Using a case study approach, we consider the current design, development and manufacture process and examine it for the potential for feedback loops, identify potential leverage points to effect change and how the process could divert wastes from disposal. We will highlight where sustainable decisions can be incorporated and the difficulties in achieving true sustainability. We argue that a systems approach is needed from conception to final product to ensure economic recycling of textiles and fibres used in automotive seating. Without which, the reality is at best incineration for energy and/or landfill, thus losing important, finite resources forever from a diminishing resource pool of raw materials