When SME Clothing Brands integrate Sustainability Labels : An Identity-Practice-Knowledge Approach

In this paper SME clothing brands will be investigated in how they integrate sustainability labels into their organizations with the focus on the brands identity, practice and knowledge. With the current trends in the clothing industry sustainability labels serve as a tool to prove sustainability efforts, leading to brands having to go through substantial organizational change in order to effectively incorporate requirements set. A direct connection of the changes necessary for the brand’s identity, practice and knowledge and their mutual impacts is currently still unexplored in existing literature. Through conducting interviews with several clothing brands, practical insights were generated and put into comparison with each other in order to obtain general statements about the organizational change the brands go through because of their label membership. The results show the importance of constant organizational change and simultaneous development of the organizational identity, practice and knowledge with consideration of mutual impacts. This is especially relevant in order for clothing brands to effectively incorporate and work with external labels and this paper will help as guidance on multiple dimensions.