IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v35y2026i4p4659-4687.html

Consumer Responses to Physical, Digital and Integrative Sustainability Strategies in the Apparel Industry: A Systematic Review

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Leonor Ferreira
  • João J. Ferreira

Abstract

The apparel industry is one of the world's most profitable sectors but also among the most environmentally damaging. Growing sustainability pressures have led companies to adopt diverse strategies to reduce their impact, yet no single study has systematically analysed these approaches or their consumer implications. This review addresses that gap by categorising sustainability strategies in the apparel sector and identifying the tools used—whether physical, digital or integrative. Using a systematic approach, we synthesise key trends, theoretical foundations and research methods to provide a structured view of the field. A central contribution is the development of the consumer response matrix, a theoretical model that illustrates how consumers respond to different sustainability strategies. Our findings reveal the importance of integrative frameworks that combine physical and digital approaches to enhance consumer engagement. This study maps current strategies and sets the foundation for future research on hybrid approaches and long‐term sustainable consumption.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Leonor Ferreira & João J. Ferreira, 2026. "Consumer Responses to Physical, Digital and Integrative Sustainability Strategies in the Apparel Industry: A Systematic Review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(4), pages 4659-4687, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:4:p:4659-4687
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.70375
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70375
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.70375?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:35:y:2026:i:4:p:4659-4687. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.