The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Supply Chains in the Example of Polish Clothing Companies in the Context of Sustainable Development

The article presents the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chains of Polish clothing companies. The aim of the article is to present the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the supply chains of Polish clothing companies, in both the short and long-term, and in the context of sustainable development. The author has been conducting research on logistics and production processes as well as supply chains of Polish clothing companies since 2017. The research results presented in this article on the impact of the pandemic on the functioning of supply chains in this sector of the economy were carried out in 2021. The author conducted telephone interviews with the management of Polish clothing companies of all sizes, both with distributors and producers. She identified disruptions in the supply chains caused by the pandemic (on the supply, production and distribution). She outlined the short-term actions of companies in response to disruptions, as well as long-term changes related to the logistics strategy as a result of the pandemic. The author also presented the ecological and social effects of changes in logistics strategies caused by the pandemic. So far, there has been no research in this industry and this area concerning not only the short-term impact of the pandemic, but also the strategic changes and their impact on sustainable development. Thus, it is a study that fills the existing research gap. The pandemic particularly affected the distribution of clothing, which caused the dynamic development of e-commerce. Because of this, some clothing companies have changed the organization of deliveries to online customers, such as the example presented by the author of the largest Polish clothing company, LPP S.A. The pandemic in apparel companies has also disrupted production and supply. This was especially true for deliveries from countries with low production costs. Despite these disruptions, however, no mass withdrawal from the production of clothing in low-cost countries to Poland has been observed and, according to the surveyed companies, this will not be a long-term consequence of the pandemic. However, if factors that occurred during a pandemic worsen, this could favor the shifting of more production from low-cost countries to local or regional sewing plants. This would enable the application of the Quick Response strategy. Other disruptions that occurred in connection with the pandemic include a reduction in the number of orders for Polish sewing factories, an increase in the prices of materials and packaging, an increase in transport costs and a periodic increase in inventory levels as a reaction of some companies to the disruptions. The disruptions also caused, in some cases, greater volatility in the relationship between individual links in the supply chains, which perhaps will be the next strategic change.