Exploring Drivers and Barriers for Sustainable Use of Resources: The Case of High-Tech Mass Customizers in the German Textile Industry

An efficient and sustainable use of resources is a core task for every company to ensure competitiveness and long-term success. Compared to large companies and corporations, SMEs have fewer capacities and knowledge of how to implement resource efficiency. Therefore, we explored the drivers and barriers for SMEs in order to both overcome existing challenges and address sustainability opportunities. The empirical field is the textile industry in Germany, which is considered particularly interesting due to high competitive pressure, long value chains, and its niche specialization. For this purpose, we conducted 14 interviews with company representatives of textile SME mass customizers in Germany. The results show that there is a wide range of possibilities for a more sustainable use of resources, which help textile companies gain a great economic advantage. Findings include three drivers and barriers each, for SMEs to implement sustainability-focused activities. Managerial implications present both recommendations for the textile industry as well as related SMEs in other domains.