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The fashion industry is at a stage of profound transformation of its operating paradigm. Because of their stakeholders’ pressure, companies have begun to pursue strategic solutions that include sustainability as a guiding principle. Such strategies push for effective organizational solutions and production models that take into consideration the conservation of the planet’s resources, respect for people, and the sustainability of their profits. In this context, the fashion industry is now recognizing the circular economy (CE) as the primary BM to address sustainability-related industry issues. The authors have adopted a specific technological-driven perspective that attempts to analyze today’s context and map digitally driven practices in European fashion companies. These practices are emerging to support fashion organizations so that they can focus their sustainability agendas and better implement circular BMs. This perspective is consistent with the current fashion context, where digital transformation is recognized as an asset that could transform the industry into a more sustainable business. This proposed objective is realized through an iterative process of modeling data. The BMIs identified here are grouped according to Bocken’s eight archetypes: maximize material and energy efficiency; create value from ‘waste’; substitute with renewables and natural processes; deliver functionality rather than ownership; adopt a stewardship role; encourage sufficiency; re-purpose the business for society/the environment and develop scale-up solutions. They guide the authors in modeling mechanisms and solutions that help build business innovations that work to ensure circularity. Analyzing the current best practices, this article introduces a taxonomy that highlights current approaches that lead to incremental changes toward CE through digital solutions.

Fashion industry investments drive the choice for textile solutions characterized by radical experimentation and a firm commitment to sustainability. In the last five years, textile innovations have been strongly related to biobased textile solutions evolving to become effectively feasible and strategic. The produced qualitative knowledge implementations consider new production patterns, innovative technical and digital know-how, and new consumption scenarios. The directions the industry is tracing may provide new opportunities for future textile development in the circular biobased economy. This paper presents a map of current European practices. It discusses the possible passage through a holistic paradigm that goes beyond the boundaries of the old productive systems to accompany the sector towards a new sustainable and transversal state. It also presents three selected best practices that return the actual context in which the phenomenon occurs. A model is presented to demonstrate how these circular processes of biobased materials production enable more process innovations which are developed through implementing the process itself: companies’ search for rethinking and implementing the traditional practices or designing new ones (as determined by the doctoral research of one of the authors).

The European Commission has emphasized the insufficiency of current sustainability efforts and the need for drastic emission cuts by 2050. New EU regulations, such as the Green Deal and the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation, reinforce this demand for sustainable industrial transformation. Within this framework, the fashion industry faces major sustainability challenges due to its reliance on linear, profit-driven models. These dynamics foster overproduction and globalized markets, prompting a reevaluation of production systems. Purpose-driven enterprises have emerged, aligning business strategies with values and sustainability goals. This article examines how design can guide the fashion industry towards prosperity via purpose-driven models. As setting design goals shapes strategic vision, design becomes central in aligning innovation with sustainable objectives. Research shows that the design phase holds significant potential for sustainability gains. The author conducted an iterative study of European fashion firms, combining desk research with case studies to identify key purpose-driven practices. The resulting model highlights how companies voluntarily integrate profit with social and environmental impact. Three case studies illustrate the application of this model and its broader relevance. This work explores how European fashion firms use design to move from economic growth toward holistic, ecosystem-focused prosperity.

Today we are witnessing a change in the production paradigm of the fashion industry. The negative impacts of different processes along the supply chain are evident and consumers have begun to shift to brands seeking effective organizational strategies and supply chain-management models that consider the safeguarding of the planet's resources and demonstrate respect for people. Impelled by these developments, fashion brands are moving from market-driven to purpose-driven strategies. The fashion industry is now recognizing the circular economy (CE) as the leading entrepreneurial model for addressing supply-chain issues related to sustainability. However, there are still gaps in the levels of environmental, economic, social, and cultural sustainability being achieved. Implementation of this model on a large scale is still in the early stages and recent experience indicates a need to rethink the current linear system to enable different actors along the fashion-supply chain to adapt. Further, the fashion system lacks a holistic vision that can support and guide this sustainable transformation toward CE. This article describes how several companies are currently implementing circularity and presents evidence that an emphasis on this concept is relevant for the global fashion industry. It aims to show how emergent design practices are supporting fashion companies to better focus their sustainability agendas, to approach them in a holistic manner, and to consider all business processes with the goal of implementing sustainable development strategies. Analyzing contemporary design-driven best practices, the article introduces a taxonomy highlighting effective ongoing strategies (mini-loops) leading to incremental changes toward CE. Furthermore, it synthesizes possible future trajectories that could lead the fashion system to finally close the loop of circularity.

The fashion sector, recognized for its resource-intensive methods, is currently encountering pressing sustainability issues due to its substantial dependence on natural resources, extensive utilization of chemicals, and exploitation of labor within its supply chain, thus giving rise to notable environmental and ethical apprehensions. In the Industry 4.0 era, which emphasizes the integration of new production technologies to enhance working conditions, productivity, and production facility quality, the fashion sector has discovered opportunities to tackle sustainability challenges by adopting technology for transitioning to circular, greener, and digital systems with reduced environmental impact. Despite promising prospects, the opportunities provided by this paradigm are yet to be fully realized. In this context, design is crucial in enhancing digitally driven production processes for fashion companies within this framework. To explore this, the study suggests an iterative approach to recognizing challenges and opportunities, concentrating on the current alignment with technological advancements. A design-focused strategy aims to devise a comprehensive approach to fashion sustainability and circular economy (CE) principles within the Industry 4.0 framework. The aim is to establish an innovative laboratory model that aids fashion companies in effectively managing the sustainable and digital transition. The study offers insights into potential research opportunities to accelerate the Industry 4.0 transformation in the fashion sector. It envisages a more positive, sustainable, and responsible future by establishing a Circular Fashion-Tech Lab, integrating innovative technologies for sustainable and circular practices in the fashion industry.

The proposed article addresses pressing sustainability challenges, advocating for a profound transformation of existing development models, particularly emphasizing sustainable production and lifestyles. Utilizing a research method grounded in a comprehensive international knowledge base, the study explores the evolution of design for sustainability (DfS) approaches. Its significant contribution lies in systematically investigating connections among diverse DfS approaches, providing an initial framework for situating practices within the fashion and furniture industries. The research outcomes obtained iteratively involve mapping design-driven sustainability practices in European fashion and furniture companies. This mapping reveals a transition from a product-centric to an organization-centered design perspective, calling for a holistic ecosystemic framework to revolutionize business operations. The article analyzes contemporary design-driven practices, proposing an interpretative model that identifies ongoing practices fostering incremental changes toward sustainability guided by design. Furthermore, the article outlines a three-stage design-driven sustainability continuum, synthesizing potential future trajectories. Beyond contributing to the understanding of current practices, the research provides insights into future possibilities, highlighting the transformative role of design in reshaping consumeristic systems. Ultimately, the study offers valuable insights into the transformative power of design, paving the way for sustainable business practices in the fashion and furniture industries.

Today, growing concerns about the Earth's finite resources and escalating climate challenges have sparked a reassessment of industrial processes. This has led to a call for a more responsible and transparent approach across various sectors. The global conversation prominently revolves around sustainable development to foster diversity within a comprehensive framework to effectively address UNESCO's four pillars of sustainability: Environment, economy, society, and culture. The fashion industry, a highly significant and influential sector, has proven to be invasive due to resource-intensive processes that impact both the environment and the economy. Additionally, the industry's rich cultural content plays a substantial role in shaping social and cultural shifts. In this context, this article focuses on design as a catalyst for reform within the fashion industry's supply and value chain, steering it towards sustainability. The focus is on exploring emerging responsible practices aligned with evolving priorities, aspirations, and lifestyles to foster a systemic approach to sustainability in fashion. The discussion highlights design-led perspectives that support a sustainable transition, underscoring the necessity for a transformative mindset among designers. This involves adopting innovative strategies to promote responsible approaches and practices for contributing to a more sustainable future.

Industrial sectors’ innovative and sustainable development relies not only on solid government, society, academia, and industry but also on how they interact to set and implement strategic goals. In the fashion industry context, the new sociocultural scenario is increasingly driven by pressures from stakeholders to limit the impacts of industrial practices and to move toward new open ecosystems to create and maintain sustainable innovation. This article explores how such innovation can be enabled by design-driven actions in the context of the quadruple helix. Such a model aims to revitalize the areas of technological innovation and gradually advance the construction of the infrastructure needed for sustainable fashion growth, combining and integrating different knowledge. An initial literature review, complemented by case studies analysis, identifies the European fashion industry dynamics of innovation and the roles of industry, government, university, and society. In particular, the government is transforming from a mere controller to a facilitator of innovation synergies. Society relies on citizens revising their consumption habits by shifting toward a performative economy. Industry understands the need for collaboration and adopts new closed-loop supply chains to create and maintain its sustainable development. Universities enable new open system flows to make innovations concerning knowledge, technologies, and systems thrive, from technology transfer to knowledge co-creation. Based on the analysis, we propose a conceptual framework to understand the micro- and macro-dynamics of open innovation with a quadruple helix model to implement sustainability practices in the fashion sector through design-driven actions—reuse, repair, recycle, and refashion—that aim to eliminate the concept of waste to support local ecosystems toward establishing a closed-loop chain.

Today, the fashion industry faces sociocultural pressures from stakeholders to reduce ecological impacts and adopt sustainable innovation. This shift responds to the traditional consumption model, emphasizing the need for environmentally friendly practices and open ecosystems. It challenges the constant turnover of brand collections fueled by fleeting social media trends such as those seen on platforms such as TikTok or Instagram. By delving into these patterns where clothing swiftly circulates among consumer wardrobes, it scrutinizes and challenges the deeply ingrained culture of overconsumption. This article investigates the potential of design-driven initiatives to catalyze innovations capable of disrupting prevailing consumption patterns. Building upon a previous study conducted by the authors (D’Itria & Colombi, 2023), it further examines the dynamics of innovation within the fashion industry and the evolving roles of designers in addressing the issue of consumed fashion. Consumed fashion uses strategies to prevent disposal through intentional design across creation, production, and distribution. It emphasizes long product lifecycles and the design-for-longevity approach, focusing on improving rather than replacing items. This scenario shift promotes sustainability and reduces waste by extending the lifespan of fashion items. With this perspective, the article encourages reflection on consumption practices and the interrelation between design and consumption, fostering a more responsible and sustainable fashion industry.

In the ever-evolving fashion landscape, sewing threads—traditionally seen as minor garment components—are emerging as powerful catalyst of change, empowering designers to integrate sustainability into their creative processes. This paper explores the transformative role of disassembly-enabling materials in fostering sustainability within the apparel industry, focusing on a groundbreaking case study in textile innovation.By examining how heat-dissolvable sewing threads and thermal disassembly systems facilitate efficient garment recycling, this study highlights their potential to drive a paradigm shift in fashion design. A single case study methodology is applied to investigate an innovative approach that integrates advanced materials, automated disassembly, and circular economy principles to enhance environmental performance while preserving aesthetic and functional integrity.Through this lens, the authors illustrate how threads can transcend their conventional role, becoming key enablers of fiber-to-fiber recycling and waste reduction. This exploration underscores the importance of viewing garment construction not just as a manufacturing process but as a strategic intervention for sustainability. By embedding Design-for-Disassembly (DfD) and Active Disassembly principles into production methods, this research challenges designers to rethink material choices—positioning threads as dynamic catalysts shaping fashion’s transition toward circularity.