Corporate social responsibility as an emerging business model in fashion marketing

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important part of many fi rms’ customer relationship management programs and can be a source of competitive advantage. Many fi rms have reaped competitive advantage by making CSR a central part of their corporate mission, rather than an afterthought, since this ensures sustained commitment to CSR. Sustainability can be an important CSR target for fi rms in the fashion industry, though the adoption of sustainability initiatives has been slower than in other industries such as food production. This article explores the reasons why fashion manufacturers and retailers have been reluctant to take action to increase the production of sustainable fashion products, and why consumers have generally been reluctant to purchase sustainable fashion products. We present an agenda for the future, which details several concrete steps for fashion manufacturers and retailers to overcome the barriers to customer adoption. The central idea is for fi rms in the fashion industry to recognize the long-term benefi ts of adopting a business model which includes CSR, and specifi cally sustainability, as an integral part of the corporate mission. We conclude with managerial implications.