The global fashion industry is broken, but this book provides a roadmap to fix it. Valued at $2.4 trillion, the fashion industry is a major economic engine, yet its “take-make-waste” model has made it a significant source of pollution and inequality. It is responsible for up to 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global wastewater. This book,

Sustainable Fashion Management: A Global Casebook for a Livable Planet, offers a practical, evidence-based curriculum for the next generation of leaders who will tackle these profound challenges.

Through fifteen distinct country case studies, this text explores the real-world solutions and strategies shaping a new, sustainable fashion system. The journey begins in Europe, examining how The Netherlands is building a circular textile ecosystem and how Germany is mandating supply chain transparency. It then moves to the heart of global manufacturing in Asia, investigating China's pathways to decarbonization, Bangladesh's efforts in water stewardship, and Vietnam's pursuit of ethical manufacturing. The book also explores diverse pathways to sustainability, from linking fashion to biodiversity in Brazil to valuing indigenous craftsmanship in Peru and tackling the living wage gap in Ethiopia. Finally, it analyzes the powerful influence of technology and consumer behavior in major markets like the United States and Japan. Each analysis is grounded in the latest research from 2024 and 2025, providing a comprehensive and up-to-the-minute guide for building an industry that is economically viable, socially just, and environmentally regenerative.

This book offers a complete description of the sustainable fashion challenge. It is titled “Sustainable Fashion Management: A Global Casebook for a Livable Planet”. The book examines the fashion industry's massive environmental and social problems. The industry contributes up to 10% of global carbon emissions. It is also responsible for 20% of global wastewater. Social inequality is a major issue. A very small percentage of garment workers earn a living wage. This book presents a practical, advanced curriculum to solve these issues. It uses a unique case-study methodology. Fifteen chapters each focus on a specific country and a distinct theme. We see European models of regulation and circularity. We explore decarbonization in China and water stewardship in Bangladesh. The book covers diverse pathways, from biodiversity in Brazil to social equity in Ethiopia. It ends by analyzing technology and consumption in the US and Japan.

Unlike other texts that remain purely theoretical, this casebook provides a practical, evidence-based analysis of the challenges and solutions emerging right now. Its unique country-by-country methodology allows for a detailed look at how different economic and cultural contexts shape the path to sustainability. The book's core competitive advantage is its unique analytical framework, which explicitly connects every case study back to the strategic priorities of the World Bank's 2024 report, “a world free of poverty on a livable planet”. This approach bridges the critical gap between industry practice and global development goals, demonstrating how decisions on the factory floor have direct implications for climate change, poverty reduction, and private sector development. By using the most recent data from 2024 and 2025, it provides a timely and comprehensive roadmap that other books fail to deliver.

Disclaimer: This book is an independent publication and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by the World Bank Group. The use of the “World Bank Annual Report 2024” is for analytical and educational purposes under the principles of nominative fair use.

Industries