A systematic literature review of social sustainability issues in the textile and clothing supply chain

Abstract

Social sustainability is receiving greater attention from human rights activists, researchers, and various stakeholders. Hence, this paper aims to assess the social practices in the textile and clothing (T&C) supply chain and identify potential solutions to social problems through a systematic literature review. A total of 76 original and review articles, published from 2010 to 2025, downloaded from Scopus and eight databases of publishers and indexed in Web of Science or Scopus, were reviewed. Content analysis through coding on, but not limited to, topic, supply chain and method dimensions was performed. The review findings showed that the negative social effects of the T&C supply chain are prevalent at the employment, working life and exit stages of an employee lifecycle. To minimize social effects, five potential solutions were identified, including interweaving social sustainability with workplace issues such as lean manufacturing and ergonomics; promoting socially responsible practices; balancing standardization versus contextualization of codes of conduct; extended and continual monitoring and evaluation; and execution of penalties for non-compliance and incentives for compliance. This review considers social issues that threaten the sustainability of the T&C industry, which is a significant contributor to the economic growth of developing countries. This paper organizes social issues in a three-stage employee lifecycle framing (employment, working life and exit), identifies potential solutions to mitigate social problems and highlights future research directions.