Competitive Advantage in the European Clothing Industry

The research of this paper focuses on the development of a competitive advantage for clothing manufacturers in the EU. As a result of trade liberalization and the reduction of trade barriers, competition from Asian producers is increasing. Moreover, increasing resource scarcity, environmental disasters and climate change cause customers and businesses to adopt a more sustainable consumption and production. Therefore, the paper tries to answer the question whether sustainable products manufactured by European producers may become a competitive advantage for the industry and benefit not only the company, but also people and environment at the same time. Through the adoption of a sustainable supply-chain and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) companies may become competitive in future. Nevertheless, there are more factors to be considered for a successful portfolio extension, as branding and advertising of the product. A sample survey conducted for the research delivers first insights into customer preferences among sustainable products from different countries of origin.