Title: The opaqueness conundrum in fast fashion global supply chains: the irony of hiding what we are trying to find

Authors: William Rick Crandall; John A. Parnell

Addresses: School of Business, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC 28372, USA ' College of Business, University of North Alabama, UNA Box 5206, Florence, AL 35632, USA

Abstract: Globalisation has increased the complexity of supply chains. Multiple tiers have become more frequent and usually include suppliers in different parts of the world. This complexity has engendered opaqueness across the supply chain, particularly beyond the first tier. Some firms are addressing this challenge with varying degrees of success through monitoring, transparency, and traceability. We assess the problem by evaluating the fast fashion industry and evaluate supply chain tiers, the race to the bottom, and the opaqueness conundrum. We also offer implications for researchers and management.

Keywords: supply chain; fast fashion; opaqueness; transparency; traceability; sustainability; globalisation; monitoring; race to the bottom; opaqueness conundrum.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSM.2021.117854

International Journal of Sustainable Strategic Management, 2021 Vol.9 No.1, pp.1 - 16

Received: 30 May 2020
Accepted: 19 Jun 2020
Published online: 04 Oct 2021 *