Social drivers affecting job design in apparel supply chains: Inferences from a discrete choice experiment

Abstract

Because of increasing customer awareness and government regulations, apparel organisations are inclined to adopt social sustainability practices (SSPs) into their working environment. There is a lack of scientific literature examining the interaction between social and economic sustainability within the apparel industry from the employee perspective. This study aims to assess the preferences of blue and white-collar employees in the apparel supply chain to implement SSPs. The SSPs were identified through a literature study and a deductive approach was taken to conduct a discrete choice experiment. The experiment revealed that blue-collar employees prioritised maternity leaves and proper sanitary facilities, whereas white-collar employees preferred corporate social responsibility initiatives and providing proper sanitary facilities when designing the jobs for blue-collar employees. The study also identified willingness to pay for the identified practices highlighting the importance of providing maternity leaves and proper sanitary facilities to enhance economic and social sustainability. This research contributes to bridging the gap between the expectations of blue-collar and white-collar employees towards SSPs and provide an understanding of the interaction between the social and economic pillars of sustainability in the global apparel supply chain.