Apparel supply chain retailing

Optimizing decision making in the apparel supply chain using artificial intelligence (AI) From production to retail... 

Wong, W.K., Guo, Z.X., Leung, S.Y.S., 2013. Optimizing Decision Making in the Apparel Supply Chain Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) From Production to Retail. Woodhead, Cambridge. 

Since apparel designers enjoy no intellectual property protection in the United States for the look and feel of their designs, many sell the apparel and not just the design thus they are involved in coordinating the manufacturing and distribution. Most retailers are part of supply chains of dispersed entities that are spread throughout the world. The locations of supply chain entities are also affected by textile quotas imposed bilaterally... 

Sustainable apparel retail would be easy to consider if all retailers had the same business model and if they aU operated as simple intermediaries in a supply chain... 

However, when considering the sustainabUity of apparel retail, the most important aspect of the business model to consider is associated with how the retailer sources products. This activity has the most direct impact on the ability of the retailer to be sustainable. The retailer s products and supply chain are the most significant source of the environmental and social impacts. Up to two-thirds of a retailer s carbon footprint and up to 90% of its water footprint is created by its products and supply chain (WRAP, 2011). And as a retailer s supply chain may have more than 20 times more workers in it than in its retail operation, and often in countries where social issues may be significant, the supply chain is a major source of social and ethical challenges for the retailer. Therefore, the sourcing model for products and suppliers is a critical consideration in the development of a sustainability strategy. 

As individual brands these fundamental issues may seem insurmountable however, in spite of the highly competitive nature of the retail apparel market, a growing group of responsible retailers are tackling these issues together. These retailers have recognized the interdependencies of their businesses within the supply chain and how the development of a more sustainable model is beneficial to individual organizations as well as the industry as a whole. 

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