Untersuchung der Zulieferketten von gebrauchter Kleidung in Österreich mit dem Fokus auf nachhaltige Entwicklung

Since the fashion sector and the corresponding supply chains face extreme challenges in achieving sustainable development, this master thesis focuses on a practical example of second life apparel supply chains. Building on two case studies from the apparel and textile return industry, one commercial company and one social oriented non-profit organization are investigated. The purpose of this study is to outline how second life apparel supply chains are organized in Austria compared to other countries and which challenges and problems occur along the entire supply chain. Findings suggest that each supply chain consists of a collection phase, different remanufacturing activities such as sorting, grading, recycling and packaging and the secondary markets where used apparel is sold. Out of this, several challenges have been identified such as the decreasing quality of old garments, difficulties in adequate product return management processes, non-profitability of remanufacturing activities, finding secondary markets, increased competition, and complex coordination of different actors along the supply chain.