Assessing the Sustainable Circular Fashion Supply Chain as a Model for Achieving Economic Growth in the Global Market

The global fashion industry faces a deepening sustainability crisis that threatens its structural integrity. This study explores the systemic transformation required to transition fashion toward a circular bioeconomy, emphasizing renewable materials, closed-loop business models, and socially equitable value chains. Using a conceptual synthesis approach, the research integrates systems change theory, degrowth economics, and emotional durability to develop a comprehensive model aligned with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including responsible consumption, climate action, decent work, and innovation. Through illustrative case studies—such as Eileen Fisher, Stella McCartney, Patagonia, and policy initiatives like the EU’s Digital Product Passport—the paper examines how sustainability is being operationalized across scales. It critically addresses challenges including technological solutionism, systemic greenwashing, and waste colonialism. The findings offer practical insights and strategic recommendations for policymakers, industry leaders, and academics to support a regenerative and just transition in fashion. The study highlights the complex interplay of material flows, business models, power structures, and cultural mindsets, presenting a multi-scaled framework for advancing cleaner production and circularity in one of the world’s most resource-intensive sectors.