How Do Global Fashion Supply Chains Respond to Structural Pressures? Examining Sustainability Conduct Through a Spatial–Temporal–Functional Lens

ABSTRACT

The fashion industry is facing unprecedented structural pressures, including increasing regulatory demands and rising expectations for social accountability. This study examines how global fashion supply chains respond to such pressures to advance sustainability. Using a qualitative multiple‐case study, the research applies an expanded structure–conduct–performance framework integrated with a spatial–temporal–functional lens to map the depth and persistence of sustainability practices across organizational boundaries. The findings reveal two strategic pathways: adaptation, characterized by incremental improvements, and transformation, involving systemic reconfiguration of governance structures. The study identifies a recursive feedback loop where sustainability performance outcomes actively reshape future industry structures rather than representing a linear endpoint. By bridging classical industrial organization theory with contemporary resilience perspectives, this research offers a multidimensional tool to map how sustainability practices feedback into industry structure. The results provide managers and policymakers with guidance for moving beyond reactive compliance toward transformative resilience in global fashion supply chains.