Innovated international business plan: Sustainability, a new Portuguese linen textile company

• Autor(a) principal: Figueiredo, Margarida Lopes de Campos
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10071/26785
• topic: Plano de negócio -- Business plan; International business; Economia circular - Circular economy; Sustentabilidade -- Sustainability; Linen market; Textile industry; Negócios Internacionais; Indústria têxtil; Mercado do linho

This Master’s thesis is written under the context of the International Management Master course, at ISCTE Business School. It will address the theme of Sustainability, particularly in the textile industry, as it is one of the most polluting industries in the world. According to some international organizations (e.g., Ellen Macarthur Foundation), textile and apparel industry is the world’s third most polluting industry. The best way to manage this global problem is by addressing it through “sustainability”. Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop, without depleting the natural resources in the future. This is a crucial topic that involves both risks and opportunities. Companies of the textile industry (CTI) need to navigate a rapidly changing regulatory environment, but they also need to understand and mitigate environmental risks within their businesses and throughout their supply chain. The term Triple Bottom Line (TBL) - People, Planet and Profit - introduced by Elkington (2017), became an influential approach worldwide, including for companies and for the business sector. This concept came as the key to long-term strategies for companies that are making the transition to sustainability. These three pillars will be developed in the Literature Review, as well as new emergent solutions to minimise the negative impact of textile production. One of those solutions is “circular economy”, whose principles have been adopted by many different companies and organisations around the world (mainly in developed countries), to decrease waste, pollution, excessive extraction of natural resources and to increase the life cycle of products. However, circular economy practices alone are not enough to combat pollution and climate change effects. A second solution mentioned in the Literature Review, connected with the first one, is the use of natural fibres in the textile industry. Hence, this thesis proposes a cleaner and greener industry, by focusing on developing the linen industry. The research was carried out by intense literature review, surveys and semi-structured interviews to experts on textile and linen industry. The European Commission published, in March 2022, the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which sets the goals for a carbon-neutral and circular textile industry. When compared to synthetic fibres, natural fibres are a sustainable resource and, thus, better for the environment, as they are made from renewable, biodegradable materials. To conclude, this thesis will focus on the Linen textile Industry, describing the potential characteristics of linen and some sustainable practices that companies in this sector should adopt. Combining the knowledge of textile industry, the linen and sustainability, an Innovative Business Plan was created: “Sustainability: a new Portuguese Linen Textile Company”.