The EU Green Deal and the necessity for organizational changes in Bulgarian apparel and textile companies

Abstract

The paper discusses the expected textile and apparel regulations intended in the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, as well as the necessary changes which the organizations in said industry should consider in order to adapt to the new requirements. Based on an overview of publicly released policies and scholarly reports and analyses, there are formulated two main approaches to ensuring circularity within the industry – slowing down the loop and closing the loop. After a brief analysis of the situation in the Bulgarian textile and apparel industry, possible changes in strategies, processes, organizational structures and systems which may be considered, are proposed. Building new partnerships along the entire extended value chain, changes in the customer communication strategy in order to establish trust in the brand, the development of new values within and outside of the organization, and increasing innovation potential are among the essential steps towards realizing the necessary changes.