Triggers and Barriers to Innovation in the Danish Textile Sector: the Shaping of Concerns for Environment and Work Environment

On the background of ten case studies of greening activities within the textile sector, the mechanisms of emergence and stabilisation of environmental and work environmental concerns and practices are analysed. The role of and the impact on the product chain relations are analysed as part of these mechanisms.

The case studies point to the importance of customer demand, regulation and potentially indirect demand for greening activities. The analysis shows the co-construction of environmental concerns and demands, companies’ environmental practices and technological developments, and their stabilisation in the supply chain.

The case studies lead to suggest continuing the three types of governmental regulation to support the needs for greening: demands to the environmental impact, support to competence development and development of the market conditions for greener products. The analysis also shows some environmental consequences of textile production and consumption hardly addressed by company initiatives or governmental environmental policy.