From waste to luxury fashion at Elvis & Kresse: a business model for sustainable and social innovation in the circular economy
File(s)
Author(s)
Dominguez, Maria Fernanda Ortiz
Bhatti, Yasser Ahmad
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Managing landfill waste is essential to sustainable resource utilization. With a focus on the luxury fashion industry, this paper highlights the role that sustainable and social innovations can play in reducing environmental waste and improving social outcomes. Elvis & Kresse is a purpose-driven case study, because it was founded to eradicate a problem that had thus far received little attention, namely the problem of disposing of end-of-life fire-hoses. From a business model and circular economy perspective, this article explains how the company’s rescue–transform–donate model has helped to build a sustainable and socially oriented yet profitable luxury brand. The analysis of the case suggests that for scholars, the typical business model canvas merits some revision beyond the current business focus on the financial bottom line to account for the social and ethical dimensions. For practitioners, this case demonstrates how the circular economy can be compatible with luxury fashion by turning waste into durable, fashionable products.
Date Issued
2022-09-20
Date Acceptance
2022-09-15
Citation
Sustainability, 2022, 14 (19), pp.1-17
ISSN
2071-1050
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
17
Journal / Book Title
Sustainability
Volume
14
Issue
19
Copyright Statement
© 2022 by the authors.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/19/11805
Subjects
12 Built Environment and Design
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2022-09-20