Sustainable and Circular Business Models: Textiles in West Africa

West Africa’s textile and clothing (T&C) industries have persevered through the decline following the economic liberalization policies in the 1980s. This thesis seeks to explore the sustainable and circular business models which exist in the West African region. It also explores the ways that businesses relate to the social conditions of poverty, a small T&C industry, strong competition from imports, and the concentrated levels of imported textile waste. Through a qualitative methodology, secondary data is collected on thirty T&C businesses in West Africa. These businesses are analyzed through the framework of the eleven sustainable business model (SBM) pattern groups by Lüdeke-Freund, et al. (2018). In the results, five main SBM pattern groups emerge: Supply Chain, Social Mission, Closing-the-Loop, Eco-design, and Cooperative pattern groups. Most of the businesses do not fall neatly into one pattern, but rather embody various hybrid sustainable business models. West Africa is unusual in facing both high poverty rates and textile waste landfills, which may influence the multi-dimensional approach to sustainability. By working with the local textile value chain and artisan communities, the thirty businesses contribute to poverty alleviation. They also pave the way for ‘artisan futurism,’ where handicraft is combined with circularity and eco-design initiatives, leading the West African T&C industry into the future.