Strategic pathways to sustainable change: a Kotter-Based exploration of Pakistani apparel industry’s sustainability management initiatives

The global apparel industry is ever more pressured to move towards sustainable operation, with supply chains in the developing economies being the key drivers in this transformation. As one of the largest textiles and clothing exporters to the World, Pakistan encounters issues in implementing sustainability, driven by buyer pressure, resource constraints, and cultural resistance. Although the topic of sustainability efforts in the sector is rampant, minimal focus has been given to the change management procedures through which such efforts can be adopted and institutionalized. The current paper examines the sustainability-related change efforts in the Pakistani apparel companies in terms of Kotter’s 8-step model change using 14 semi-structured interviews with sustainability managers, supply chain officers, and CSR managers. The analysis proceeds inductively through thematic coding before mapping findings onto the Kotter framework, thereby reducing confirmatory bias and enabling critical engagement with the model’s assumptions. The results revealed that the sustainability adoption in the Pakistani apparel industry is driven by a combination of the global forces, competition, and mounting internal pressures. Companies respond by creating large alliances, whereby business-oriented framing and digital technology improve accountability and transparency. Over time, these practices become habitual and consequently sustainability is built into the ordinary organizational culture. The research has practical implications to managers and policymakers who are interested in fostering sustainable competitiveness by using change management within the apparel industry in Pakistan. The research contributes to the literature of change management through Kotter’s change management model with sustainability focus in apparel supply chains. Specifically, the study extends Kotter’s model by revealing how its sequential assumptions are challenged in inter-organizational, buyer-driven supply chain contexts characterized by power asymmetries and resource constraints.