Investigating the Turkish textile SMEs sustainability performances with a novel evaluation framework

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to extract key sustainability attributes specific to the textile supply chains by conducting an adaptive choice-based conjoint (ACBC) analysis identifying the utility scores of these attributes and evaluating supply chain performances of Turkish textile small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by Priority Observed from the Presumption of Gaussian Attitude of Alternatives (PrOPPAGA) technique in terms of sub-attributes with a case study and assigning these SMEs sustainability performance scores so that they can understand their position in the competitive market. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of this research is (1) extracting the important attributes affecting the textile SMEs’ sustainability performance, (2) conducting a dynamic survey via Lighthouse Studio software of the textile SME representatives to define importance degrees (i.e. utility scores) of each textile sustainability performance sub-attributes by conducting ACBC analysis including hierarchical Bayesian (HB) regression, (3) considering these utility scores as the weight of each sub-attribute, (4) evaluating case study participant Turkish textile SMEs by involvement of the company authorities, and (5) ranking and grouping the SMEs and identifying their positions in the market. Findings – The findings of this study emphasize the importance of carbon footprint, water usage, waste management, labor practices, community engagement, training, cost efficiency and other sub-attributes such as Extended Producer Responsibility, recycling, upcycling, transparency, traceability and eco-friendly packaging in textile supply chains. Moreover, the Turkish textile SMEs are assessed and grouped in terms of sustainability measures and positioned in the market. Originality/value – The outputs of this research provide valuable insights into sustainable practices and offers a comprehensive framework to enhance textile supply chain sustainability (SCS). Besides, this research contributes to the literature by proposing a novel approach integrating ACBC and PrOPPAGA as a performance evaluation framework.