Evaluating the challenges to circular economy implementation in the apparel accessories industry: Implications for sustainable development

The recent global shift toward sustainability has compelled businesses, particularly in emerging economies like Bangladesh, to adopt circular economy practices. The apparel accessories sector, which plays a crucial role in Bangladesh’s economy, faces significant environmental challenges, including inefficient resource consumption and waste generation. However, there is not much research on addressing the barriers that are hindering this industry’s adoption of circular economy practices. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying and analyzing key challenges using an integrated Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory framework. This approach offers a novel methodological contribution by effectively handling complex interrelationships among the barriers and addressing the uncertainties related to decision-making. Data were gathered through a comprehensive literature review and relevant expert feedback, ensuring a robust analysis of the most pressing challenges. Thirteen critical challenges were finally identified and analyzed using the proposed evaluation framework. After evaluation, ’inadequate leadership and top management commitment’, ’lack of expertise and resources’, and ’insufficient enforcement of environmental regulations’ emerged as the most significant barriers. The analysis further uncovered complex interrelationships between these challenges, revealing how they reinforce one another and hinder circular economy adoption. The findings offer broader implications for emerging economies by providing valuable insights for policymakers and industry leaders, emphasizing the need for targeted strategies to address the significant barriers. This way, this study is expected to facilitate the industry’s transition to a circular economy, reduce environmental impact, and promote sustainable growth. • The study explores circular economy challenges in the apparel accessories industry. • A Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory framework was utilized for the analysis. • ‘Inadequate leadership and top management commitment’ emerged as the top challenge. • Findings support achieving sustainable development goals in emerging economies.