Conceptualizing Social and Environmental Responsibility and Its Challenges in Small and Micro Fashion and Apparel Enterprises

This study explores how small and micro fashion and apparel enterprises (SMFAEs) conceptualize and structure social and environmental responsibility within an industry characterized by fragmented supply chains and limited institutional guidance. A qualitative, exploratory case study design examined four Québec-based enterprises through semi-structured interviews; these were analyzed using a hybrid thematic approach interpreted through stakeholder and legitimacy theories. The findings reveal three interdependent dimensions of responsible entrepreneurship: foundational commitments rooted in personal values; organizing mechanisms combining formal tools and informal learning to support continuous improvement; and contextual constraints related to sourcing and systemic opacity. The study advances understanding of early-stage responsibilization as a dynamic alignment between conviction, method, and feasibility. It contributes an integrative model that reframes sustainability from a compliance-oriented goal to an adaptive practice grounded in dialogue and learning. This perspective shows that meaningful sustainability emerges not from universal standards alone but from strengthening everyday human-scale processes of collaboration and adaptation.