How Corporate Social Responsibility Drives Sustainable Fashion: The Moderating Role of Social Capital and Eco-Innovation

The article analyses the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on sustainable fashion outcomes, considering the moderating role of social capital and eco-innovation. This topic is crucial given growing environmental, regulatory, and social pressure in this industry. The study fills a gap in the literature by offering an integrated approach that combines social and innovative perspectives in analysing the relationship between CSR and sustainable fashion. The analysis is based on panel data from 119 leading fashion companies included in the Fashion Transparency Index and the LSEG Workspace database over the period 2017–2023. Tobit regression models are used to estimate the relationships. The results show that both CSR strategy and the presence of CSR committees are positively associated with sustainable fashion performance. Eco-innovation strengthens the relationship between CSR strategy and sustainable fashion, while the moderating role of social capital appears to be more context-dependent and sensitive to institutional conditions. The findings contribute to the CSR and sustainability literature by highlighting the differentiated roles of governance, innovation, and institutional context in shaping sustainable fashion outcomes, while also offering managerial implications for fashion companies seeking to strengthen their sustainability performance.