A Multi-Level Taxonomy of Technologies for Sustainability in the Textile Industry

One of the most polluting industries is the textile sector, which is responsible for a considerable environmental burden, intensive use of water and energy, persistent social issues, and structural inefficiencies along its value chain. In response to international frameworks, technology has been increasingly recognized both as a key enabler of sustainability and as a potential remedy to the industry’s negative impacts. However, the current literature remains fragmented, often limited to specific operational contexts or single dimensions of sustainability. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of academic contributions published between 2020 and 2024, drawing on 88 articles retrieved from the Scopus database. The analysis reveals a heterogeneous but poorly integrated body of knowledge. Building on the content analysis, the findings emphasize the urgency of developing a more comprehensive perspective on how technologies can mitigate sustainability challenges. To this end, the study introduces a multi-level taxonomy that links technological applications to sustainability-related weaknesses across the stages of the textile value chain. The results indicate that while certain solutions, particularly blockchain and integrated data-driven systems, demonstrate the capacity to generate benefits across environmental, economic, and social dimensions, most technologies provide only partial or domain-specific improvements. Artificial intelligence, for example, enhances cost reduction and efficiency but raises concerns related to digital inequality and social exclusion. Overall, the social dimension remains underexplored. Moreover, among the operational stages of the textile value chain, the production phase emerges as the most critical, as it concentrates a broad range of sustainability challenges. This finding underscores the need for further investigation to ensure that technological adoption is evaluated not only in terms of sustainability outcomes but also with respect to operational effectiveness. This research thereby advances the state of the art and outlining future research directions, while also providing industry stakeholders with a practical tool to align innovation strategies with broader sustainability agendas.