Barriers to sustainable sourcing in Vietnam’s textile and apparel industry: managerial and policy implications in the context of green transition

Amid increasingly stringent sustainability requirements in major export markets under the EVFTA and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), transitioning toward sustainable sourcing has become a critical priority for Vietnam’s textile and apparel industry. This study aims to identify and rank the key barriers to implementing sustainable sourcing practices in Vietnamese textile enterprises. Data were collected from 158 industry managers and experts. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) reveals three principal groups of barriers, explaining 76.6% of the total variance. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) indicates that the lack of top management commitment represents the most significant barrier, followed by regulatory pressure from trade agreements and limited availability of sustainable domestic materials. The findings highlight the central role of internal governance capacity in driving the green transition of Vietnam’s textile and apparel sector. The study provides managerial and policy implications to enhance sustainable competitiveness in the context of global supply chain restructuring.