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Purpose Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of Indian clothing industry have become one of the most important cogs of global fashion supply chain. However, the implementation of green practices is still in the nascent stage. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the important barriers of green supply chain management in Indian clothing SMEs. Design/methodology/approach A total of 36 barriers related to green supply chain management (GSCM) practices were identified through exhaustive literature review. Then ten important barriers were shortlisted through questionnaire survey among supply chain practitioners using five-point Likert scale. Finally, interpretive structural modeling technique was used to decipher the contextual relationships among these barriers. Findings Complexity of green process and system design and lack of support from regulatory authorities were found to be the barriers having the maximum driving power. Lack of consumer support and high investment and low economic benefits were also found to be important barriers in the way of green practices implementation in clothing SMEs. In contrast, lack of reward systems for suppliers, uncertainty of green outcome, lack of green materials, process and technology and lack of flexibility to switch over to green system were the dependent barriers. Originality/value The important barriers of GSCM practices in Indian clothing SMEs have been identified and analyzed. The finding will be helpful in making the Indian clothing SMEs environmentally sustainable by eliminating the important barriers.

Recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has provided strong impetus to supply chain resilience research. In a volatile and uncertain business environment, resilience can be incorporated by developing and implementing effective risk mitigation strategies. In this research, risk mitigation strategies for environmentally sustainable clothing supply chain have been prioritised by considering their efficacy to mitigate various risks. Twelve risks and thirteen mitigation strategies, identified through literature review and experts' opinion, are considered as decision criteria and alternatives respectively. Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (fuzzy TOPSIS) is implemented under a group decision making scenario for prioritising the strategies. Developing supply chain agility; multiple green sourcing and flexible capacities; adoption of green practices; building trust, coordination and collaboration; and alignment of economic incentives and revenue sharing are found to be dominant risk mitigation strategies for environmentally sustainable clothing supply chain. These strategies have been viewed through the lens of resource dependence, change management and transaction cost theories. Organisation desirous to build resilience in their supply chain can prioritise the risk mitigation strategies and adopt a portfolio of strategies based on the outcome of this research.

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