Halal Fashion And Esg: A Systematic Literature Review On Sustainability Claims And The Risk Of Greenwashing In The Muslim Fashion Industry

Abstract

The global halal fashion industry is experiencing remarkable growth, yet the relationship between Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks, sustainability claims, and the risk of greenwashing in this sector has not yet been extensively explored in academic research. This study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) that synthesizes 25 peer-reviewed articles selected from an initial pool of 98 publications identified through Open Knowledge Maps, a visual literature discovery platform that queries the BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine) database, covering publications from 2015 to 2026, following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocol. Three thematic clusters were identified, greenwashing in the fashion industry (64%), sustainability in halal and Muslim fashion (24%), and the ESG framework (12%). These findings reveal a critical research gap, the absence of a conceptual framework that integrates halal principles with ESG standards to evaluate sustainability claims in Muslim fashion. This study introduces the concept of “Halal-Washing” as an emerging phenomenon, in which fashion brands use misleading halal claims for commercial gain without verifiable substantive compliance. This study has significant implications for regulators, halal certification bodies, fashion brands, and Muslim consumers in understanding the dynamics of sustainability in the halal fashion market.