Jun 4, 2026

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Scholarly engagement with sectoral systems of innovation and innovation ecosystems has expanded significantly, leading to increased journal publications in these fields. Despite this growing body of literature, the contribution of the Journal of Consumer Sciences (JCS) to research on sectoral systems of innovation and innovation ecosystems remains underexplored. This paper reviews JCS publications to examine the extent to which sectoral systems of innovation and innovation ecosystems have been addressed within the clothing, textiles, leather and footwear (CTLF) discipline. Records (n = 37) relating to CTLF papers published in the JCS between 2015 and 2025 were reviewed. The study employed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach to identify relevant records and utilised the diamond helix model (DHM) to analyse the findings.

The findings indicate that, although CTLF papers explicitly focusing on sectoral systems of innovation and innovation ecosystems are absent in the JCS, several innovation actors are reflected in the reviewed studies. Furthermore, the findings reveal that most CTLF papers (97%) did not explicitly identify the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressed, resulting in the underreporting of SDG contributions in the JCS. The study validates the DHM as a useful analytical framework for understanding systems of innovation and innovation ecosystems within a Global South context. The paper recommends that future research published in the JCS should incorporate sectoral systems of innovation, innovation ecosystems and mixed methodology approaches, while clearly identifying the SDGs addressed.