Patrizia Gazzola is Full Professor of Management, Business Combination and Business Planning at the Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. She is a member of various scientific boards and a member of the Scientific Committee of international conferences. She conducts research and writes books and articles on Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, and Systems Theory. Vincenza Vota holds a PhD in Management, Finance and Accounting from the LIUC – Carlo Cattaneo University, Italy. She is currently involved in the NODES project, funded under the PNRR, where she works on sustainability, innovation, and responsible consumption models. Her research, covering topics such as Social Corporate Responsibility, SDGs, sustainable food consumption and the Circular Economy, has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has contributed to various edited volumes.Giada Canziani has an interdisciplinary background and a marked interest in innovation-driven economic development. Currently engaged at the innovation center of a leading consulting firm, she contributes to research and applied projects at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. This professional context enables her to deepen her understanding of emergent business models and to explore the practical implications of theoretical frameworks in real-world settings.

• Introduction.- Chapter 1 – Sustainability and innovation: concepts, models and regulatory framework.- Chapter 2 – Crowdfunding as alternative finance and strategic narrative.- Chapter 3 – Innovation ecosystems and sustainable transitions in the European fashion industry.- Chapter 4 – EU policy framework: the new sustainable and circular strategy for the fashion industry.- Chapter 5 – The European fashion industry: ESG challenges and opportunities.- Chapter 6 – Crowdfunding and ESG Transparency: Empirical evidence from Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.- Conclusions.

Patrizia Gazzola is Full Professor of Management, Business Combination and Business Planning at the Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. She is a member of various scientific boards and a member of the Scientific Committee of international conferences. She conducts research and writes books and articles on Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, and Systems Theory. Vincenza Vota holds a PhD in Management, Finance and Accounting from the LIUC – Carlo Cattaneo University, Italy. She is currently involved in the NODES project, funded under the PNRR, where she works on sustainability, innovation, and responsible consumption models. Her research, covering topics such as Social Corporate Responsibility, SDGs, sustainable food consumption and the Circular Economy, has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has contributed to various edited volumes.Giada Canziani has an interdisciplinary background and a marked interest in innovation-driven economic development. Currently engaged at the innovation center of a leading consulting firm, she contributes to research and applied projects at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. This professional context enables her to deepen her understanding of emergent business models and to explore the practical implications of theoretical frameworks in real-world settings.

• Introduction.- Chapter 1 – Sustainability and innovation: concepts, models and regulatory framework.- Chapter 2 – Crowdfunding as alternative finance and strategic narrative.- Chapter 3 – Innovation ecosystems and sustainable transitions in the European fashion industry.- Chapter 4 – EU policy framework: the new sustainable and circular strategy for the fashion industry.- Chapter 5 – The European fashion industry: ESG challenges and opportunities.- Chapter 6 – Crowdfunding and ESG Transparency: Empirical evidence from Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.- Conclusions.

Patrizia Gazzola is Full Professor of Management, Business Combination and Business Planning at the Department of Economics, University of Insubria, Varese, Italy. She is a member of various scientific boards and a member of the Scientific Committee of international conferences. She conducts research and writes books and articles on Strategy, Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Development, and Systems Theory. Vincenza Vota holds a PhD in Management, Finance and Accounting from the LIUC – Carlo Cattaneo University, Italy. She is currently involved in the NODES project, funded under the PNRR, where she works on sustainability, innovation, and responsible consumption models. Her research, covering topics such as Social Corporate Responsibility, SDGs, sustainable food consumption and the Circular Economy, has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has contributed to various edited volumes.Giada Canziani has an interdisciplinary background and a marked interest in innovation-driven economic development. Currently engaged at the innovation center of a leading consulting firm, she contributes to research and applied projects at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. This professional context enables her to deepen her understanding of emergent business models and to explore the practical implications of theoretical frameworks in real-world settings.

• Introduction.- Chapter 1 – Sustainability and innovation: concepts, models and regulatory framework.- Chapter 2 – Crowdfunding as alternative finance and strategic narrative.- Chapter 3 – Innovation ecosystems and sustainable transitions in the European fashion industry.- Chapter 4 – EU policy framework: the new sustainable and circular strategy for the fashion industry.- Chapter 5 – The European fashion industry: ESG challenges and opportunities.- Chapter 6 – Crowdfunding and ESG Transparency: Empirical evidence from Italy, France, Germany, and Spain.- Conclusions.