IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i6p2477-d335329.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Doing More on the Corporate Sustainability Front: A Longitudinal Analysis of CSR Reporting of Global Fashion Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Penglan Feng

    (Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, HK 999077, China
    The authors are contributed equally to the study.)

  • Cindy Sing-bik Ngai

    (Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, HK 999077, China
    The authors are contributed equally to the study.)

Abstract

The fashion industry has been under the spotlight in recent years due to its negative social and environmental impacts. However, there is limited literature on how companies in the fashion industry communicate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. This study aims to present a full picture of the paradigm of CSR reporting in the fashion industry by revealing the changes in CSR reporting practices and identifying the possible reasons behind the change. Content analysis was employed to investigate 12 global fashion companies’ 43 CSR reports from 2013 to 2016. Findings showed that more comprehensive CSR reporting was practiced in the fashion industry to meet stakeholders’ expectations. The reporting of 16 CSR issues experienced a rise. Labor and environmental issues were predominant in the reports while more attention was given to human rights, human development and training, and sustainable resource use. A growing use of a proactive approach in reporting environmental issues was also witnessed. This study is the first to offer insights into how global fashion corporations communicate their CSR practices via CSR reports and provides useful information about CSR strategies, practices and reporting in the fashion industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Penglan Feng & Cindy Sing-bik Ngai, 2020. "Doing More on the Corporate Sustainability Front: A Longitudinal Analysis of CSR Reporting of Global Fashion Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:6:p:2477-:d:335329
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2477/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2477/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Maitra, Pushkar & Mani, Subha, 2017. "Learning and earning: Evidence from a randomized evaluation in India," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 116-130.
    2. Lucio Lamberti & Emanuele Lettieri, 2009. "CSR Practices and Corporate Strategy: Evidence from a Longitudinal Case Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 87(2), pages 153-168, June.
    3. Isabel Gallego, 2006. "The use of economic, social and environmental indicators as a measure of sustainable development in Spain," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 78-97, May.
    4. Sharon Bolton & Rebecca Kim & Kevin O’Gorman, 2011. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Dynamic Internal Organizational Process: A Case Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 61-74, June.
    5. Manveer Mann & Sang-Eun Byun & Hyejeong Kim & Kelli Hoggle, 2014. "Assessment of Leading Apparel Specialty Retailers’ CSR Practices as Communicated on Corporate Websites: Problems and Opportunities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(4), pages 599-622, July.
    6. Thomas Laudal, 2010. "An Attempt to Determine the CSR Potential of the International Clothing Business," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(1), pages 63-77, September.
    7. Benedict Sheehy, 2015. "Defining CSR: Problems and Solutions," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(3), pages 625-648, October.
    8. Nuttaneeya Torugsa & Wayne O’Donohue & Rob Hecker, 2012. "Capabilities, Proactive CSR and Financial Performance in SMEs: Empirical Evidence from an Australian Manufacturing Industry Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 109(4), pages 483-500, September.
    9. ManMohan S. Sodhi & Christopher S. Tang, 2018. "Corporate social sustainability in supply chains: a thematic analysis of the literature," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(1-2), pages 882-901, January.
    10. Weber, Manuela, 2008. "The business case for corporate social responsibility: A company-level measurement approach for CSR," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 247-261, August.
    11. Perry, Patsy & Towers, Neil, 2009. "Determining the antecedents for a strategy of corporate social responsibility by small- and medium-sized enterprises in the UK fashion apparel industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 377-385.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Saskia Manshoven & Wim Van Opstal, 2022. "The Carrot or the Stick? Stakeholder Support for Mandatory Regulations towards a Circular Fashion System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-31, November.
    2. Xiaojuan Wu & Patrycja Hąbek, 2021. "Trends in Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting. The Case of Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-16, August.
    3. Li, Wenjing & Cui, Jiasheng & Gao, Jun & Xiong, Jia, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility in China's airline industry: A longitudinal content analysis of related reports," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    4. Katja Beyer & Marlen Gabriele Arnold, 2022. "Social sustainability in an evolving circular fashion industry: identifying and triangulating concepts across different publication groups [Soziale Nachhaltigkeit in einer sich entwickelnden zirkul," NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum | Sustainability Management Forum, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 29-54, December.
    5. Margherita Pero & Elisa Arrigo & Antoinette Fionda-Douglas, 2020. "Sustainability in Fashion Brands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-4, July.
    6. Lu Yang & Cindy S B Ngai & Wenze Lu, 2020. "Changing trends of corporate social responsibility reporting in the world-leading airlines," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, June.
    7. Xing Zhang, 2021. "Communicating social responsibilities through CSR reports: Comparative study of top European and Asia-Pacific airlines," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(10), pages 1-14, October.
    8. Bo Zhang & Yaozhong Zhang & Peng Zhou, 2021. "Consumer Attitude towards Sustainability of Fast Fashion Products in the UK," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-23, February.
    9. Malik, Arsalan Haneef & Rehman, Awais Ur & Khan, Mubashir Ali, 2020. "Disclosures relating to Covid-19 in the Malaysian banking industry: Theory and Practice," MPRA Paper 109224, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Lilac Nachum, 2021. "Value distribution and markets for social justice in global value chains: Interdependence relationships and government policy," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(4), pages 541-563, December.
    11. Azilah Kasim & Bussalin Khuadthong & Noormala Jailani & Muhammad Fauzi Mokhtar & Jasmine Zea Raziah Radha Rashid Radha & Maebel Leong, 2022. "The Importance of Community Perspectives on Hotel Community-Related CSR: A Position Paper," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Manveer Mann & Sang-Eun Byun & Hyejeong Kim & Kelli Hoggle, 2014. "Assessment of Leading Apparel Specialty Retailers’ CSR Practices as Communicated on Corporate Websites: Problems and Opportunities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(4), pages 599-622, July.
    2. Suarez, Ronny, 2020. "Social Responsibility: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," MPRA Paper 99164, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Renáta Myšková & Petr Hájek, 2018. "Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility in the Text of Annual Reports—The Case of the IT Services Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Woo, Donghyup & Suresh, Nallan C., 2022. "Voluntary agreements for sustainability, resource efficiency & firm performance under the supply chain cooperation policy in South Korea," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    5. Jun H. Choi & Saerona Kim & Dong-Hoon Yang, 2018. "Small and Medium Enterprises and the Relation between Social Performance and Financial Performance: Empirical Evidence from Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-18, May.
    6. Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2014. "Managing Corporate Sustainability and CSR: A Conceptual Framework Combining Values, Strategies and Instruments Contributing to Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 21(5), pages 258-271, September.
    7. Govindan, Kannan & Shankar, Madan & Kannan, Devika, 2018. "Supplier selection based on corporate social responsibility practices," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 353-379.
    8. Domenico Sardanelli & Francesca Conte & Agostino Vollero & Alfonso Siano, 2021. "CSR signals: exploring their use in controversial industries," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2021(3), pages 249-266, September.
    9. Polina Baranova & Fred Paterson, 2017. "Environmental capabilities of small and medium sized enterprises: Towards transition to a low carbon economy in the East Midlands," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 32(8), pages 835-853, December.
    10. Claudia Patricia Maldonado-Erazo & José Álvarez-García & María de la Cruz del Río-Rama & Ronny Correa-Quezada, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Performance in SMEs: Scientific Coverage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-26, March.
    11. Jayani Ishara Sudusinghe & Stefan Seuring, 2020. "Social Sustainability Empowering the Economic Sustainability in the Global Apparel Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-18, March.
    12. Susan Hart, 2013. "The Crash of Cougar Flight 491: A Case Study of Offshore Safety and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(3), pages 519-541, March.
    13. Gerda Barauskaite & Dalia Streimikiene, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and financial performance of companies: The puzzle of concepts, definitions and assessment methods," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 278-287, January.
    14. Stefania Veltri & Giovanni Bronzetti, 2015. "A Critical Analysis of the Intellectual Capital Measuring, Managing, and Reporting Practices in the Non-profit Sector: Lessons Learnt from a Case Study," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 305-318, October.
    15. Wells, Victoria K. & Gregory Smith, Diana & Taheri, Babak & Manika, Danae & McCowlen, Clair, 2016. "An exploration of CSR development in heritage tourism," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 1-17.
    16. Uzhegova, Maria & Torkkeli, Lasse & Saarenketo, Sami, 2019. "Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs: Implications on Competitive PerformanceDate submitted: October 12, 2017Revised version accepted after double blind review: December 15, 2018," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 30(2-3), pages 232-267.
    17. Park, Byung Il & Ghauri, Pervez N., 2015. "Determinants influencing CSR practices in small and medium sized MNE subsidiaries: A stakeholder perspective," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 192-204.
    18. Marzanna Katarzyna Witek-Hajduk & Piotr Zaborek, 2016. "Does Business Model Affect CSR Involvement? A Survey of Polish Manufacturing and Service Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-20, February.
    19. Mia Mahmudur Rahim, 2017. "Improving Social Responsibility in RMG Industries Through a New Governance Approach in Laws," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(4), pages 807-826, July.
    20. Čater, Tomaž & Čater, Barbara & Milić, Patricia & Žabkar, Vesna, 2023. "Drivers of corporate environmental and social responsibility practices: A comparison of two moderated mediation models," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:6:p:2477-:d:335329. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.