Threads of Social Pillar: A textual Analysis of SDG 5, 8 and 10 in Apparel Industry

The present paper examines the social dimension of business models with a particular focus on human rights, aligning the analysis with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). This study explores how three major European companies – Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy SE (LVMH), Industria de Diseno Textil SA (INDITEX) and H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) address social issues within their business models, as reflected in their annual reports and publicly available statements. These companies were selected based on their size, specifically the number of employees. Recent literature on social responsibility in the apparel sector has increasingly investigated the consequences of poor applicability of policies and the lack of understanding human rights, which have led to negative outcomes for companies, industry, workers and communities. Despite this, there is a notable gap in research regarding how companies report their actions, especially when aligning their activities with the SDGs. This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of major industry actors’ commitments and identify patterns in the companies’ reporting. The methodology of the study involves text mining techniques, conducted through R Studio statistical software. This analysis focused on the frequency of key terms, as well as bigrams and trigrams to create an understanding of the patterns of reporting and how the narratives reflect companies’ real efforts. The findings reveal various focus points, with each of the companies demonstrating unique approaches. This paper contributes to the field by offering an assessment of social impact reporting and provides recommendations for a better, transparent and heightened responsibility toward the 2030 Agenta and activities that respect human rights in the Apparel industry.