Publicação
Navigating new standards : CSRD adoption and its impact on transparency and sustainability in fast fashion
| Resumo: | In order to deliver garments rapidly and at a low cost, the fast fashion industry relies on complex global supply chains. This reliance often comes at the expense of the environment and the societies in which they operate. Consumers have become more aware of the impact corporate practices have and, demand greater transparency from companies within the industry. The European Union introduced the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to improve corporate accountability by exercising standardized and verifiable sustainability reporting. The goal of this dissertation is to explore whether fast fashion companies that adhered to the CSRD demonstrated more transparent and sustainable practices in their 2024 sustainability reports compared to those that did not comply with the directive. The 2024 sustainability reports of seven fast fashion companies were categorized by their level of CSRD compliance, and through a qualitative content analysis, it was determined if the compliance level corresponds to better disclosure practices. News articles were used to identify discrepancies between self-reported practices and public perception. Findings suggest that companies that fully and partially align with the CSRD present structured, measurable, and auditable reportings. In contrast, non-compliant companies often rely on ambiguous language and lack measurable data. While the CSRD appears to encourage improvement, inconsistencies between the reports and news articles suggest that compliance does not guarantee transparent implementations. This dissertation contributes to the literature by offering an in-depth analysis of how fast fashion companies respond to regulatory frameworks. |
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| Autores principais: | Thurnhofer, Michelle |
| Assunto: | Responsabilidade social das empresas -- Corporate social responsibility Fast fashion Sustentabilidade -- Sustainability Transparency CSRD Regulatory compliance Transparência Conformidade regulatória |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | ISCTE |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório ISCTE |
| Resumo: | In order to deliver garments rapidly and at a low cost, the fast fashion industry relies on complex global supply chains. This reliance often comes at the expense of the environment and the societies in which they operate. Consumers have become more aware of the impact corporate practices have and, demand greater transparency from companies within the industry. The European Union introduced the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to improve corporate accountability by exercising standardized and verifiable sustainability reporting. The goal of this dissertation is to explore whether fast fashion companies that adhered to the CSRD demonstrated more transparent and sustainable practices in their 2024 sustainability reports compared to those that did not comply with the directive. The 2024 sustainability reports of seven fast fashion companies were categorized by their level of CSRD compliance, and through a qualitative content analysis, it was determined if the compliance level corresponds to better disclosure practices. News articles were used to identify discrepancies between self-reported practices and public perception. Findings suggest that companies that fully and partially align with the CSRD present structured, measurable, and auditable reportings. In contrast, non-compliant companies often rely on ambiguous language and lack measurable data. While the CSRD appears to encourage improvement, inconsistencies between the reports and news articles suggest that compliance does not guarantee transparent implementations. This dissertation contributes to the literature by offering an in-depth analysis of how fast fashion companies respond to regulatory frameworks. |
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