Creating Shared Values by Integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals in Corporate Communication—The Case of Apparel Retail

Linnea Olofsson and Cecilia Mark-Herbert
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Linnea Olofsson: Ethos International, Karlavägen 40, 114 49 Stockholm, Sweden
Cecilia Mark-Herbert: Department of Forest Economics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7060, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: The textile and apparel industry, while endowed with enormous potential related to the development of countries, is continuously drawing attention to its negative sustainability impacts along their value chains. While apparel retail has been an early adopter to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into sustainability reports, critics point to the fact that linking sustainability activities to the SDGs is not enough, and cherry-picking low hanging fruit goals is insufficient. To address this potential discrepancy between action and communication, the aim of this study is to explain the perceived value of SDG integration in sustainability reporting in apparel retail. A comparative case study has been conducted of two Swedish apparel retail companies, Lindex and Filippa K, where six sustainability reports from 2015–2017 were reviewed. Empirical findings suggest that there is a correlation between SDG integration, communication maturity, and SDG contribution. The study points to the guiding role the SDGs may have to expand the scope of corporate impact and value in sustainability communication.

Keywords: discourse analysis; sustainability reporting; SDG; textile industry; value creation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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