| dc.description.abstract | Research context: The apparel industry, carried by a fast fashion model, carries various human rights and environmental harms. In contrast to the “win-win” approach in Corporate Sustainability (CS), the tensions and trade-offs between sustainability dimensions are increasingly recognized. Tensions and trade-offs frequently result in negative externalities, particularly for marginalized stakeholders, highlighting the need for a justice-oriented approach to CS. In this context, a Just Transition (JT) aims to promote fairness and equity throughout a sustainability transition. In this context, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) aims to foster sustainable and responsible corporate behavior for a JT towards a sustainable economy, and obliges companies to integrate Sustainability Due Diligence (SDD) into their corporate policies. While aiming for more corporate accountability, there is no consensus on whether SDD can genuinely advance justice in a transitioning industry.
Research aim: Therefore, this research explores how the CSDDD captures sustainability tensions and trade-offs in the upstream apparel industry and examines the resulting justice implications.
Theoretical foundations and analytical frameworks: The research combines Corporate Sustainability and Just Transitions theories, using Hahn et al.’s (2010) trade-offs framework and Wang & Lo’s (2021) four-part justice lens to analyze how the CSDDD addresses sustainability tensions and their justice implications.
Method: The study follows a qualitative single-case design focused on the CSDDD in the empirical scope of the upstream apparel industry. The research follows five steps: (1) mapping the upstream supply chain via desk research; (2) identifying tensions and trade-offs using the Hahn et al. (2010) framework through desk research and 18 stakeholder interviews; (3) developing follow-up questions based on these findings; (4) analyzing the CSDDD through document analysis guided by these questions; and (5) assessing justice implications using the Just Transition framework.
Findings: The CSDDD captures identified sustainability-related tensions and trade-offs in the apparel industry only partially, due to both its design and implementation mechanisms. This brings along justice implications where historically marginalized actors such as workers and suppliers bear the risks and costs, are not properly recognized and included, and receive inadequate remediation measures.
Discussion: The findings highlight how tensions and trade-offs relate to justice in high-impact sectors like apparel. Combining a trade-offs framework with a justice lens offers a new approach to evaluating justice in SDD and lays groundwork for future research. | |
