Sustainability Reporting in the Fast Fashion Industry
Koskinen, Siiri (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025051612720
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025051612720
Tiivistelmä
Fast fashion has been related with various environmental and social impacts and issues, which continue to exist and worsen if companies do not take concrete actions to make changes. To track and evaluate the impacts, companies prepare sustainability reports. As fashion sustainability reports have not been strictly mandated, companies’ approaches to reporting may have varied significantly, limiting the comparability of reporting.
The primary objective of this thesis is to analyse and compare the sustainability reporting approaches of ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN, with a particular focus on comparability and transparency, scoping the years 2021 to 2023. The research aims to examine how the companies’ stand-alone sustainability reports compare in the use of sustainability reporting standards, frameworks and transparency initiatives, and the role of third-party audits in authenticating these disclosures. Furthermore, the research aims to provide new insights and recommendations into sustainability reporting practices in the fast fashion industry.
The research has been conducted following a theory-driven comparative content analysis. Additionally, a group expert interview has been conducted to provide insights into sustainability reporting, which have then been utilized in the theoretical framework as one of the references. Based on existing theory considering sustainability reporting, four key themes to assess and compare were selected: structure and format, alignment with reporting frameworks, use of transparency initiatives and independent assurance of sustainability reports. Seven stand-alone sustainability reports in total from ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN were assessed and compared in relation to the themes.
The findings reveal notable similarities and differences in the companies’ sustainability reporting approaches. In general, the stand-alone sustainability reports of ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN scoping the years 2021 to 2023, are comparable to a moderate extent, showcase varying level of transparency and have been partially independently assured on a limited level. In the future, standardizing the reporting and assurance practices is the key to improving the comparability, transparency, and validity of sustainability reporting.
The primary objective of this thesis is to analyse and compare the sustainability reporting approaches of ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN, with a particular focus on comparability and transparency, scoping the years 2021 to 2023. The research aims to examine how the companies’ stand-alone sustainability reports compare in the use of sustainability reporting standards, frameworks and transparency initiatives, and the role of third-party audits in authenticating these disclosures. Furthermore, the research aims to provide new insights and recommendations into sustainability reporting practices in the fast fashion industry.
The research has been conducted following a theory-driven comparative content analysis. Additionally, a group expert interview has been conducted to provide insights into sustainability reporting, which have then been utilized in the theoretical framework as one of the references. Based on existing theory considering sustainability reporting, four key themes to assess and compare were selected: structure and format, alignment with reporting frameworks, use of transparency initiatives and independent assurance of sustainability reports. Seven stand-alone sustainability reports in total from ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN were assessed and compared in relation to the themes.
The findings reveal notable similarities and differences in the companies’ sustainability reporting approaches. In general, the stand-alone sustainability reports of ASOS, Zalando and SHEIN scoping the years 2021 to 2023, are comparable to a moderate extent, showcase varying level of transparency and have been partially independently assured on a limited level. In the future, standardizing the reporting and assurance practices is the key to improving the comparability, transparency, and validity of sustainability reporting.