Academic Scientific JournalsCSR practice in the clothing industry. The experience of H&M and Zara
Keywords:
clothing industry, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainable fashion, environment, businessAbstract
This article explores the engagement of the clothing industry in the corporate social responsibility activities. Two major international clothing brands are studied: H&M and Zara. The method of inquiry is content analysis – the article analyses the existing literature on the topics of CSR and the clothing industry, as well as the CSR reports of the chosen clothing brands. The first section focuses on corporate social responsibility – the concept is defined and different approaches toward CSR are presented. In the next section the clothing industry is characterized and current challenges for the industry are discussed. The following sections outline some of the most interesting CSR initiatives undertaken by two international clothing brands ‐ H&M and Zara in year 2019. Finally, conclusions are drawn. Between the two companies, H&M seems to take a strategic approach to CSR, while Zara’s approach to CSR appears to be more instrumental.
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