The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has released its Textiles and Apparel Sector Standard exposure draft, aimed at improving sustainability disclosures in industries including textile, apparel, footwear, and jewellery.
What’s Covered in the Draft
- Scope: Targets companies in the textile, apparel, footwear, and jewellery sectors.
- Material Topics: Proposes 18 key disclosures, including climate change, biodiversity, water use, hazardous chemicals, waste, circular economy, Indigenous rights, child labour, forced labour, freedom of association, gender equality, occupational health and safety, employment, remuneration and working time, procurement practices, anti-corruption, marketing and labelling, conflict-affected areas, and supply chain traceability.
- Drafting Group: Created by a 21-member working group appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), with representatives from businesses, civil society, investment institutions, labour organisations, and mediating institutions.
Why It Matters
- Complex Supply Chains – The sector’s global and fragmented nature makes it vulnerable to human rights violations and environmental degradation, including significant greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enhanced Accountability – Aims to strengthen transparency and consistency in ESG disclosures across high-impact topics.
- Part of Broader Sector Approach – This is part of GRI’s initiative to develop 40 sector-specific standards, prioritizing industries with the most serious and likely impacts. Previous standards have covered sectors such as oil and gas, coal, agriculture, aquaculture, fishing, and mining.
Consultation and Timeline
- Public Comment Period: Open now through September 28, 2025.
- Final Standard Release: Expected in Q2 2026.
- Next Steps: Feedback collected during the consultation phase will inform the final standard, supporting widespread adoption.
Implications for Stakeholders
- For Companies:
- Required to disclose against 18 likely material topics or explain omissions.
- Encouraged to improve internal processes for sustainability data collection and reporting.
- For Investors and Regulators:
- Gain access to more structured, comparable disclosures across a high-impact sector.
- Enhanced visibility into ESG risks and performance.
- For Civil Society and Labor Groups:
- Improved transparency across supply chains.
- Opportunities for greater accountability on social and environmental issues.
Preparing for the New Standard
As the GRI advances its sector-specific reporting approach, organizations in the textiles and apparel space have an opportunity to enhance transparency and build stakeholder trust. Aligning early with the draft guidance allows businesses to stay ahead of regulatory and investor expectations, while improving internal systems for sustainability performance tracking.
At EcoActive ESG, we enable seamless alignment with evolving frameworks like GRI. From materiality assessments to disclosure automation, our platform is designed to simplify your ESG reporting journey—efficiently, accurately, and at scale.
Read the official GRI release: Improving Transparency in Global Fashion Value Chains
