Samenvatting

QUOTE “Social sustainability is often neglected in the fast fashion industry. One of the reasons is the difficulty to measure it. Therefore, this research examines to what extent the social sustainability performance of fast fashion companies can be expressed in quantifiable objectives, to improve the measurability.” ABSTRACT The social sustainability performance of the fast fashion industry is less demonstrated and continues to be a challenge, as many companies consider social issues hard to define, understand and plan. Research has shown that social sustainability is the most neglected dimension of the triple bottom line which divides sustainability in environmental, economic and social sustainability. A reason for this neglect is the difficulty to measure social sustainability due to its qualitative nature. This research aims to assess to what extent social sustainability is measured within the fast fashion industry and how it can be related to quantifiable objectives to increase the measurability of social sustainability in the future. […] Based on content analysis of the sustainability reports of H&M Group, Inditex, C&A and Bestseller, general measurement tools were created, and an overview of how social sustainability is currently measured was provided. Opportunities and limitations were then linked to the ability to apply quantifiable objectives to this current measurability. It is demonstrated, that the measurability of social sustainability is differing per company. The opportunities and limitations for using quantifiable objectives are interconnected and they need to be considered on a company level, when considering the use of quantifiable objectives for the social sustainability performance of fast fashion companies. Important factors for these differences are: the willingness of companies to share confidential data, the data being available and the fact that qualitative data is indispensable. However, there are already quantifiable objectives available which can improve the current quantifiability of fast fashion companies’ social sustainability. RESEARCH QUESTION To what extent can the social sustainability performance of fast fashion companies be expressed in quantifiable objectives?” SUB-QUESTIONS How can social sustainability and quantifiability be defined and related? How is social sustainability currently measured within fast fashion companies? What are the opportunities and limitations of applying quantifiable objectives to the social sustainability performance of fast fashion companies? ARTICLE The article is based on the research findings. It was written as intended for the readers of EcoTextile News. It was given the title “Quantifiability: a Way to Measure the Social Sustainability of Fast Fashion Companies”.