Review

DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR

Volume: 31 Number: 1 April 10, 2026
EN TR

DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR

Abstract

This paper provides a critically examine double materiality in the textile and apparel sector, an industry with significant environmental and social impacts. Double materiality refers to a dual assessment perspective in sustainability reporting that considers both the impacts of corporate activities on environmental and social systems (impact materiality) and the financial risks and opportunities that sustainability-related issues pose to firm value (financial materiality). With the introduction of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), double materiality has become a mandatory reporting principle. The paper compares ESRS with earlier frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), highlighting key convergences and divergences. Unlike descriptive reviews, this study provides a critical and comparative analysis and synthesizes textile and apparel sector specific material topics across these global frameworks. The originality of this article lies in its identification, mapping, and critical evaluation of the three major reporting standards, combined with a textile and apparel sector-focused synthesis of frameworks. To the best of our knowledge, no comparable study has specifically examined double materiality in the textile and apparel sector; this paper fills that gap through critical comparative analysis and synthesis across ESRS, GRI, and SASB.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

There are no supporting organisations

Ethical Statement

In this article, the ethical use of artificial intelligence has been considered in line with the framework set by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK, 2024) in its publication “Ethical Guide for the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Research and Publication Activities of Higher Education Institutions” and the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation - EU - 2024/1689) AI tools (ChatGPT, OpenAI GPT-4o model) were used exclusively for grammar checking, improving language clarity, and enhancing textual coherence. No conceptualization, critical insights, or original contributions of the study were generated by AI. All scientific content, analyses, interpretations, sector-specific topic identification, critical evaluations of ESRS–GRI–SASB frameworks, and the recommendations and conclusions presented in this paper are entirely the authors’ own work. The originality of this article lies in its textile and apparel industry - specific critical analysis and synthesis of reporting frameworks. These insights, analyses, and contributions are the result of the authors’ own intellectual effort, literature engagement, and professional expertise. After using AI tools, the authors carefully reviewed and edited the full manuscript and take complete responsibility for its content and accuracy.

References

  1. Abhayawansa, S. (2022). Swimming against the tide: back to single materiality for sustainability reporting. Sustainability Accounting Management and Policy Journal, 13(6), 1361–1385. https://doi.org/10.1108/sampj-07-2022-0378
  2. Adams, C. A., & Abhayawansa, S. (2021). Connecting the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and calls for ‘harmonisation’ of sustainability reporting. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 82, 102309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2021.102309
  3. Adhikari, T. B., Sigsgaard, T., Kallestrup, P., & Kurmi, O. (2024). Reshaping the fabric of health: a call for improving the respiratory health of textile workers in low- and middle-income countries. European Respiratory Journal, 63(1), 2301803. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01803-2023
  4. Akter, T., Protity, A. T., Shaha, M., Mamun, M. A., & Hashem, A. (2023). The Impact of Textile Dyes on the Environment. In Nanohybrid Materials for Treatment of Textiles Dyes (pp. 401–431). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3901-5_17
  5. Alder, A. (2022). The materiality madness: why definitions matter. In The GRI Perspective: Vol. Issue 3 [Article]. https://www.globalreporting.org/media/r2oojx53/gri-perspective-the-materiality-madness.pdf
  6. Ali, A., Qamer, S., Shahid, M., Tomkova, B., Khan, M. Z., Militky, J., Wiener, J., & Venkataraman, M. (2024). Micro- and Nanoplastics Produced from Textile Finishes: A Review. Langmuir. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c00552
  7. Amin, H., Kadri, M. H., & Ahmad, R. a. R. (2024). The Influence of Sustainability Reporting in Enhancing Firm Value. Information Management and Business Review, 16(3(I)), 257–266. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v16i3(i).3803
  8. Amjad, A. I., & Kumar, R. (2022). Sustainable Production and Performance Analysis of Cotton Melange Fabrics. Journal of Natural Fibers, 19(15), 11831–11844. https://doi.org/10.1080/15440478.2022.2044963

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Textile Sciences and Engineering (Other)

Journal Section

Review

Publication Date

April 10, 2026

Submission Date

October 19, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 31 Number: 1

APA
Hossain, M. R., & Özkal, A. (2026). DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi, 31(1), 407-426. https://doi.org/10.17482/uumfd.1804908
AMA
1.Hossain MR, Özkal A. DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR. UUJFE. 2026;31(1):407-426. doi:10.17482/uumfd.1804908
Chicago
Hossain, Md Riaz, and Ayşe Özkal. 2026. “DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi 31 (1): 407-26. https://doi.org/10.17482/uumfd.1804908.
EndNote
Hossain MR, Özkal A (April 1, 2026) DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR. Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi 31 1 407–426.
IEEE
[1]M. R. Hossain and A. Özkal, “DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR”, UUJFE, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 407–426, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.17482/uumfd.1804908.
ISNAD
Hossain, Md Riaz - Özkal, Ayşe. “DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi 31/1 (April 1, 2026): 407-426. https://doi.org/10.17482/uumfd.1804908.
JAMA
1.Hossain MR, Özkal A. DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR. UUJFE. 2026;31:407–426.
MLA
Hossain, Md Riaz, and Ayşe Özkal. “DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR”. Uludağ Üniversitesi Mühendislik Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 31, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 407-26, doi:10.17482/uumfd.1804908.
Vancouver
1.Md Riaz Hossain, Ayşe Özkal. DOUBLE MATERIALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING IN THE TEXTILE AND APPAREL SECTOR. UUJFE. 2026 Apr. 1;31(1):407-26. doi:10.17482/uumfd.1804908

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