gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

Item 06 – GRI Sector Standards
Project for Textiles andApparel – Proposed working group
For GSSB approval
Date

6 July 2023

Meeting20 July 2023

Project

GRI Sector Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel

Description

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) has initiated the GRI Sector
Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel. In line with the GSSB’s Due Process
Protocol, a multi-stakeholder working group will be formed for the development ofa Sector Standard.
This document presents the proposed Working Group composition for approval bythe GSSB.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2023

Contents
Background ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Overview of applications received ....................................................................................................... 3
Selection process and criteria ............................................................................................................. 4
Proposed Working Group composition ................................................................................................... 4
Next steps .......................................................................................................................................... 12Abbreviations used in this document:
ESG

Environment, Social and Governance

GSSB

Global Sustainability Standards Board

MBAMaster’s in business administration

SDGRI Standards Division

UNUnited Nations

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gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

1Background2

The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB) approved the GRI Sector Standards Project for

3Textiles and Apparel Project Proposal on 10 February 2022.

4

In line with the GSSB’s Due Process Protocol, a multi-stakeholder working group for the GRI Sector

5Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel (Textiles and Apparel Working Group) is to be appointed

6

to develop content for the Sector Standard for Textiles and Apparel. The Textiles and Apparel

7

Working Group Terms of Reference outlines the mandate of the Textiles and Apparel Working Group.

8

An open call for applications started on 28 February 2023 and finished on 10 April 2023. Applicants

9

nominated themselves via the application form.

10This document presents the proposed membership for approval by the GSSB.

11

Overview of applications received

12

The GRI Standards Division (SD) received 193 applications and two direct nominations from the13Council of Global Unions to represent the labor constituency.

14

Most applications were from business enterprises (more than 100 applications) and mediating

15

institutions (around 50 applications), while civil society, investment institutions, and labor were less16

well represented.

17

As previously agreed with the GSSB, applicants were asked to indicate their work's geographic scope

18and location. Europe was the region with a higher number of applications (more than 70) followed by

19

Asia and North America (each with slightly more than 40 applications) and a similar representation

20from Africa, Latin America and Oceania.

21Although not a specific selection criterion, the SD asked applicants to reflect on their expertise on

22

sustainability topics and their experience in different aspects of the industry. The applicants display

23

significant diversity across large and medium sized organizations, producers, intermediates and24brands/retailers, industry associations and initiatives, and consultancy service providers to the25industry.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2023

26

Selection process and criteria

27

In line with the Due Process Protocol, the Textiles and Apparel Working Group membership should

28

reflect a balance of multi-stakeholder constituencies. As a minimum, each working group shall have at29

least one person drawn from each of the constituencies on which the membership of the GSSB is30

based: business enterprise (or reporters more generally), civil society, investment institutions, labor,

31

and mediating institutions. The description of these constituencies is presented on page 6 of the32

Textiles and Apparel Working Group Terms of Reference.

33

The principal criterion for selecting the Textiles and Apparel Working Group is relevant knowledge

34

and experience of a broad range of sustainable development impacts for the Textiles and Apparel35

sectors. Apart from geographical, gender, and cultural diversity, the following are also considered:36•relevant knowledge of sustainability reporting for the sector;

37•

familiarity with the needs of users of sustainability reports;

38•

experience with multi-stakeholder initiatives;

39•

understanding of and willingness to work in a consensus-based, multi-stakeholder working

40
41
42group; and•ability to participate in working group meetings held in English and provide written feedback in
English when requested.

43

In addition, given the breadth of expertise needed to develop content for the Sector Standard, the SD

44

aimed to ensure a balanced set of perspectives and expertise from different regions, size and type of45organizations, topics connected to the sector’s impacts, and sustainability frameworks and reporting46

practices relevant for the sector.

47

The SD interviewed 67 applicants, resulting in 19 nominations to the Textiles and Apparel Working

48

Group. Additionally, two nominations for the labor constituency were made directly, making up 21

49

members in total.

50

Proposed Working Group51

composition

52

Table 1 presents the proposed Textiles and Apparel Working Group composition for GSSB approval.

53

Personal information has been excluded. The list is organized by constituency in alphabetical order.

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54

Table 1. Proposed Mining Working Group composition#Position

Organization

Constituency

Location ofresidence

Regionof work
(asdescribed byapplicant)Extract of background and experience

1Vice President
Sustainability andComplianceDeckers
BrandsBusinessenterprise

United Statesof America

NorthAmerica

•

•

2

Director of Impact

Dôen

Businessenterprise

United Statesof America

NorthAmerica••

20+ years’ experience in sustainability 15 of which with a large
group of textiles brands in fashion and performance. Expertise in
Environmental Social Governance Strategy, Reporting and Indices,UN Sustainable Development Goals, Ethical Sourcing and SupplyChain, Restricted Substances, Target Setting and Tracking, among
other and Reporting Frameworks including GRI, SASB and TCFD.
Trained in Law and in Environmental Social Governancecertification.
Nine years of experience working in sustainability and in the fashion
sector across a range of stakeholders up and down the apparel value
chain. Currently Director of Impact at a medium sized womenswear
brand working directly with all suppliers, mostly based in India.
Expertise focused on challenges across garment supply chains andestablishing partnerships and innovative programs to address these,from evaluating environmentally preferred raw materials toimplementing worker wellbeing programs at the factory level.
Strongly positioned to understand how small or medium sizedapparel brands contribute to sustainability.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards
Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. The GSSB isthe independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2023

3Director –Sustainability &Social
Compliance

Komar Brands

Businessenterprise

United Statesof America

NorthAmerica•

Trained in Industrial Labor Relations and International Relations, andin Public Administration in Development Practice.

•Nine years of experience working in sustainability and in the fashion
sector. Head of sustainability for a relatively large apparel
manufacturing company working with retailers, brands, anddepartment stores across US and Europe; Leading projects acrossvarious facets such as building ESG strategies, carbon reduction
planning, sustainable reporting, supply chain mapping, wastereduction, water and chemical management in the supply chain
assessments and labor practices across the facilities in Asia.
Trained in Sustainability Leadership, in Chemical Technology, and in
Merchandising & Sourcing.

•4

Sustainability
Director

Tradingcompany

Businessenterprise

MexicoLatin
America••
5Fabric ManagerDesign andForecasting

Kmart
Australia Ltd.

Businessenterprise

Australia

Asia
Pacific••
6

Analyst Corporate
Sustainability

Puma SEBusinessenterprise

GermanyEurope••

Around 10 years’ experience in the textile sector, as brand andpurchasing manager, designing, sourcing and marketing for diverse
brands. In her most recent role she spearheaded regenerative
agriculture and facilitated the adoption of certified cotton, includingorganic, transitioning, regenagri, and Better Cotton Initiative. She isalso part of the Sustainable Cotton and Organic Cotton Round
Tables at Textile Exchange, collaborating with industry leaders toadvance sustainable practices.
Trained in Rural Development, in Psychology and holds an MBA.
22 years of experience in the sector focused on manufacturing,
quality control and auditing from fiber to fabric, product quality,
sustainable sourcing and production methods, including working
with suppliers in Asia for more sustainable production andrelationship management with brands.
Trained in Textile Engineering.
Over 10 years’ experience in ESG reporting and sustainability
strategies for brands in the textile and apparel industries, previously
as a consultant and currently analyzing key benchmark report ofsustainability reporting and rating platforms such as GRI and SASB.
Trained in International Relations and in Diplomacy Studies.

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7

Sustainability andsocial compliancemanager

Zimmermann

Businessenterprise

Australia

Asia
Pacific••8Policy andAdvocacy officer

Fair Wear
Foundation

Civil Society
organization

TheNetherlands

Global••9FashionTransparency
Index Brazil
Coordinator

FashionRevolution
Brazil

Civil Society
organization

BrazilLatin
America••
10Senior Policy
Director
Sustainable
FashionSolidaridad
Network

Civil Society
organization

TheNetherlands

Global•Over seven years of experience in the apparel sector holding ESG
roles in both luxury and high-street brands. She has been
responsible for developing sustainability and social compliancestrategies, managing projects in apparel supply chains and ESG
reporting, including GRI standards.
Trained in Law and in Social Entrepreneurship.

Over 10 years’ experience in Human Rights and sustainability, ofwhich seven focused on the fashion industry. His current position
focus is on the implementation and outreach of the Common
Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices, and he is alsopart of the lobby team that focuses on the European Union
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. Previously, in Fair Wear
Foundation he held the Country Manager role for Indonesia, Tunisia
and other countries.
Trained in international Development, in Political Sciences and inLaw.
10 years’ experience in fashion and sustainability and with Fashion
Revolution Brazil for the past seven years. Under the scope of theFashion Transparency Index, she supervises the research andresults’ analysis of sustainability reports from 60 global and Brazilian
fashion brands.
Trained in Fashion Design and in Sustainable Design.
Eight years of experience being responsible for Solidaridad’s global
fashion agenda for policy influencing and market uptake, with afocus on influencing the private sector to commit to and implement
responsible environmental management, decent work and fair value
distribution within their supply chain, and the public sector to enforce
national norms and regulatory frameworks for sustainability and due
diligence. Representing civil society on global fashion initiatives
Sustainable Apparel Coalition or Better Cotton Initiative, and withcolleagues on the ground in several countries in Africa and Asia.

Page 7 of 12•Trained in Business Administration.

•11

AssociateDirector,Stewardship

Sustainalytics

Investment
institution

UnitedKingdomEurope••
12Senior Advisor,
Environmentaland Social Risk
Management

ExportDevelopment
CanadaInvestment
institution

CanadaNorthAmerica••

Over 20 years’ experience in sustainability, of which 15 working withthe textile industry. She currently leads a collaborative investor
engagement
acrosstwosectors(apparel/footwearandconstruction/engineering) on behalf of a group of institutional
investors. The engagement relies on corporate ESG disclosure tounderstand material risks, measures taken to address these andreporting thereof. Before joining Sustainalytics, she oversaw aresponsible sourcing program for the parent company of a group offashion retailers.
Trained in History and in Development Studies.
Nine years’ experience within the textile sector, of which the past fouron the investment side. Currently she supports companies in thesector to improve sustainability practices through risk mitigation
strategies and action plans. She has developed reference guides for
Canadian companies operating in the textile and apparel sectors.
Previously she worked as Imports Manager at a Canadian fashion
retailer with stores nationwide, managing the production cycle for thecompany’s clothing lines and negotiations with buyers and suppliersin several geographies in Asia, Europe and Africa; factory audits andmonitoring sustainability standards and certifications.
Trained in Sustainable Development Management and in Business
Administration.

•13

Sector Director
for Textile andGarment

IndustriALL
Global Union

Labor

Switzerland

Global•Over 20 years’ experience as Union representative, of which the lasteight in the textile sector. She is responsible for setting the strategic
direction for IndustriALL’s work in the textile and garment sector;
leads IndustriALL’s work on several initiatives such as theInternational Accord and on Action, Collaboration andTransformation (ACT) on Living Wages, member of the Accord
Steering Committee, the RMG Sustainability Council and the ACTMember Council.

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14

Head ofInternational
Relations,
Gender Equality,Sustainability,Training andProjects
DepartmentÖz İplik İş
Textile,Garment andLeather Trade
Union

Labor

TurkeyAsia•Trained in Union Leadership and Administration.

•Over 17 years’ experience working for the trade union andrepresenting it in international fora.
Acquainted with international standards, frameworks andauthoritative sources related to Textiles and Apparel including theGlobal framework agreements, ACT, Accord, IFC Standards, OECD
Due Diligence, ILO conventions, code of conducts of brands.

••15

Founding partner

InterBalanceMediatinginstitution

Australia

Asia
Pacific••16

Director ofSustainability

MazarsMediatinginstitution

UnitedKingdomAfrica••

16 years of international experience in ESG, Sustainability and CSR.
For three years he was the head of social sustainability andresponsible for sustainability reporting as per GRI standards for thelargest apparel manufacturer in South Asia with over 40 million
facilities in 16 countries and including products for some of thelargest fashion brands. He is currently a consultant and has been
providing services in sustainability reporting using mainly the GRI
standards, including clients from the textile sector, such as thelargest apparel exporter of Sri Lanka.
Trained in Sustainability Leadership.
Over 30 years’ work experience in Southern African countries indifferent management roles. For 12 years he owned and managed a
Textile and Apparel manufacturing operation in South Africa, which
reported on their sustainability performance using GRI standards
from 2007-2015. He has introduced and assisted Mazars to set up a
Business Sustainability Advisory Service Line for clients.
He advises companies and organisations of all sizes across different
sectors on their ESG, Human Rights and Net Zero journeys, based onbest practice and aligned with the GRI standards, the Task Force on
Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), the Greenhouse Gas
Protocol and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Page 9 of 12

17ConsultantCotton Council
International/Flourish CSRMediatinginstitution

UnitedKingdomEurope••
18

Advisory

Freelance

Mediatinginstitution

UnitedKingdom andMauritius

Africa,AsiaandEurope•••
19

Chief, Technical
Officer

Ethical fashion
initiative
International
Trade centMediatinginstitution

SwitzerlandEurope••

Over 20 years’ experience as a textile professional having held roles
overseeing sustainability for two publicly traded apparel brand/retail
corporations, and currently working as a consultant to commercial
and non-profit organizations in the textile sector to support theirsustainability performance, ESG strategy and sector voluntaryagreements. She holds the vision of large brands and SMEs.
Trained in Textile Science.
Over 30 years’ experience in textiles and apparel manufacturing asoperations consultant. International experience, worked with multicultural and multi-disciplinary teams in Europe, India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, USA, Madagascar, and Mauritius. She has participatedactively in several initiatives of the textile industry such asSustainable Apparel Coalition and all the Higg index tools
development and ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals).
Her last role in the industry, before becoming a freelance, wasGroup Head of Sustainability of a multinational group in the industry,
which published their sustainability report as per GRI standards in2021.
Trained in Clothing Management and holds an MBA.
With over 30 years’ experience he chairs the secretariat of theUnited Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion. After years ofexperience in the industry and in Asia, He founded the 13 years’ old
Ethical Fashion Initiative, a sustainable supply chain, businessaccelerator and ESG advocacy and tool development center for thefashion industry (program of the UN manages a large supply chain
for the international fashion industry enabling 10,000 artisans inseveral African countries, in the Caribbean and in Asia, to become
regular suppliers of international fashion and lifestyle brands.
He is also member of the sustainability board of Camera della moda
Italiana (made up of the top Italian fashion and apparel brands) andcoordinates the activities of their working group on ESG due
diligence and reporting.

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20AssociateProfessor

Darden Schoolof BusinessMediatinginstitution

United Statesof America

NorthAmerica••
21Director,
Management
consulting

PWC Ltd

Mediatinginstitution

India

Asia•

•

Professor and researcher on operations management focused on
creating sustainable global value chains. The industry-oriented
research focuses on retail operations, sourcing and inventory
practices on financial performance, optimal assortment and staffing
decisions in a rapidly changing market, contracting mechanisms thatincentivize sustainable practices in the lower tiers of supply chain,and using analytics to support workforce decisions in the retailsector. She also teaches sustainability practices in the textile andapparel supply chain in the MBA and Executive Education programs.
Trained in Operation Management.
Over 24 years of experience of working with textile and apparel
manufacturing industry in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Turkey,
Cambodia, Thailand and other. Working with leading manufacturers,
International Development Agencies (IFC, GIZ, UNDP, AFW) andinternational sustainability initiatives in the sector such as ZDHC.
Before becoming a consultant, he was the manager for a large wool
industry certification mark in South-East Asia and also worked inother certification marks in India for textile materials.
Trained in Textile Technology and in Textile Engineering.

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55

Next steps

56

Following GSSB approval, the Standards Division will confirm membership with selected candidates.

57

The Textiles and Apparel Working Group is anticipated to start their work in Q1 2024, with the58

exposure draft expected to be released for public comment in Q1 2025.

This document has been prepared by the GRI Standards Division and is made available to observers
at meetings of the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB). It does not represent an official
position of the GSSB. Board positions are set out in the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. TheGSSB is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2023