Barbara Strozzilaan 336
1083 HN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
gssbsecretariat@globalreporting.org

Item 09 – GRI Sector Standards
Project for Textiles and Apparel –Working group terms of reference
For GSSB information
Date27 January 2022

Meeting

10 February 2022

Project

GRI Sector Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel

Description

This document sets out the terms of reference for the Working Group for the GRISector Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel.
Where there is content that needs to be added or confirmed at thecommencement of the project, it is highlighted in yellow.

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 is the independent standard setting body of GRI. For more information visit
www.globalreporting.org.

© GRI 2022

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Contents
Item [XX] – GRI Sector Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel – Working group terms ofreference ................................................................................................................................................. 1
For GSSB information ......................................................................................................................... 1
Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2
Terms of Reference ................................................................................................................................ 3
Background ......................................................................................................................................... 3
Mandate of the Textiles and Apparel Working Group ......................................................................... 3
Scope of work .................................................................................................................................. 3
Responsibilities of other entities ...................................................................................................... 4
Additional considerations ................................................................................................................. 4
Composition of the Textiles and Apparel Working Group ................................................................... 5
Selection criteria .............................................................................................................................. 5
Working Group commitments .............................................................................................................. 5
Public communications protocol .......................................................................................................... 6
How to apply ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Appendix 1. Proposed project timeline ................................................................................................ 7
Appendix 2. Meeting schedule ............................................................................................................ 8Contact
Email: textiles@globalreporting.org
For more information: visit the [project webpage] and sign up here to receive regular updates.

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2Terms of Reference

345

These Terms of Reference outline the mandate of the Working Group for the GRI Sector Standards
Project for Textiles and Apparel (Textiles and Apparel Working Group), including its selection andappointment, primary objectives and time commitments.

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The Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), GRI’s independent standard-setting body, has
identified the textiles and apparel sector as a priority sector for developing a GRI Sector Standards(Sector Standards).

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The objective of sustainability reporting using the GRI Standards is to provide transparency on how
an organization contributes or aims to contribute to sustainable development. The GRI Standards
enable an organization to publicly disclose its most significant impacts on the economy, environment,and people, including impacts on human rights, and how the organization manages these impacts.

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Sector Standards provide information for organizations in a given sector about their likely material
topics. Sector Standards also contains a list of disclosures for organizations in the sector to report
information about their impacts in relation to each likely material topic. They are designed to enhance
the global comparability and quality of information within a sector, thereby enabling greatertransparency and accountability of organizations, and informed decision-making by stakeholders.

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The primary objective of GRI Sector Standards Project for Textiles and Apparel is to develop a Sector
Standard that improves the sustainability reporting of textiles, footwear and apparel organizations,making reporting more complete and consistent across the sector. It will be carried out following theGSSB Due Process Protocol.

23See the [project proposal] for more information.

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Mandate of the Textiles and Apparel Working Group

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Sector Standards are developed using multi-stakeholder expertise, authoritative intergovernmental
instruments, and other relevant evidence. The Textiles and Apparel Working Group is to contribute
their expertise to the development of a Sector Standard for textiles and apparel. The overall work ofthe Working Group should support sustainability reporting as promoted by the GRI Sustainability
Reporting Standards (GRI Standards).

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Scope of work

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The Textiles and Apparel Working Group will be responsible for developing a Sector Standard for thetextiles and apparel sector, for the consideration of the GSSB. Within the context of the GRI Sector
Program, the textiles and apparel sector is defined as described in the [project proposal].

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The Textiles and Apparel Working Group will be tasked with providing recommendations on:

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36•The context of the textiles and apparel sector in relation to sustainable development, including
relevant Sustainable Development Goals and international instruments and agreements.

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•The likely material topics for organizations in textile production, apparel and footwearmanufacturing and apparel and footwear retail, based on the sector’s significant impacts on
the environment, economy and people, including human rights;

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The description of these impacts and authoritative references that evidence these impacts;

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The disclosures from GRI Topic Standards that are relevant for organizations from the textiles
and apparel sector to report on each likely material topic;

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Additional reporting that is recommended for disclosure by organizations in the textiles andapparel sector. Additional sector reporting is only included when the Topic Standards do notprovide disclosures that sufficiently reflect the impacts associated with the sector.
The Textiles and Apparel Working Group may also provide recommendations on:

47•

The scope, key and name of the Sector Standard;

48•Considerations that may be relevant to Sector Standards for related sectors;

49•Revisions or updates to other GRI Standards.

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Impacts identified within this project for which no GRI Standard exists will be assessed and prioritizedby the GSSB for future GRI Standards development.

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Responsibilities of other entities

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The Standards Division is responsible for:•Overall project management and ensuring compliance with the GSSB Due Process Protocol;•Facilitating, providing logistical support and preparing materials for Working Group meetings;•Maintaining an online collaboration platform for the Working Group;•Engaging with the GSSB and other GRI Governance bodies;•

Engaging other experts and interested parties in a peer review and on an as needed basis;•Coordinating public exposure of the draft Sector Standard, including collecting andsummarizing feedback for consideration by the Working Group;•Undertaking research to support the development of the Sector Standard; and•Drafting the content of the Sector Standard.

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The Standards Division will draft the Sector Standard and other relevant deliverables in accordancewith the recommendations of the Working Group. The content of the Sector Standard will be drafted inaccordance with template and house rules for terminology, style and presentation. The Working
Group will not be responsible for editing the stylistic and grammatical presentation of deliverables.
Such edits will be undertaken by the Standards Division to ensure consistency with existing GRI
documents.

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The GSSB votes on the approval of a draft of the Sector Standard for public exposure and the finalcontent of a Sector Standard. The GSSB will review the drafted contents and may ask the Textiles
and Apparel Working Group to conduct further research and/or develop the draft recommendations
further. Working group members should be committed to support the revision of draft contents inaddition to the development of these contents. Further information on the role and authority of theGSSB can be found in the GSSB Due Process Protocol.

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Additional considerations

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The development of the Sector Standard is to be carried out within the existing structure and templateof the GRI Standards, including preserving the hierarchy, coherence and implementation approach ofthe GRI Standards. The content of Sector Standards must be in line with the in accordance model
outlined in GRI 1: Foundation 2021.

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The Textiles and Apparel Working Group should aim to develop topic descriptions that are clear,consistent, and focused on impacts from a sustainable development perspective. Content should alsoseek to be in line with key authoritative inter-governmental instruments (such as instruments of theUnited Nations, the International Labour Organization, and the OECD) and consider the content ofother business and human rights reporting frameworks, such as the UN Guiding Principles ReportingFramework.

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The discussions of the Working Group are confidential but any recommendations made by theWorking Group to the GSSB will be publicly available in accordance with the GSSB Due ProcessProtocol.

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GRI will hold the copyright of any deliverables associated with the project.

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Composition of the Textiles and Apparel Working
Group

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It is anticipated that the Working Group will have up to 15 members. The Working Group will aim tohave at least one person drawn from each of the constituencies on which the membership of theGSSB is based: business enterprises, investment institutions, labor, civil society, and mediatinginstitutions.

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In addition, geographical, gender and cultural diversity will be considered. There can only be one
representative per organization in the Working Group.

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Table 1: Descriptions of constituencies represented on the Working Groupa) An enterprise (other than a mediating or investment institution) that hasBusinessbeen established in order to generate a profit for the benefit of its
enterpriseinvestors or owners; orb) An organization representing the collective interests of those falling into
category ‘a’.

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Investment
institution

An enterprise that is primarily concerned with the direct or indirect, long-term
investment of funds in business – including, but not limited to, asset owners,
asset managers, development banks, exchanges, ratings agencies andmarket information brokers.

Labor

An organization established independently of employers and governments torepresent the interests of workers.

Civil society

An organization established in order to promote or secure a public good
relating to sustainability (environmental, social and governance) and that
does not fall into any of the categories defined above.

Mediatinginstitution

An individual or organization that provides goods and/or services associatedwith the reporting process and derives benefit from doing so.

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A GSSB sponsor(s) may join Working Group meetings.

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Selection criteria

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In accordance with the GSSB Due Process Protocol, members of the Working Group are appointed
by the GSSB. The principal criterion for selecting the Working Group is relevant knowledge andexperience of a broad range of sustainable development issues for the textiles and apparel sector.

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Members must be able to ability to participate in Working Group meetings held in English and provide
written English feedback when requested.

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In addition, the following criteria will be considered:98•

relevant knowledge of sustainability reporting for the sector;

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familiarity with the needs of users of sustainability reports;

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related experience with multi-stakeholder initiatives;

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

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Working Group commitmentsPage 5 of 8104

Working Group members are expected to:

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act in an individual capacity, exclusively in the public interest, and according to due process
as defined in the GSSB Due Process Protocol;

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•

review the materials provided by the Standards Division in advance of Working Group
meetings, in order to be able to actively participate;

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provide timely feedback on documents or other materials distributed by the Standards
Division;

111•work in the manner that aims at achieving consensus.

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The development of the Sector Standard for textiles and apparel is expected to take up to 20 months
following the appointment of the Working Group. See the timeline included in Appendix 1.

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Working Group members commit to attending approximately 25 hours of meetings and reviewing thedraft Sector Standard a minimum of three times during that period. Working Group members also
commit to plan sufficient time to prepare for meetings, review other materials and engage insupplementary content creation methods. It is estimated that this may result in up to 50 hours of timecommitment across the project (excluding any necessary travel time).

119120121122Meetings and other engagement methods will vary depending on the needs of the Working Group andthe project. Commonly used methods include full group meetings in-person and virtually, sub-group
workshops, and use of digital content creation platforms. The use of these methods will also take into
account any travel restrictions or risk factors related to Covid-19.

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Virtual meetings are normally held between 1.00-2:30 pm Central European Time (CET), so thatmembers in most time zones can join. This will be adjusted based on the final geographicalrepresentation of the Working Group.

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In the event of an in-person meeting, Working Group members will be asked to attend a two-day
meeting in Amsterdam (excluding travel time).

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See appendix 1 for the proposed meeting schedule and an itemized time commitment.

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Working Group members volunteer their time. There is no fee or compensation associated withparticipation in the Working Group. Upon request, Working Group members will be eligible for travel
and accommodation reimbursement for in-person meetings, in accordance with GRI policies.

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Public communications protocol

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Public communication on issues related to the activities of the Working Group and the development ofthe GRI Standards is the responsibility of the GSSB. Working Group members may publicly express
their personal opinions and views but may not speak on behalf of the Working Group, GSSB or GRI.

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The names and bios of members will be published on the GRI website. Members are welcome topublicize their participation in, and the activities of the Working Group, in channels such as press
releases or on social media. Members are asked to work with the Standards Division or GRI’scommunication team to coordinate any such activity ahead of time.

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Working Group members are advised to use the following when referring to their participation in thisprocess:

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“[name of member] has been appointed by the Global Sustainability Standards Board (GSSB), GRI’s
independent standard setting body, to serve on a Working Group to produce a Standard for thetextiles and apparel sector.”

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How to apply

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Once the open call is launched, all interested experts will be able to nominate themselves to be partof the Textiles and Apparel Working Group, by submitting their CV and the application form to[textiles@globalreporting.org].

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Appendix 1. Proposed project timeline

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[To be completed prior to Working Group recruitment. The commencement date of this project has notbeen determined and is subject to resource availability.The project timeline will be based on theestimated duration outlined in the project proposal.]

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Appendix 2. Meeting schedule

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[To be determined prior to Working Group recruitment. The following text outlines the typical approachto Working Group meetings but the type and schedule of meetings will be determined based on thetiming of the commencement of the project, the travel limitations anticipated at that time, and theoutcomes of the pilot projects.]

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The following table outlines the minimum number of meetings expected to occur throughout thecourse of the project. Engagement as a Working Group is currently predicted to be completely virtualas it is anticipated that international travel and in-person meetings may still be challenging. If thischanges, an in-person meeting may be planned and replace some virtual engagements. In this case,the Working Group will be provided with sufficient notice and scheduling will be subject to member
availability.

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MeetingTime commitment

Approximate date

Working Group meeting 12-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Working Group meeting 22-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Sub-group meetings

1.5-hour virtual sub-group meeting

TBC

Working Group meeting 3

4-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Working Group meeting 42-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Working Group meeting 52-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Working Group meeting 6

2-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

Working Group meeting 7

2-hour virtual meeting + 2 hours review
of preparatory materials

TBC

In addition to the meetings listed above, it is expected that the Working Group will participate in asurvey following Working Group meeting 1, review the draft Sector Standard in-full three times, twice
prior to the public exposure and once following, and participate in stakeholder engagement activities
during the public exposure period and to support the launch of the Standard as relevant.

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