Online reporting of sustainability : a study of global clothing suppliers

Corporate sustainability focuses on three key organisational aspects including social, environmental and financial performance. It deals with how to organise and manage human actions in such a way that they meet physical and psychological demands without compromising the ecological, social and economic base which enables these needs to be met (Unerman, Bebbington, & O'Dwyer, 2007). The fundamental view of sustainability is that organisations should not pursue economic gains at the expense of society (e.g. human rights violations), ecology (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions) and the future generations. The main aim in this chapter is to focus on corporate social and environmental sustainability. In particular, this chapter focuses on the online social and environmental sustainability performance reporting practices of three global supply organisations operating in Bangladesh which is regarded as a developing nation. Social and environmental sustainability activities and associated reporting is a central part of the analysis as it appears that global garments supply organisations in developing nations respond to meet the needs of those stakeholders who are affected by their operations.