#ReFashionNow: Investigating the Nexus Between Corporate Social Responsibility Discourse and the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles

Abstract: This thesis investigates the intertwining of corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse and the European Union's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles through a single case study and critical frame analysis (CFA). By doing this, concurring discourse between corporations and the institutions aimed at governing them can be problematised. Derived from conventional and contemporary CSR research, three recurring themes emerge: a focus on solutions rather than acknowledging corporate liability for environmental and societal impacts, a discursive shift of responsibility to 'stakeholders' depoliticizing environmental issues, and the exclusion of Global South stakeholder perspectives, perpetuating neocolonial relationships. Applying these themes to a critical frame analysis of the EU strategy reveals resemblances with CSR-discourse. The strategy tends to emphasise solutions, frames individual responsibility implicitly and explicitly, and inadequately addresses the unequal distribution of social and environmental impacts in the textile industry. While implications are briefly discussed, this single case study refrains from definitive conclusions about EU discourse. Instead, it underscores the necessity of critically analysing both CSR and EU discourse, advocating for continued research in these crucial domains.