Selling sustainability: investigating how Swedish fashion brands communicate sustainability to consumers

Brydges, T; Henninger, CE; Hanlon, M

Selling sustainability: investigating how Swedish fashion brands communicate sustainability to consumers

Brydges, T

Henninger, CE Hanlon, M

Permalink

Publisher:: Informa UK Limited
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, 2022, 18, (1), pp. 357-370
Issue Date:: 2022-01-01

Open Access

Copyright Clearance Process

Recently Added
In Progress
Open Access

This item is open access.

Adobe PDF

Download Published versionAdobe PDF (1.63 MB)

View on publisher's site

View statistics

Full metadata record

Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Brydges, T https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8139-005X
dc.contributor.author	Henninger, CE
dc.contributor.author	Hanlon, M
dc.date.accessioned	2022-11-20T04:36:17Z
dc.date.available	2022-11-20T04:36:17Z
dc.date.issued	2022-01-01
dc.identifier.citation	Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy, 2022, 18, (1), pp. 357-370
dc.identifier.issn	1548-7733
dc.identifier.issn	1548-7733
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/163604
dc.description.abstract	Over the last thirty years, sustainability has become a growing concern in the fashion industry. While there is agreement among a growing range of actors regarding the need to engage with the social and environmental challenges created by the fashion industry, there is less consent regarding what sustainability entails. Although “sustainability” may be intuitively understood, it has different meanings, depending on how it is applied, and who it is applied by. Without a clear-cut definition, sustainability becomes subjective. In this context, there is a need for research at the intersection of brand-sustainability initiatives and their communication to consumers, who play a vital role in this transition. Drawing on a case study of the Swedish fashion industry, we explore how evolving industrial business models and emerging best practices are informed by a robust understanding of sustainability. We evaluate how brands communicate sustainability to consumers across three key sites: brand websites (including corporate social responsibility reports), social media platforms, and in-store campaigns. We found that not only do brands use a range of practices to define sustainability differently, but furthermore, these definitions vary depending on the context. Considering the industry’s ongoing history with greenwashing, it is vital to address and confront this issue head on. We argue that there is a need to determine what constitutes sustainability in the fashion industry and, in turn, hold businesses to that standard. As COVID-19 has only magnified and intensified these challenges, the article explores the implications of a more robust approach for both theory and practice.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Informa UK Limited
dc.relation.ispartof	Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1080/15487733.2022.2068225
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Selling sustainability: investigating how Swedish fashion brands communicate sustainability to consumers
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	18
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2022-11-20T04:36:15Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	18
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

Over the last thirty years, sustainability has become a growing concern in the fashion industry. While there is agreement among a growing range of actors regarding the need to engage with the social and environmental challenges created by the fashion industry, there is less consent regarding what sustainability entails. Although “sustainability” may be intuitively understood, it has different meanings, depending on how it is applied, and who it is applied by. Without a clear-cut definition, sustainability becomes subjective. In this context, there is a need for research at the intersection of brand-sustainability initiatives and their communication to consumers, who play a vital role in this transition. Drawing on a case study of the Swedish fashion industry, we explore how evolving industrial business models and emerging best practices are informed by a robust understanding of sustainability. We evaluate how brands communicate sustainability to consumers across three key sites: brand websites (including corporate social responsibility reports), social media platforms, and in-store campaigns. We found that not only do brands use a range of practices to define sustainability differently, but furthermore, these definitions vary depending on the context. Considering the industry’s ongoing history with greenwashing, it is vital to address and confront this issue head on. We argue that there is a need to determine what constitutes sustainability in the fashion industry and, in turn, hold businesses to that standard. As COVID-19 has only magnified and intensified these challenges, the article explores the implications of a more robust approach for both theory and practice.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/163604