Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia Dipartimento di studi linguistici e culturali
Corso di Laurea Magistrale in
Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations - LACOM
CSR in the fashion industry: a contrastive analysis of corporate websites and CSR reports. H&M, Zara and
Liu Jo as case studies
Prova finale di:
Chiara Minichiello
Relatore:
Prof. ssa Donatella Malavasi
Correlatore
Prof. ssa Silvia Cacchiani
Anno Accademico 2018/2019
Abstract
Italiano
La tesi affronta la tematica della sostenibilità ambientale nel settore della moda. In particolare, il fulcro della ricerca è la Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa (RSI), che in inglese corrisponde a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), e la comunicazione di pratiche ad essa connesse nei bilanci sociali e nei siti Internet. La tesi prende in considerazione per l’analisi tre grandi imprese – il Gruppo H&M, Zara (Gruppo Inditex) e Liu Jo – le quali hanno iniziato a includere pratiche sostenibili nelle loro operazioni a diversi livelli. Lo scopo principale di questa ricerca è quello di capire e identificare le strategie e gli strumenti linguistici utilizzati dalle imprese per veicolare messaggi di sostenibilità ambientale ai loro consumatori. La prima parte della tesi prevede una rassegna su parte della letteratura esistente sul tema della responsabilità sociale d’impresa e alcune informazioni su come le imprese comunichino queste pratiche alle parti interessate (consumatori o investitori) attraverso i loro bilanci sociali o i siti aziendali.
Successivamente la tesi analizza il tema della sostenibilità nel settore fashion sia per quanto riguarda l’attenzione verso l’ambiente sia per quello che riguarda tematiche sociali.
La ricerca è stata condotta analizzando qualitativamente i bilanci sociali dell’anno 2018 e i siti aziendali delle tre imprese, illustrando caratteristiche comuni e differenze. In seguito, i due strumenti di comunicazione sono stati messi a confronto evidenziando vantaggi e svantaggi di uno e dell’altro.
Dalla ricerca è emerso che la storia e l’esperienza che ciascuna impresa ha nel campo della sostenibilità ambientale è fondamentale. Più progressi e passi avanti un’impresa ha compiuto e più attenta ed orientata al consumatore la sua comunicazione sarà riguardo alle pratiche sostenibili sia nei bilanci sociali che nei siti aziendali. Per le aziende di moda la comunicazione delle pratiche sostenibili deve essere il più efficace possibile. Tale comunicazione funge da strumento di auto-promozione: diverse occorrenze che servivano questo scopo sono state identificate nei bilanci sociali e nei siti aziendali sotto analisi. Grande attenzione è stata riservata anche a fraseologia riguardante l’ambiente, tematiche sociali, impiegati, operai e infine risultati economici.
English
The dissertation deals with the issue of sustainability in the fashion industry. In particular the focus is on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and its reporting in annual reports and in corporate websites. The dissertation takes into account three big corporations - the H&M Group, Zara (Inditex Group) and Liu Jo – which have started to consider sustainability practices in their operations at different levels. The main aim of this research is to understand and identify the main strategies and linguistic tools used by corporations in order to convey sustainability messages to their stakeholders. The first part of this dissertation comprehends a literature review about the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and some information about how corporations communicate these practices to their stakeholders using CSR reports and corporate websites. Then, an overview on the issue of sustainability as far as the fashion sector is concerned is provided taking into account both environmental and social concerns.
This investigation is carried out analysing qualitatively the CSR reports 2018 and the corporate websites of the three companies outlining common patterns and differences. Then, the two communicative tools are analysed contrastively highlighting benefits and drawbacks.
The research reveals that the history each company has in sustainability practices matters. The more progresses and advances a company reached, the more customer-oriented and careful language is employed in CSR reports and in corporate websites. For fashion companies, communicating in an efficient way sustainability practices issued is essential also from a self- promotional point of view. Numerous items and occurrences serving this purpose can be found in CSR reports and in corporate websites. Attention is payed to phraseology concerning the environment, social concerns, employees, workers and finally business performance.
Table of Contents
Introduction ... 1
Chapter 1. Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR ... 4
1.1 Background information ... 4
1.2 Corporate Social Responsibility: some definitions ... 4
1.2.1 Carroll’s pyramid ... 6
1.2.1.1 Economic responsibility ... 7
1.2.1.2 Legal responsibility ... 7
1.2.1.3 Ethical responsibility... 8
1.2.1.4 Philanthropic responsibility ... 8
1.3 How corporations communicate ... 8
1.3.1 Business discourse ... 8
1.3.2 Corporate communication ... 10
1.3.2.1 Greenwash ... 11
1.3.3 CSR reports ... 12
1.3.3.1 Global Reporting Initiative guidelines ... 13
1.3.3.2 CSR report content ... 14
1.4 Conclusions ... 18
Chapter 2. Sustainable fashion ... 19
2.1 Definition ... 19
2.1.1 Environmental issues ... 20
2.1.2 Social issues ... 24
2.2 Consumers’ perception ... 25
2.3 Steps towards sustainability ... 28
2.3.1 Benefit Corporations ... 29
2.3.2 Rank a Brand and Good on You ... 30
2.4 Three fashion brands under analysis and their environmental commitment ... 33
2.4.1 H&M Group ... 37
2.4.1.1 H&M Group’s commitment in sustainability ... 38
2.4.2 Zara ... 41
2.4.2.1 Zara’s commitment in sustainability ... 41
2.4.3 Liu Jo ... 43
2.4.3.1 Liu Jo’s commitment in sustainability ... 43
2.5 Methodology ... 44
2.6 Conclusions ... 46
Chapter 3. H&M, Zara and Liu Jo: an analysis of their corporate websites and CSR reports ... 48
3.1 Corporate Websites ... 48
3.1.1 H&M Group’s website ... 48
3.1.2 Zara’s website ... 55
3.1.3 Liu Jo’s website ... 62
3.1.4 Comparative analysis ... 66
3.2 CSR reports ... 67
3.2.1 H&M Group’s CSR report 2018 ... 68
3.2.3 Zara’s CSR report 2018 ... 78
3.2.3 Liu Jo’s “Manifesto” ... 85
3.2.4 Comparative analysis ... 88
3.3 Corporate websites and CSR reports: main differences ... 90
Conclusions ... 92
References ... 95
Web References ... 98
1
Introduction
Being sustainable means reducing the environmental footprint of an industry and helping ensure it is making a positive impact on the communities affected by it. Fashion industry is widely known for its disastrous consequences over the environment and over millions of people in poor countries. While we, as customers, are buying clothes at an impressive rate, people and entire ecosystems are paying the price for our fast-fashion products. Due to the increased interest of governments and also to more conscious customers, some fashion brands started adopting and integrating more sustainable practices into their business models and operations. Reporting achievements and goals related to sustainability has become a widespread practice among companies not only in the fashion sector. Nowadays, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports are essential communicative tools that companies use to communicate achievements and investments to shareholders, but they can be also addressed to customers. In CSR reports customers may find statements of value, beliefs and goals the company has set for the future.
For this reason, CSR reports are also highly promotional texts, companies use them as self- promotional texts among the other things. The present dissertation deals with CSR reports and corporate websites used as communicative tools to describe sustainability practices in three well-known fashion brands. The three brands taken into consideration deal with low and medium market segments but are at a different point in their sustainability journey as companies. The first company is H&M, the most famous fast-fashion retailer in the world, selling clothes for women, men and children. The second brand taken into consideration is Zara, which is part of the Inditex Group and is the major competitor of H&M, as they both sell fast- fashion clothes at very low prices. The third fashion company is Liu Jo, one of the most important fashion companies in the textile district of Carpi. Liu Jo sells products classified as higher quality compared to fast-fashion products, for this reason prices are higher, but it is not classified as a luxury fashion company.
The aim of this research is to investigate the ways in which sustainability practices are described in CSR reports and corporate websites, then try to identify similarities and differences between the two tools. Phraseology and linguistic expressions are identified and classified by topic:
environment, social commitment, relationship with workers and employees, business performance and particular forms of self-reference. The dissertation is structured as follows:
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the first two chapters are mostly theoretical and then the last one focuses on the analysis of corporate websites and CSR reports.
Chapter 1 deals with the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility providing some background information on today’s business world and to the importance CSR has gained. Thus, particular attention is paid to the concept of CSR. It is not easy to define a concept which evolves with the evolving of time. First attempts to define CSR are dated back to the 1950s and still nowadays there is not a unique definition. Carroll is probably the scholar who contributed the most to the definition of the term. His pyramid is mentioned in almost all the studies conducted on CSR.
CSR is defined as a multi-layered concept composed of four main elements: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibility. This first chapter also deals with the way in which companies communicate in their business contexts. An overview on business discourse and on corporate communication is therefore provided, and a short digression is given on the illegal practice of Greenwashing as an example of bad corporate communication. Afterwards, the two communicative tools under analysis are defined and discussed. A definition of CSR reports is followed by a description of corporate websites.
Chapter 2 explores the complex issue of sustainable fashion. Sustainability for the fashion industry is a complex challenge, change is not only necessary from a moral standpoint but also for the survival of the entire industry. There is no choice. Environment is suffering from our unconscious practices and people are dying because we do not take into consideration our long- term future. In this chapter both environmental and social issues are discussed. There is a growing awareness and interest in customers about these issues not only as far as fashion is concerned. Younger people are more sensitive to these issues, customers are more responsible and keener to recycle garments. The chapter then deals with some steps and projects implemented in order to face the challenges the fashion industry has to face. Coalitions of brands, challenges like the Global Change Award or the Green carpet Fashion Awards, are initiatives issued to foster participation and innovation among fashion companies. The creation of a new legal entity, Benefit Corporations, which have CSR in their blood. Websites such as Rank a Brand and Good on You which analyse and classify brands according to sustainability parameters, are then described and used to select the three fashion brands under analysis. These brands in particular were chosen because they are ranked differently by these websites: H&M has set good standards and is committing itself in the implementation of sustainable practices, Zara has started to take the sustainability matter into consideration and some measures have
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been adopted but there is room for improvement, Liu Jo finally does not score well since it provides no or insufficient information about its sustainability practices. Then, a more in-depth analysis of environmental commitments the three fashion brands are engaging in is provided.
The chapter closes with methodology, presenting the phraseology taken int account for the analysis both of CSR reports and corporate websites.
Chapter 3 finally discusses the analysis of CSR reports and corporate websites. First, the three corporate websites are analysed separately and then a comparative analysis of the main features is outlined. The same moves are taken as far as CSR reports are concerned. H&M’s and Zara’s (Inidtex) CSR reports are analysed and then compared. Liu Jo’s “Manifesto” is discussed separately since it is not defined as a CSR report, but it shows some interesting features and characteristics worthy of note. A concluding section summarizes the main similarities and differences from a structural and linguistic point of view of both corporate websites and CSR reports. Points of strength and weaknesses are outlined with reference to each company.
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Chapter 1. Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR
1.1 Background information
Corporations and companies are enormous and powerful forces in today’s societies.
Companies, in order to remain competitive and profitable in the market, need to be aware of the important role they play in the society. Nowadays society is facing a serious period of uncertainty about the future. The world in which we live is changing: global warming, social disparity, globalization, etc. Major brands need to recognize the magnitude of the issues our society is facing and most of all companies have to take into account the influence they have on these problems. (Little, 2018). At the same time society needs to be aware that these corporations are also responsible for the decisions and actions they make. Corporations’
decisions and actions may affect the basics of daily life: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the places we work, the clothes we wear, the cities we live in, the energy we use, the news we receive and much more (Lydenberg, 2010).
Thanks to the increased attention the “green” movement has gained in every aspect of life especially in recent years, companies started to concentrate more on sustainable actions and practices. Companies started to document their efforts in their annual reports and, subsequently, they started to “compete” with each other in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arena, investing resources necessary to track their progresses on these issues (Lydenberg, 2010).
Companies in every industrial sector started to produce CSR reports in which they present their efforts to reduce the negative impacts their activities may have had on society and environment (Vartiak, 2016).
The concept of corporate social responsibility lacks a unified definition, the concept has been studied for decades and each scholar who investigated the issue provided his own definition.
1.2 Corporate Social Responsibility: some definitions
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As mentioned before, corporate social responsibility has gained popularity and has attracted attention both in the business context and in the academic one. In the last decades, many scholars developed their own definition of CSR and the literature is enormous (Dahlsrud, 2008, listed 37 definitions). In the early studies about CSR (1950s), it was referred to as social responsibility, probably due to the fact that corporations still were not well established (Carroll, 1999).
According to Carroll (1999; 2008; 2016), perhaps the most widely cited author in this field, corporate social responsibility can be defined as a practice which encompasses economic, legal ethical and discretionary (or philanthropic) expectations that society has of organizations at a given point in time. These four characteristics are better analysed in section 1.2.1.
Carroll (1999) collected numerous definitions across the years from the 1950s up to the 1990s.
Bowen (1953: 6, quoted in Carroll, 1999), defines the businessmen’s social responsibility as follows “It refers to the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow those lines of action which are desirable in terms of the objectives and values of our society”. In the 1960s Davis (1960: 70, quoted in Carroll, 1999) argues that social responsibility refers to “businessmen’s decision and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firm’s direct economic or technical interest”. Also Frederick (1960: 60, quoted in Carroll, 1999) pose an important contribution to define social responsibility. He suggested that
“social responsibility in the final analysis implies a public posture toward society’s economic and human resources and a willingness to see that those resources are used for broad social end and not simply for the narrowly circumscribed interests of private persons and firms.”
Social responsibility, therefore, implies that a person or a firm involved in every kind of business should consider not only the economic performance but also the effects of actions and decisions have on the society. In fact, Harold Johnson (1971: 50, quoted in Carroll, 1999) claimed that “a socially responsible enterprise also takes into account its employees, suppliers, dealers, local communities and the nation instead of striving only for larger profits for its stockholders”.
More recently, CSR was defined by the commission of the European Communities as follows:
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Corporate social responsibility is about having responsibilities and taking actions beyond their legal obligations and economic/business aims. These wider responsibilities cover a range of areas but are frequently summed up as social and environmental – where social means society broadly defined, rather than simply social policy issues. This can be summed up as the triple bottom line approach: i.e. economic, social and environmental.
Lastly, Bondi and Yu (2018) defined CSR as follows:
the company’s strategies, activities and practices that are relevant to its various stakeholder groups which often cover the economic dimension (e.g., shareholders, investors) the environmental dimension (e.g., local communities), and the social dimension (e.g., employees).
What these definitions have in common is the multidimensionality given to the concept itself:
economic, environmental, social dimensions are key elements. These three elements are essential to CSR reports and for this reason they will be discussed in Chapter 3 which is dedicated to the analysis.
1.2.1 Carroll’s pyramid
In 1983 Carroll (quoted in Carroll, 1999) started to elaborate his four-part definition of CSR:
“In my view, CSR involves the conduct of a business so that it is economically profitable, law binding, ethical and socially supportive”. Subsequently, Carroll refined its definition and organized the four categories or components abovementioned (legal responsibility, economic responsibility, ethical responsibility and philanthropic or discretionary responsibility) in a pyramid (see Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Carroll’s Pyramid of CSR.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304662992_Carroll%27s_pyramid_of_CSR_taking _another_look/figures?lo=1
1.2.1.1 Economic responsibility
The base of the pyramid is the economic responsibility. Carroll (2016: 2) describes economic responsibility as “a fundamental condition or requirement of existence”, that permits the company to be created and sustained; being profitable and able to increase business and investments in order to continue in operation. Society expects that companies create profit and value; they have the obligation to produce goods and provide services. Additionally, companies have to generate profits in order to reward investors and for business growth when profits are reinvested back into business (Carroll, 2016). Today’s global business environment is highly competitive, and profitability is essential for companies to survive.
1.2.1.2 Legal responsibility
The second step of the pyramid is legal responsibility. Businesses are expected and required to obey rules and regulations (e. g. fair business practices) in order to continue operating. Minimal ground rules are necessary for companies to operate in a civil society. Legal infrastructures are imperative to provide foundations for legitimate business growth. Not only companies must
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perform in a manner consistent with expectations of government and law but also must align with the various federal, state and local regulations. Furthermore, all obligations to societal stakeholders must be fulfilled and goods and services provided must meet the minimal legal requirements (Carroll, 2016).
1.2.1.3 Ethical responsibility
Ethical responsibility is put on the third step of the pyramid. Society expects businesses to operate in an ethical way: taking on ethical responsibilities means to embrace norms, activities and standards even if they are not codified into law but are expected, nonetheless. Firms are expected to conduct their affairs in a fair and objective fashion even when the law does not provide guidance. Business is expected to do what is right to avoid or minimize harm to all stakeholders. Norms, standards, values and principles may not have a legal codification but are mandatory for businesses (Carroll, 2016).
1.2.1.4 Philanthropic responsibility
Philanthropic responsibility, finally, is placed on the top of the pyramid. It includes all forms of business giving, all voluntary or discretionary activities. These kinds of actions are normally expected to be taken by businesses today and are part of the everyday expectations of the public.
Sometimes companies engage in these philanthropic actions in order to enhance the company’s reputation, not necessarily for noble reasons.
1.3 How corporations communicate
This chapter focuses on some theoretical concepts related to companies and corporations. First an introduction about business discourse is provided. Afterwards, some concepts like corporate identity and corporate image are discussed. Finally, corporate communication, CSR reports and corporate websites are described.
1.3.1 Business discourse
According to Trosborg and Flyvholm Jørgensen (2005) the world of business is rapidly changing in a smaller place in which individuals from different backgrounds and different
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nationalities develop common frames of refence for producing and understanding the communication of the marketplace. As a matter of fact, globalization played an important role in the construction of this complex marketplace in which enterprises conduct their businesses.
According to Bhatia and Lung (2006: 265):
The present-day world of business, trade and commerce has changed in a number of ways.
Firstly, it has become increasingly global through the gradual dismantling of trade barriers, thus leading to corporate mergers to create huge conglomerates across national boundaries and trade barriers. Secondly, it has become intensely competitive, invariably targeting massive markets across the globe. Thirdly, with rapidly unfolding and unlimited opportunities for the use of multimedia, the process of trading itself has changed considerably, in the sense that promotion and advertising activities have become the most important instruments of creating distinct markets and, at the same time, corporate identities, which seem to play a significant role in corporate performance.
These factors have contributed to raising the interest in corporate identity, and, by consequence, language and discourse gained importance in the construction of business relationships.
Gunnarsson (2005: 83) claimed that “discourse is of crucial significance in an enterprise, not only for the success of the various communicative activities which occur there, but also for the actual survival of the enterprise. […] Language has a decisive part to play”. Business enterprises are increasingly investing resources and people in communication activities such as marketing communication or social responsibility communication. Creating texts is an important part of an organization’s work since these texts reflect the organization and its social structure (Gunnarsson, 2005). Moreover, Gunnarsson (2005) claims that texts can define and narrate the values and history of a company, or report the profits achieved, or describe actions taken to resolve issues. Texts generally published on corporate websites are important for companies as engaging tools for customers. Additionally, texts are important tools also for the future: by means of discourse the organization creates visions for the future, and sets its goals policies and ideas.
Finally, Gunnarsson (2005) also highlighted the importance of linguistic tools such as reports, press releases or entire corporate websites. Gunnarsson (2005: 103) suggested that:
Texts and spoken discourse are very important in the creation of the company as an attractive unit in the eyes of those outside it. It is through discourse that the organization attracts its customers and its external relationships. Most companies therefore attach great importance to their annual reports, to press releases and other external documents.
10 1.3.2 Corporate communication
Nowadays success in the worldwide business scenario is strictly connected to an effective and strategic corporate communication constructed in order to differentiate one company from another. It is through corporate communication that enterprises transmit information about their good qualities, promote their corporate identity and image and strive to increase credibility (Malavasi, 2017). Corporate communication is a strategic tool the corporation employs to gain a competitive advantage. Corporations use it to lead, motivate, persuade, and inform employees and the public as well (Goodman, 2000). According to Gunnarsson (2005) the aim of corporate communication is to create an image of the organization that will build up goodwill, confidence and a good reputation in order satisfy the long-term needs of both owners and customers.
As a consequence, the concept of corporate communication is closely associated with the concept of corporate image since a company’s image (positive or negative) is built thanks to corporate communication in all its forms: statements of value, mission, philosophy or corporate social responsibility (Bondi, 2016). Also, Argenti (1996) claimed that corporate communication and identity are key elements for the definition of a company in order to engage customers both through communication and visual representation. In particular, CSR communication used in websites and reports play an important role in the definition of a corporate identity as Bondi and Yu (2018) stated: “a company’s own definition of CSR participates in the establishment of a corporate identity”.
Even if used interchangeably the two concepts of corporate identity and corporate image are different in their meanings. According to Melewar, Basset and Simões (2006: 146):
Corporate identity extends beyond the company’s logo and name. It covers all forms of internal and external communications of the company. Any company wishing to improve its position not only in the market but also with its stakeholders must ensure that it gives prominence to its corporate identity.
Melewar (2003, quoted in Malavasi, 2017) adds that corporate identity is an important strategic resource which ensure that a corporation is perceived as credible and reliable by its stakeholders.
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Brønn (2002) states that corporate image is a reflection of corporate identity. In short, Bhatia and Lung (2006: 268) suggest that:
identity is essentially a self-expression on the part of the corporation, whereas corporate image is its perception by outsiders; identity construction is a writer-based public relation exercise, while image construction is a reader-based perception or interpretation of it.
To conclude, as Gunnarsson (2005) suggests, the industrial sector in which companies operate influences how they communicate. Texts produced in different sectors will be different in style, genre and use of language. In particular fashion companies invest a lot of money and resources to communicate in the most effective way their values and mission. Camiciottoli (2018: 141) claimed that:
the ability to establish a particular brand personality is a key component of fashion brand management and communication. A given fashion brand may use language that communicates different personality traits (e.g. glamourous, exciting, youthful, exotic) as a way to define its own personality and distinguish itself from other fashion brands.
The goal of an apparel company is to define itself through clothes in order to get a positive advantage in comparison to other similar brands. Also, language plays a key role in this differentiation, it allows to describe the brand and define the socially desirable personality traits the company aspires to convey to consumers.
1.3.2.1 Greenwash
As mentioned before, the competition among brands as far as sustainable practices and CSR communication are concerned is very strong. For this reason, some companies engage in the so called “greenwash”, defined as misleading advertising of green credentials, illegal and tricky for customers (Henninger, Alevizou and Oates, 2016). Geetanjali and Iman (2017) claimed that as the concerns about the environment are rising also the demand for environmentally friendly products is increasing. Business companies may be tempted to communicate sustainable practices they actually do not engage in merely to increase sales, using deceptive green marketing and conveying a false perception of companies’ policies, practices, services or products. Sustainability is emerging as a “megatrend” and companies start to use words such as “eco”, “organic”, “environmentally friendly” or “green” in their marketing campaigns no matter if it is true or not (Henninger, Alevizou and Oates, 2016). We can assume that the
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objective in engaging in this practice is to foster brand reputation: sustainability claims can increase brand value by differentiating the brand from other competitors (Khurana and Ricchetti, 2016). This implies that although an organization acts poorly in sustainability or makes no investments at all in environmentally friendly practices it could communicate positively about its environmental performance and make claims similar to those made by companies that are actually performing sustainably (Henninger, Alevizou, Oates, 2016; Little, 2018). By consequence, if consumers find out that a brand, they may be loyal to, has been engaging in greenwashing, they will lose confidence in that brand and will take their business elsewhere.
The next two sections will focus on CSR reports and corporate websites which are both used by companies to communicate to external and internal stakeholders their activities and practices related to social responsibility issues. CSR reports are available on companies’ websites and also the websites themselves are used to convey specific meanings and messages to customers or any person interested. Malavasi (2017) assumes that webpages are rather more targeted to a wider audience while CSR reports are more technical and specialized in their content and for this reason directed to shareholders. The situation, with the advent of Internet, has changed and information available on websites and reported in CSR reports is available to everyone.
Nowadays consumers have access to all the information, and it is essential for companies to have a fully sustainable and transparent business strategy and report (Campos Franco, Hussain and McColl, 2019).
1.3.3 CSR reports
CSR reports nowadays are used by corporations to inform, and sometimes influence, investors, employees, consumers and the general public on their social and environmental initiatives (Lydenberg, 2010; Snider, 2003). Companies usually communicate their CSR activities through official documents such as annual corporate responsibility reports or press releases (Du et al.
2010). Sometimes companies dedicate entire parts of their official corporate websites to CSR.
Therefore, the language used and also the strategies employed must be chosen very carefully.
By consequence, CSR reports are of crucial importance for a shareholder who wants to invest in a company or for a customer who wants to know more about the company from which he or she is buying a product. It is imperative for managers and for communication experts to have a deeper understanding of key issues related to CSR communication: what to communicate and
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where to communicate are fundamental questions when it comes to report CSR practices and activities (Du et al. 2010). Companies investing in social initiatives are able to generate favorable stakeholder attitudes and behavior. In the long run, thanks to these activities, they construe positive corporate/brand image and strengthen stakeholder-company relationships (Du et al. 2010).
CSR reports are necessary for organizations and companies to disseminate information on their social activities and this can result in economic benefits for firms (Ward and Wylie, 2014). By consequence communicating CSR activities is a very delicate matter (Du et al. 2010).
Moreover, in the context of growing concern we live nowadays, firms have been under pressure from investors, governments and many other stakeholders to commit to corporate social responsibility (Malavasi, 2017).
Nonetheless, CSR reports still do not have a standardized form, and each company tends to create its CSR report following its own criteria. In recent years, in order to resolve this problem, The Global Reporting Initiative drew up a list of guidelines companies can choose to follow.
1.3.3.1 Global Reporting Initiative guidelines
Bondi and Yu (2018: 2) claimed that:
CSR report is becoming increasingly standardized with the publication of highly influential guidelines and standards regulating CSR compliance. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, www.globalreporting.org) guidelines are the most commonly used standards for the compilation of CSR reports.
GRI is an independent international organization that has pioneered sustainability reporting since 1997. GRI guidelines help businesses and governments communicate their sustainability practices, their concerns about human rights or social wellbeing. In this way new social, environmental and economic objectives can be achieved and benefits are created for the society and companies (https://www.globalreporting.org/information/about-gri/Pages/default.aspx).
GRI’s Standards can be followed by everyone: public organizations, private companies, large corporations and small entities. At the same time, since GRI’s guidelines are the most widely adopted standards for sustainability reporting, observing them in a report confers the report
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itself authority and enhances good reputation and trust. According to the G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (GRI, 2013):
Sustainability reporting helps organizations to set goals, measure performance, and manage change in order to make their operations more sustainable. A sustainability report conveys disclosures on an organization’s impacts – be they positive or negative – on the environment, society and the economy.
The GRI’s detailed and standardized format for reporting has 90 indicators (Lydenberg, 2010) but according to the GRI’s website (www.globalreporting.org) and Bondi (2016: 60) the main contents of CSR reports can be summarized in these points:
• Environment (energy, environmental impact of products)
• Labour practices and decent work (occupational health and safety, training and education, diversity and equal opportunities)
• Product responsibility (customer health, safety and satisfaction)
• Human rights (child labour, forced and compulsory labour) and society (corruption, anti-competitive behaviour, volunteering initiatives, charitable giving)
Unified guidelines are also helpful for scholars and academics who conduct studies and investigations on the topic of CSR reports.
1.3.3.2 CSR report content
CSR reports can be defined as “hybrid” documents since they combine informational and promotional elements (Bondi, 2016), these documents are generally categorized as informative documents, but they also have a significant degree of persuasion and self-promotion. According to Moravcikova, Stefanikova and Rypakova (2015) CSR reports should present the company’s policy in relation to the environment and sustainability in order to convey also good reputation and prestige. In fact, CSR reports are directed not only to stakeholders but also to employees and those outside the organization with whom the organization cooperates and works.
Bondi and Yu (2018) in their work define CSR reports as a complex genre characterized by elements that have established themselves as semi-independent genres or part-genres and conventional sections and moves. The CEO’s letter, for example, is defined as a part-genre
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which is semi-independent from the entire report. In this light, CSR reports can be considered macro-genre since they might involve other part-genres.
Moreover, Bondi and Yu (2018: 5) identified two main parts contained in CSR reports: the self- presentation (SP) section and the performance-reporting (PR) section:
The SP section presents the corporate identity and corporate governance, which can include information related to the company’s history, context, strategies, projects, governance and stakeholders. The PR section presents the company’s performance in economic, social and environmental aspects and the outlook for the future performance. The SP section has the main function of signalling organizational assets, missions and visions; signalling understanding of CSR. The PR section aims at detailing good practice (and developing identity), reporting performance in prescribed sectors, assessing impacts and predicting or committing to future performance.
These two parts can be considered as general parts usually occurring in CSR reports. There are specific sections identifiable in the majority of CSR reports.
The CEO’s letter is the first section in a CSR report, and it is often a letter from the company’s CEO. Lydenberg (2010: 26) suggests that:
These letters are important because they can give readers the degree of the company’s commitment to CSR programs at the highest levels. […] address the specific CSR challenges that the firm faces – its accomplishments from the past years and goals for the next, the resources devoted to making specific CSR programs work, and the ways in which a culture of responsibility is incorporated throughout the company. […] such statements don’t guarantee success but are likely to signal serious efforts.
Companies engage readers by the use of the CEO’s letter. The company is humanized, the CEO is presented with his or her name and usually a picture. The idea behind these strategies is that people can relate more easily to other human beings than to a faceless organization, the objective is to add credibility to corporate messages (Pollach, 2005).
Mission and values statements usually follow the CEO’s letter. Lydenberg (2010: 27) claims that “mission statements set forth the goals of the firm. Values statements enumerate the qualities it seeks to cultivate and to be known for”. For these reasons this section is crucial:
mission and values statements define the essence of the company and distinguish it from
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competitors, these kinds of statements engage and empathise with, especially, customers. Brønn (2002: 10) defines the mission as follows:
what the organization is there for and the organization’s strategy; its policies and behavioural standards, which define how managers and employees should behave; and the beliefs that constitute the organization’s culture and underpin its management style.
It is very common that CSR reports are long and very detailed, for this reason a summary of key facts and figures is essential in order to demonstrate at a glance the achievements of the year and what a company considers to be its greatest CSR challenges for the next (Lydenberg, 2010).
Numerical and performance information is typically present in reports for the simple reason that they are directed to investors (Malavasi, 2017). Moreover, supporting general arguments with details and facts clearly makes claims more credible and more acceptable to readers and providing numerical evidence of size and financial successes emphasise the company’s status as successful global player (Pollach, 2005).
The layout is also important in documents of this type so intelligently designed tables and graphs help the reader catch the relevant figures he or she may need. Concerning layout, also pictures and other types of graphs demonstrate attention and a thoughtful approach to CSR reporting (Lydenberg, 2010).
Usually at the end of a CSR report readers may find statements of assurance of the accuracy of information collected in the report or other third-party evaluations. Awards from well-known organizations external to the company lends credibility to corporate claims (Pollach, 2005).
Also interviews and surveys can be included to give details about the company and its programs (Lydenberg, 2010).
1.3.4 Corporate websites
With the advent of Internet, the business world has changed dramatically. This change can be both positive and negative. Since corporate websites are aimed at a broader public, they constitute an important tool for companies: firms can use them to present themselves potentially to the whole world, communicate about their brand, position themselves in the market and influence consumer choices. On the other hand, consumers have access to all information on the website, so transparency is needed in order to avoid losing potential customers. In this non-
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existing space, the company has the opportunity to differentiate itself from competitors and give relevance to its points of strength, advertising the brand.
Corporate websites can be classified as the firm’s preferred channel to communicate commitment and CSR activities. In corporate websites the language used is more “down-to- earth”, simple and fluid. Descriptions are more frequent compared to CSR reports and companies promote their initiatives and programmes (Malavasi, 2017).
In addition, websites can be considered as a preferable tool compared to traditional mass media as far as corporate communication is concerned. Websites are more suitable for communication because of the potential audience and audience’s active role. The potential audience is unlimited: customers, vendors, employees, job seekers, investors, financial analysts, journalists, students, researchers and the public at large. The second reason why websites are more adequate for communication is the active role this unlimited audience has: people are active information seekers and thus process the information they find more effectively than audience reached via traditional mass media (Pollach, 2005). Consumers actively and independently look for information about the company and the products. In order for companies to better know their audience, some corporate websites include interactive features to encourage visitors to enter in direct contact with the company.
Pollach (2005) in her paper explores three main challenges websites may face: site usability, message credibility and information utility.
Site usability refers to the nature of text in websites. All the texts are hypertexts and as such they are composed of links and nodes. These nodes and links have to be hierarchically organized since there is typically more than one pathway through the website and each visitor makes his own. If pages contain too many links users might become disoriented and leave the websites because it is too confusing. Moreover, reading hypertext is more complex than reading paper materials. Finally, the challenge lies in producing a text that is cohesive even though it is broken into pages and links.
For what concerns the message credibility on websites, the first thing to say is that people are doubtful about the information they found on Internet. People are concerned about the quality and reliability of web-based information. Fake news are of daily occurrence and of course
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audience is scared of being trapped in untrue information. Furthermore, on corporate websites the audience involvement is really high since people are unlikely to visit a company’s website if they do not have interest in the company’s products or services.
Finally, information utility refers to the success, in term of business, the website has. Visits from the audience have to lead to profitable actions such as a purchase or a contact with the company. Other actions may be that visitors remain at the site for a certain period of time or download contents from the site or even return to the site at a later stage. The quality of information provided on the website is crucial for these actions to occur.
1.4 Conclusions
In this first chapter an overview on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was provided. First, some background information about the complex business world in which companies work was given. Subsequently CSR was defined through several definitions and the identification of the three main areas CSR has to deal with namely the economic, social and environmental areas.
Then, an introduction on business discourse and corporate communication was followed by a discussion of CSR reports and corporate websites. CSR reports and corporate websites, finally, were defined as tools which are employed by corporations to communicate and influence the audience, and which display both similarities and differences.
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Chapter 2. Sustainable fashion
2.1 Definition
Before starting to analyse the challenges, the fashion industry is facing, it is necessary to understand what it means to be sustainable. Little (2018) claimed that being sustainable for an industry means simply to reduce its environmental footprint and help ensure it is making a positive (or not so negative) impact on the communities affected by its presence on the territory.
Sustainability practices, in particular, are described as “the ability to meet present needs without compromising the needs of future generations” (Campos Franco, Hussain and McColl, 2019:
1). In particular in the movie The True Cost (2015), dealing with the challenge of sustainable fashion, the matter is defined as follows: “Sustainable fashion considers the social, natural and economic “price” paid in fashion production”.
It is widely known that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting in the world producing thirteen billion tons of waste each year (Little, 2018). According figures reported by Khurana and Ricchetti (2016) the clothing industry accounts up to 6 percent of total global warming, and around 20 percent of industrial water pollution comes from textile dyeing and finishing treatments. Companies, by consequence, have started to consider their environmental impact and have increasingly integrated sustainability practices in their operations.
Furthermore, due to the more and more complex supply chain and the high numbers of suppliers distributed around the world, fashion companies started to manifest more interest in CSR practices. In apparel industry brands usually outsource production to countries with lower labour costs. By consequence, fashion manufacturing is often dissociated from design, marketing and consumption, relegated to faraway countries (Todeschini, Cortimiglia, Callegaro-de-Menezes and Ghezzi, 2017).
Henninger, Alevizou and Oates (2016) reported that concerns about sustainable fashion first emerged around the 1960s, when consumers became aware of the impact clothing manufacturing had on the environment.
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Due to its large quantities of products manufactured and used, the textile industry has a huge environmental impact in every phase of products life cycle, producing significant levels of pollution (Mukherjee, 2015). Fashion firms have been heavily criticized for damaging biodiversity in different environments and generating an enormous quantity of waste. Fashion companies have been also accused of exploiting employees and workers in developing countries (Campos Franco, Hussain and McColl, 2019)
For these reasons, change is not only necessary from a moral standpoint but also for the survival of the whole industry (Little, 2018). In recent years apparel brands have begun to consider ethical issues. It has become clear that the industry cannot continue to function in a such a manner. However, one of the greatest challenges the fashion industry faces is understanding how to continue to produce garment for a growing population and most importantly do it in a sustainable way for the future.
As mentioned before, companies begun to take into account the influence they have on environmental problems. By consequence major brands started to join together in coalitions, such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (https://apparelcoalition.org): a collection of brands, retailers, manufacturers, governments and NGOs which have banded together to find a universal approach in order to measure their sustainability performance (Little, 2018).
Additionally, Kozlowski, Searcy and Bardecki (2015: 1) point out that:
The apparel industry has experienced considerable growth and success over the last two decades. This has led to an intense scrutiny over economic, environmental and social impacts within the industry. A number of concerns have been raised regarding environmental issues, such as the use of hazardous chemicals and non-renewable resources […] labour practices and conditions in apparel supply-chains have been heavily criticized, particularly following high- profile events such as the April 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh.
So, in order to be more sustainable, the apparel industry needs to face two main problems:
environmental issues and social issues which are better analysed in sections 2.1.1 and 2.1.2.
2.1.1 Environmental issues
The fashion industry is undoubtedly responsible to customers, shareholders or employees. From another standpoint, businesses are also responsible to their resource base which is nature.
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Basically, the apparel industry depends on several natural resources that are finite in their volume for example fresh water or cultivated natural cotton. Without a healthy natural environment there would be no fashion industry at all. For instance, in order to produce a cotton t-shirt, 700 gallons of water are needed, the equivalent of the water consumption for one person for two years and a half to drink. The earth cannot keep pace with the current rate of consumption of fashion industry, for this reason companies should find alternative materials (Little, 2018).
What is even worse about the rate of consumption we have achieved is that the apparel industry is moving towards a fast fashion business model (Kozlowski, Searcy and Bardecki, 2015;
Mukherjee, 2015) instead of slowing it down. The fashion industry is characterized by the rapidity with which a product becomes outdated not because of the materials deteriorating but rather due to the constant desire of change from consumers. Customers need to follow fashion trends (Cimatti, Campana and Carluccio, 2017). In this regard Little (2018: 111) suggests a definition of the fast fashion model:
The fast fashion model is a system where retailers rush to recreate the latest trends seen on the runways at the cheapest possible cost so they can mass produce them and sell them to eager consumers looking to keep up with the newest trends for the season. The model encourages people to consume far more apparel than they need. The idea is that you can buy the latest trend for cheap, wear it a few times, throw it out at the end of the season (because not only is it out of style but also because likely falling apart) and then this cycle is repeated the following season.
The fast fashion model negatively impacts both the environment and the workers in factories that are producing the clothes. New lines of clothing are produced not just for every season but for every few weeks within each season.
To counteract this trend, the slow fashion movement emerged. The slow fashion movement is a movement of consumers, designers, retailers and manufacturers who are all committed to a more sustainable fashion industry. The purpose is shifting the mindset that consumers have when they are approaching their fashion purchase. Rather than spending money on cheap clothes each season, instead spend money on clothing that can last for years (Little, 2018).
So, the purpose is clear: slow down the pace of production and consumption of apparel products in order to dedicate more attention to every stage in the process of production, from the design stage to the consumption stage consumers are responsible for. It is generally a sign of a well- managed and thorough environmental program when firms take into account all the phases of the lifecycle of a product (Lydenberg, 2010).
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- The design phase and product development process play a key role in determining the overall economic, environmental and social impacts of an apparel brand. At this stage designers can focus on sustainability, choosing more environmentally friendly materials, and consider more strategic ways to create products and minimize their impact (Little, 2018). It is during this process that choices related to material usage, manufacturing processes and other key decisions that heavily influence brand sustainability are made (Kozlowski, Searcy and Bardecki, 2015). For example, Kalra in his Ted Talk (2017) states that, in order for a garment to be sustainable, it should be designed in a way that it can be disassembled at the end of its life. Clothes needs to be designed in a modular way so that at the end of their lives extra items such as zippers or buttons can be easily removed from the fabric and then recycled. According to Kalra (2017) clothes need also to be designed in a way that they can be compostable at the end of their lives rather than thrown in the garbage. The key is design clothes with their death in mind.
- In the raw materials phase industries should require certain certification from their suppliers, track the impact of their material use and require certification also in terms of labor issues (Little, 2018).
- The processing stage involves, amongst other, the dying process which is very dangerous for workers. Brands should enforce policies related to chemical usage and provide targets and guidelines to follow in the process. The ways in which clothes are dyed, should be rethought: natural vegetables or spices could be used to dye garments (Kalra, 2017). Production and craftmanship are key elements in this phase: the durability of a product is an essential feature, necessary for a garment to last customers longer periods of time and not just one or two years. Fashion companies are responsible for the suppliers they choose (Little, 2018).
- In the manufacturing phase companies should increase transparency and control over their suppliers sending representatives to their factories to assess the factories’
performance on sustainability. This practice of monitoring is called auditing process (Little, 2018). During the auditing practices consumers’ safety needs also to be taken into account. The impact of chemicals used in the previous stage on consumer health can happen directly or indirectly. Hazardous chemicals can persist in the final products and can affect customers who wear that particular clothes directly. On the other hand,
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customers may be involved indirectly via the release of hazardous chemicals in the environment that could reach them via polluted water or that are passed along the food chain (Khurana and Ricchetti, 2016).
- The transportation of garments impacts directly the environment. Companies should measure and track the impact per garment in order to monitor how efficiently they are transporting their goods (Little, 2018).
- The consumption phase is the most challenging since customers decide how to act that is to say whether or not to act in a sustainable way. Brand can communicate to consumers what they can do to reduce their environmental footprint. Educating customers is necessary for a successful outcome (Little, 2018). Customers need a shift in mindsets: invest in durable clothing is a sustainable choice that should be preferred instead of buying every now and then products of low quality.
- Last but not least, the end of usage phase is when customers can engage in recycling or upcycling practices. As Little (2018) suggest upcycling means using discarded clothes and transform them into a new piece of clothing of greater value compared to the original one.
An important thing to consider is the difference between luxury brands and fast-fashion brands.
Mass standardized fast fabrication is a completely different approach compared to manufacturing artisanal craft for a more limited production which is typical of luxury items (Cimatti, Campagna and Carluzzo, 2017).
In order for a company to begin a process of sustainability, innovation, and in particular technological innovation, is fundamental. Finding better ways of doing things (Kozlowski, Searcy and Bardecki, 2015) is the only way this change can happen. Technological advances are necessary in order to find new and more sustainable materials and new systems for the manufacturing process. (Little, 2018). However, it is evident that larger companies have more resources like money and employees to better advance in technological terms.
The only thing to do is pushing the sustainable fashion movement forward. The continued growth and popularization of these trends will help to move the entire fashion industry towards increased sustainability (Little, 2018). Competition will serve as an engine for the sustainability movement.
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Changes in the company’s internal organization and management is, finally, essential. Using recycled paper in offices or providing employees with bottles for water would foster employees’
commitment to the issue. It is easier if employees are committed to the values and mission of the company, they want to do good and help build a more sustainable brand (Little, 2018).
2.1.2 Social issues
Nowadays more and more global brands tend to outsource the manufacturing processes to foreign nations with lower labour costs, separating the production process from the design and marketing operations (Little, 2018). This practice further aggravated the environmental and social impact of fashion since brands have expanded their footprint beyond national boundaries and manufacturing has moved in countries with lower labour and environmental standards (Khurana and Ricchetti, 2016). Workers conditions are almost illegal in these countries, Khurana and Ricchetti (2016: 91), in this regard suggest that “the social profile and the lack of adequate local labour legislation weaken dramatically the voice and bargaining power of workers and make them vulnerable to unfair practices and rights deprivation”.
Regarding this matter a radical shift on the issue is necessary especially when human lives are directly involved. Events such as the above-mentioned factory collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh are the shocking evidence that something must be done (see Figure 2). Little (2018) reports the main events that led to the tragedy where 1127 workers died. A five-floors building collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on 24th April 2013. An upper floor was added to the building in order to contain thousands more workers and to increase the production. Approvals for the construction of this extra floor should have never been passed since the building was not stable enough to support it. This action clearly aligned with the interests of the factory owners, allowing them to see a significant increase in profits, it did not take into account the safety and the well-being of workers. The extra production led to the addition of massive power generators. Reports say that the building would literally shake when these generators were turned on each day and on 24th April the shaking became too much and the walls of the building begun to crack. Workers who succeeded in escaping the tragedy were forced to return to work.
They had to choose between disobeying the orders given by the head of the factory and losing their job or continue to work in unsafe conditions and putting their lives at risk every day.
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Figure 2. Rana Plaza factory collapse 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Dhaka_garment_factory_collapse#/media/File:Dhaka_Sa var_Building_Collapse.jpg
There are two main things which are important to remember about this tragic event. The first is that Bangladesh is the world’s second largest exporter of clothing behind China and supplies for the vast majority of fashion brands on the market today. The second thing is that change can happen only if it starts from brands. The Bangladesh factory collapse in 2013 served as a catalyst for progress for the industry even if tragic.
Large global brands have key resources like money and many employees at their disposal.
Global brand can reach people with their marketing materials due to their large and loyal customer base. Companies can use their resources and global recognition to do more than just focus on profits, stand up and fight against policies (Little, 2018).
2.2 Consumers’ perception
Consumers play an essential role in the success of sustainable transformation in the fashion industry. Even if the present study does not deal with this matter directly, some facts and references are noteworthy. As mentioned before the fast fashion business model is dangerous both for the environment and for workers but it is a trend which is spreading worldwide and seems very difficult to contrast. Fast fashion, especially in developed countries, has changed the way consumers perceive and use clothing. Consumers are always looking for deals to get
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the latest fashion trend at the cheapest price possible, brands and retailers in order to meet this request provide always new collections and also huge discounts throughout the year, not only at the change of seasons (Diddi, Yan, Bloodhart, Bajtelsmit and McShane, 2019). These concepts are at the core of the idea of fast fashion. Statistics show that consumer habits have been changing: consumers purchased 60 percent more clothing in 2014 compared to 2000 but kept each garment for half as long (Little, 2018). Durability and quality of clothes are obviously affected by the fast fashion model. Some companies tend to promote also socio-psychological benefits such as happiness or self-fulfilment associated with unsustainable purchasing of fast fashion clothing. Feelings such as “the need to fit in and the desire to be fashionable and trendy”
are used by brands to engage customers in overconsumption: an individual’s mood state (e.g.
excitement, power when buying something new); the desire to reward themselves; or to relieve a depressed mood (Diddi, Yan, Bloodhart, Bajtelsmit and McShane, 2019). Methods like these could mislead the consumer and force him or her to buy unnecessary clothes.
On the other hand, there are consumers perfectly conscious of what they do and what they buy.
Consumers’ attitudes towards “green” products in every aspect of life are increasingly common.
People’s awareness of the environment is spreading worldwide, and sustainable practices are becoming the norm. This change is demonstrated by the increased interest in green products, the consolidation of exchange and sharing platforms and the spreading idea that younger generations tend to give more value to experiences rather than on ownership (Todeschini, Cortimiglia, Callegaro-de-Menezes and Ghezzi, 2017). Mindsets are changing and fashion brands have to innovate and add value in order to remain relevant and profitable in the market.
The “Please Don’t Buy” initiative by Twin Set (https://www.pleasedontbuy.com/en- it/hire/how-it-works.html) is a collection of clothes created only for hire: dresses are available in shops exclusively for a rental service, customers can hire them for four days and then return them in the same shop. It is a sustainable revolution which allows customers to change style whenever they want, spending less than buying new clothes, and being sustainable. The rental model allows consumers to engage in the fast fashion trend of varying their styles greatly without significant investments in their wardrobe and the negative impacts on the environment.
According to McNeill and Moore (2015) ethical consumers are those who consider the wider impact of their consumption on other humans, animals or the environment not only for garments but also for every product consumers buy every day. Moving to the subject of this dissertation, the fashion industry, consumers started to consider the environmental and social impact their
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clothes have when purchased or dismissed (Mukherjee, 2015). However, some consumers tend to think that clothes made using environmentally friendly materials and with sustainable practices are more expensive than traditionally made clothes (Henninger, Alevizou, Oates, 2016). This expensiveness of sustainable products needs to be addressed by brands as a benefit, a point of strength: the higher price is a sign of a higher quality and therefore, a higher durability. According to Campos Franco, Hussain and McColl (2019: 2 - 3)
sustainability may be considered as something of quality which endures over time […] merging the concepts of sustainability and fashion can be appealing to costumers. New generations of consumers are becoming more interested in brands that incorporate sustainable practices as part of the brand’s values. There is evidence of changes in consumer behaviour in switching from a focus on self-indulgence to community concerns and from immediate gratification to concern for future generations.
Nonetheless, there are barriers to the spreading of consciousness in consumers towards sustainability which is the gap between thought and action. Although consumers intend to buy eco-friendly clothing, the intention often is not reflected in their actual clothing consumption behaviors (Diddi, Yan, Bloodhart, Bajtelsmit and McShane, 2019). Many consumers have strong convictions towards the consumption of sustainable goods, but these convictions do not always translate into actions. These individuals display some sustainable fashion behaviours but perceive many barriers to fully embrace sustainable fashion (McNeill and Moore, 2015).
One of these barriers is the already mentioned perceived higher cost of sustainable products.
Another, and more complex hurdle to jump over is the decision-making process human beings use to decide whether or not purchase a particular good. Sirman Sethi in her TED Talk (https://youtu.be/dk2nNhbocII) claims that human beings tend to believe the facts that already confirm their world view. If scientists provide data about the climate change or the impact fashion industry has on the environment there is no evidence that this information will change peoples’ decision-making process about clothes. As human beings our brain is not evolved enough to deal with problems as complex as climate change because we see it distant from us, we only respond to threats that are instant and imminent and, in some way, personalized or repulsive to us. The idea is to put things in a context that people can easily relate to on a personal level in order to “force” people to take real and immediate action.
