Greenwashing in the Fashion Industry - The Flipside of the Sustainability Trend from the Perspective of Generation Z E-Book

Sarah Linckens

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Serie: Workingpaper
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 84

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

The sustainability trend of recent years is reflected in society's growing environmental awareness and the increasing promotion of green products and services in the market. The flip side is that most advertisements and green branding originate from companies that still have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how greenwashing marketing campaigns are perceived despite increasing environmental awareness in society. This study answers how greenwashing is perceived, whether the perception differs depending on the degree of environmental consciousness, and which effects the perception has. In order to answer these questions, a qualitative study via expert interviews with participants belonging to Gen Z has been conducted, making specific reference to the "Conscious Spring" greenwashing campaign by H&M. The qualitative content analysis showed that the majority of participants recognized greenwashing through misleading word choice and contradictory actions that are advertised in the campaign. Nevertheless, there were also interviewees who were misled by the campaign. The campaign had an effect on the participants' attitudes towards the brand, both on their feelings and beliefs about the brand, as well as on their behavioral intentions. The findings are largely used to understand the advertising impact of greenwashing, but they will also be helpful for sustainable clothing companies in creating green campaigns or for NGOs working to combat greenwashing and educate consumers.

Leseprobe

Contents

List of Tables

Abstract

1.

Introduction

2.

Theoretical Background

2.1 Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

2.2 Green Advertising and Greenwashing

2.2.1 Green Advertising and Greenwashing in Theory and Practice

2.2.2 The Case of H&M

2.3 Purchasing Fashion: Theory and Impact Factors

2.4 The Elaboration Likelihood Model

2.5 Research Hypotheses

3.

Methodology

3.1 Expert Selection

3.2 Research Design and Conception of the Interview Guide

3.3 Analysis of the Interviews

4.

Analysis

5.

Conclusion

5.1 Insights Gained

5.2 Limitations and Outlook

References

List of Tables

Table 1: Overview Interview Participants

Table 2: Synopsis of the Analysis

Abstract

The sustainability trend of recent years is reflected in society’s growing environmental awareness and the increasing promotion of green products and services in the market. The flip side is that most advertisements and green branding originate from companies that still have a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how greenwashing marketing campaigns are perceived despite increasing environmental awareness in society.

This study answers how greenwashing is perceived, whether the perception differs depending on the degree of environmental consciousness, and which effects the perception has.

In order to answer these questions, a qualitative study via expert interviews with participants belonging to Gen Z has been conducted, making specific reference to the “Conscious Spring” greenwashing campaign by H&M.

The qualitative content analysis showed that the majority of participants recognized greenwashing through misleading word choice and contradictory actions that are advertised in the campaign. Nevertheless, there were also interviewees who were misled by the campaign. The campaign had an effect on the participants’ attitudes towards the brand, both on their feelings and beliefs about the brand, as well as on their behavioral intentions.

The findings are largely used to understand the advertising impact of greenwashing, but they will also be helpful for sustainable clothing companies in creating green campaigns or for NGOs working to combat greenwashing and educate consumers.

1 Introduction

The past twenty years have been characterized by a growing awareness in western society with regard to the importance of environmental protection and the tremendous impact of human consumption on our environment (Zukunftsinstitut 2020). This environmental awareness also materializes in changing consumer behavior, such as purchasing more consciously and an increased willingness to pay a price premium for sustainable products, as also shown by the Consumer Barometer of KPMG (2020a). As a result, green advertising increased almost tenfold within the last 20 years and has already tripled in the period between 2006 and 2011 (Delmas/Burbano 2011; TerraChoice 2010; Agarwal/Kumar 2021), and supposedly sustainable products are sprouting up in various industries. Words like “organic”, “natural”, “recyclable”, “sustainable” and expressions such as “environmentally friendly” are used in almost every advertisement while unaware consumers are confronted with terms like “organic cotton”, “recycled polyester”, “paper bags”, or “reduced water consumption” on their shopping trip online or offline. In the fashion industry, even fast fashion companies like H&M, Zara and brands such as Nike advertise with their “Conscious” and “Join Life” collection or the “Flyleather” campaigns, e.g., using 50% organic material or designing a shoe 50% out of recycled leather fibers (Inside H&M 2019; Zara 2021; Nike 2021).

Unfortunately, most of the advertising and green branding originates from companies with a negative impact on the environment, also referred to as brown firms, as many of them try to leverage the increasing interest of consumers taking advantage of people’s ignorance. This leads to companies selling products as green even though they are not sustainable at all or have not been produced in an eco‐friendly way (Lane 2010; Pedersen/Andersen 2023), which is already becoming a widespread problem (TerraChoice 2007; Luo et al. 2020; Yu 2020). The Terra‐Choice report in 2008/09 discovered that over 95% of the products used in their survey can be categorized as greenwashed (TerraChoice 2010), while Schmidt/Donsbach (2012) found out that around 85% of green German advertisements consist of potentially misleading wording. More recently, Kwon (2023) showed for social media ads that 70% of claims are misleading.

In addition, researchers observe a problem on the consumer side. Although society is becoming more aware of its responsibility towards the environment, this is only slightly reflected in its purchasing behavior, especially when it comes to the consumption of clothing (Co‐op 2019). This is known in the literature as the attitude‐behavior gap or the value‐action gap (Niinimäki 2010; Goworek et al. 2012). Additionally, it seems difficult for the consumers to boycott a brand, although they know that its standards regarding sustainability are low (Joergens 2006). Nevertheless, the skepticism towards green advertising is increasing strongly as more recent studies indicate (Luo et al. 2020; Yu 2020; Syadzwina/Astuti 2020; Nguyen et al. 2019) and the attitudebehavior gap is closing (Farooq/Wicaksono 2021).

While a lot of research has already been done on the topic of greenwashing (Delmas/Burbano 2011; Lyon/Montgomery 2015; Lyon/Maxwell 2011; Parguel et al. 2011; Furlow 2010; Agarwal/Kumar 2021) and a large part of the advertising impact research has also been examined (Hüsser 2015; Bodkin et al. 2015; Budinsky/Bryant 2013), only some publications deal with the perception of greenwashing (Martinez et al. 2020; Nyilasy et al. 2013) or the potential for greenwashing (Kim/Oh 2020; Pedersen/Andersen 2023). In particular, the perception of greenwashing in the area of fast fashion and the connection to environmental awareness are largely unexplored but important to research, as the consumption of clothing can be impulsive and irrational despite a sustainable attitude, as shown by an attitude‐behavior gap (Nguyen et al. 2019). Finally, Pereira (2020) argues that even certificates can only partially close this gap, in part since it is a question of (green) trust (Aji/Sutikno 2015; Chen/Chang 2013) and brand authenticity (Kim et al. 2022; Shin/Ki 2019).

The study asks whether and to what extent greenwashing in the fashion industry is acknowledged by consumers belonging to generation Z (Gen Z). The potential link between the perception of greenwashing and the general attitude towards environmental consciousness is also examined. Lastly, it is being studied whether the perception of greenwashing has an effect on the attitude towards the brand and therefore also on the purchase intention of consumers belonging to Gen Z.

Following this introduction, the second section presents a brief definition of green marketing and greenwashing, illustrated with the example of H&M, and closes with a brief section on green buying behavior in the fashion industry. In the methodological third chapter, the design of the research instrument is presented, and the fourth chapter presents the results of the qualitative study, i.e., the consumer interviews that have been conducted. The study concludes in the fifth chapter with a discussion of limitations, an outlook for research, and practical implications.

2 Theoretical Background

2.1 Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

While the fashion industry is primarily characterized by fast fashion (Greenpeace 2017), it is also increasingly responding to the growing interest in the topic of sustainability (Mukendi et al. 2020).

Patagonia serves in this paper as an example of a sustainable fashion brand and a representative of the slow fashion movement (Rattalino 2017; Hira/Benson‐Rea 2017) The outdoor clothing brand pursues the strategies of pollution prevention, product stewardship and sustainable development (Fowler/Hope 2007) and is often cited as one of the leading companies in the sustainability field (Elkington 1998; Rattalino 2017). In 2017, Patagonia won the Accenture Strategy Awards for Circular Economy Multinational, which emphasizes their contribution to the move towards a circular economy and the conservation of natural resources (Byars 2017). In addition, they launched the “Common Threads Initiative” with the cornerstones “reduce, repair, reuse and recycle” and shortly afterward in 2011, published the campaign “Don’t buy this jacket”, with which they tried to influence consumer behavior sustainably by criticizing the consumerist society. Furthermore, they created the “1% for the Planet” alliance by either donating 1% of their total sales or 10% of their profit year after year, depending on what was greater, to environmental initiatives since 1985 (Rattalino 2017).

Analogously to the “Don’t buy this jacket” campaign by Patagonia, Greenpeace started a “Detox campaign” targeting the garment industry by calling for no more hazardous chemicals to be used in the production of textiles. A total of 80 companies have committed to phasing out the eleven most hazardous chemicals by 2020, including fast fashion giant H&M (Greenpeace 2018a).

NGOs, the government and retailers are further promoting labels that identify sustainable clothing and also ensure that the incentive to comply with social and environmental standards is perceived as higher. Their goal is to simplify the purchasing process for consumers. The best labels and certifications in the fashion industry ranked by Greenpeace are “IVN Best” (Internationaler Verband der Naturtextilwirtschaft), “GOTS” (Global Organic Textile Standard), and “Made in Green” by Oeko‐Tex. Those are considered to be the strictest and most independent seals at the moment. “IVN” prohibits the use of chemicals throughout the value chain, defines strict social standards and only allows natural fibers from organic cultivation; “GOTS” also regulates minimum social standards, and bans particularly hazardous groups of chemicals but does not check factory emissions. They require at least 70% organic natural fibers plus up to 30% recycled fibers, such as recycled polyester, which means that the clothing is not completely biodegradable. “Made in Green” factories are subject to a strict sustainability program covering both chemicals and occupational safety. Consumer products are tested for harmful substances and may only contain low levels of chemical residues, although natural fibers, recycled fabrics and blended fabrics are permitted (Wahnbaeck 2019; Verbraucherzentrale 2021).

Transparency in supply chains is also expected by consumers. According to the EHI customer survey in 2020, almost half of the respondents now expect complete transparency (KPMG 2020b). That’s why even the biggest fast fashion retailers like H&M Group and Inditex try to develop more sustainable ways within their supply chains, and especially H&M tries to become more transparent, as shown in the fashion transparency index report.