The impact of fast fashion, consumer behaviour

and fashion brand communication on

sustainability.

A thesis submitted to Manchester Metropolitan University for the

degree of Master’s by Research in the Faculty of Arts and
Humanities

Revised: January 2021

Noelle Hatley

Manchester Fashion Institute

ii
Abstract
The fashion industry is globally important in terms of its financial contribution and the number
of people it employs. Its negative impact on the environment and world poverty through
inadequate sustainable practices are equally significant. Fast or ‘disposable’ fashion has
exacerbated the phenomenon of selling masses of cheap clothes designed to be worn a
handful of times. Brands such as H & M, ASOS and Zara have successfully exploited this
trend. Although young people - the main fast fashion consumers - are becoming increasingly
interested in sustainability, they do not appear to apply this to their fashion purchases.
This research develops understanding of the motivation behind young peoples’ fashion
consumption and interest in the provenance of their clothes, and examines the extent to which
mainstream fast fashion brands are reacting to an increased societal interest in sustainability.
Crucially, it examines the evolving relationship between the two parties.
In order to achieve the aims of the study, data from an online survey representing the views
of female fast fashion consumers (18-24) in the UK was analysed to identify what drives them
towards constant fashion purchasing, and the extent to which fast fashion satisfies this. It
explores their need to match societal ideas of beauty portrayed through digital channels, the
influence of social media and their relationship with fashion brands.
The case studies on the three most popular fast fashion brands, identified from the survey
(ASOS, Topshop and Zara) revealed how digital technology has provided an unprecedented
and direct access to their consumers. Whilst there are examples such as Patagonia and M &
S using web sites and social media to inform their customers about sustainable initiatives, fast
fashion brands are largely exploiting them purely as selling platforms.
The survey revealed that fast fashion customers want what fast fashion brands offer, but they
would also like them to be sustainable. The case study highlighted examples where customers
challenged brand social media posts about sustainable practice, confirming their significant
role in the relationship and in sustainable progress in the fashion industry. The brands’
continued success depends on listening and re-acting to their customers.
Newig et al., analytical framework (2013) provides theory about the flow, function and
effectiveness of communication in relation to sustainable goals, and is used to develop
guidelines for fast fashion brands to educate their consumers about sustainability. The
guidelines will reflect young consumers’ use of digital channels for shopping and
communication and their interest in fashion and sustainability.

Key words: Sustainability, Fast fashion, Consumers, Communication.

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Acknowledgements.
My first acknowledgement is to my husband David, who is undoubtedly the person that has
been most affected by this journey. He has graciously accepted over the last six to nine
months that almost everything had to fit around my research. I would also like to take this
opportunity to prepare him for the fact that even though the thesis is submitted, I am not
going to be filling the time with doing lots of housework – sorry, but there it is!
I would like to thank my two dedicated Supervisors: Dr. Tasneem Sabir and Dr. Joanna
Blanco-Velo who have been with me from start to finish, although one of them has left MMU
during this time. They have supported me in different and complimentary ways – providing a
perfect combination of care and pragmatism.
Two other people were temporarily part of the Supervisory team, Dr. Sara Han who moved
to another university and Professor David Tyler who joined us for the final few months, and
has offered incisive vision that has added immensely to the content and quality of the thesis.
I would like to thank and acknowledge my parents for the upbringing that has enabled my
sisters and me to achieve different and amazing things. Their continued support in whatever
I have done is invaluable. My incredible Mum at eighty-six is always interested and
encouraging. Although my Dad died a few years ago, I find myself unwittingly treading in his
footsteps, including moving into academia. I know how proud he would be that I have
completed this work.
Thank you to dear friends Andy and Alison for their invaluable input in keeping both the work
and me on track.
Finally, to many others, who have shown interest or helped in a number of different ways
throughout this process, Thank You!

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 Table of Content
Abstract 1
Acknowledgements 2
Table of Contents 3
List of Tables 6
List of Figures 8

Chapter 1.0 Introduction 11

1.1` Research Aim and Objectives 14

Chapter 2.0 Literature Review 15

2.1 Introduction 15
2.2 Sustainability in the fashion industry 16
2.2.1 Garment production 16
2.2.2 What is sustainability? 18
2.2.3 Corporate Social Responsibility 19
2.2.4 Sustainability in the fashion industry 20
2.2.5 Social sustainability in the fashion industry 20
2.2.6 Environmental sustainability in the fashion industry 22
2.2.7 Sustainability of UK Fashion Brands 24
2.2.8 Sustainability of UK Consumers 27
2.2.9 Summary of Sustainability in the fashion industry 27
2.3 Fashion consumption 28
2.3.1 Fast fashion 28
2.3.2 Fast fashion brands 29
2.3.3 Fast fashion consumers 31
2.3.4 The purchasing (consumption) process 35
2.3.5 Attitude-behaviour 37
2.3.6 Attitude-behaviour gap 39
2.3.7 Sustainable fashion consumption 39
2.3.8 Summary of Fashion Consumption 40
2.4 Fashion Communication 41
2.4.1 Communication 41
2.4.2 Communication about sustainability 42
2.4.3 Fashion brands communication 49
2.4.4 Channels of Communication 52
2.4.5 Corporate Social Responsibility 55
2.4.6 Summary of Fashion communication 56
2.5 Chapter Summary 57

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Chapter 3.0 Methodology 58
3.1 Introduction 58
3.2 Philosophical Perspective 60
3.3 Research Strategy and Design 64
3.4 Research Methods 65
3.4.1 Survey Design 68
3.4.2 Pilot Study 71
3.4.3 Sampling Strategy - Survey 72
3.4.4 Data collection. Survey. 72
3.4.5 Data analysis. Survey. 74
3.4.6 Case Studies Design 75
3.4.7 Sampling Strategy – Case Studies 76
3.4.8 Data Collection – Case Studies 77
3.4.9 Data Analysis - Case studies. 78
3.5 Ethical Considerations 79
3.6 Limitations of the Study 80
3.7 Chapter Summary 81

Chapter 4.0 Results and Findings 83

4.1 Introduction 83
4.2 Survey –Consumer insight 84
4.2.1 Introduction to Survey 84
4.2.2 Fashion and Shopping 86
4.2.3 Fashion and Sustainability 88
4.2.4 Communication between fashion brands and 91
consumers

4.2.5 Summary of Survey 94

4.3 Case studies – communication between fashion 94
brands and consumers.

4.3.1 Introduction to Case Studies 94

4.3.2 Web sites 95

4.3.3 Shops and Product Labelling 107
4.3.4 Social media - Instagram 113
4.3.5 Summary of Case studies 122
4.4 Chapter Summary 123

Chapter 5.0 Summary and Analysis 124

5.1 Introduction 124
5.2 The Consumer 125
5.2.1 Fashion consumption 125
5.2.2 Affordability and Shopping 126
5.2.3 Attitude-behaviour 127

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5.3 Fashion Brands 128
5.3.1 Shareholders and Strategy 128
5.3.2 Understanding and Committing to Sustainability 129
5.4 Consumer and Brand interest in Sustainability 130
5.4.1 Recycling 130
5.4.2 Fabric Sustainability 130
5.5 Communication between Consumers and Fashion 133
Brands

5.5.1 Language about Sustainability 133

5.5.2 Channels of Communication 135
5.5.2.1 Web sites 136
5.5.2.2 Shops 137
5.5.2.3 Product Labelling 138
5.5.2.4 Social media 139
5.5.3 Brand – Opportunity and Intention 138
5.5.4 Brand – Inaccurate and limited communication 140
about sustainability

5.6 Chapter summary 141

Chapter 6.0 Guidelines for Optimising Communication. 142

6.1 Introduction 142
6.2 Communication guidelines about Sustainability 143
6.3 Chapter Summary 151

Chapter 7.0 Conclusion 152

8.0 References 156

9.0 Appendix 174

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 List of Tables

Table 1 Apparel Exporting countries & National Minimum Wage. Informed by 17

‘Country Report & Euromonitor’ 2018 Passport 2018

Table 2 United Nations Development Goals 2000 and 2015 19

Table 3 Social Sustainability Indicators – (SDG’s, Bertelsmann Stiftung and 22

Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2018:16, & Sustainable
Society Index)

Table 4 Examples of environmental non-sustainable practices in the fashion 23

industry. Informed by Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Circular Fibres
Initiative, 2017:20.

Table 5 Impact categories. Informed by Zhang et al., 2015:999 23

Table 6 UK Parliament (2019) [online] Interim Report on the Sustainability of the 25

Fashion Industry. Table of retailers’ responses. {To questions about
sustainability}

Table 7 Comparison of opening and closing footwear prices in relation to their 26

engagement with sustainable initiatives. Informed by information from
Asda, ASOS and Kurt Geiger web sites.

Table 8 Brands UK market share of Apparel and Footwear. Informed by 29

Euromonitor International Passport Apparel and Footwear in the United
Kingdom Country Report. 2018

Table 9 ASOS revenue growth 2013 – 2018 informed by ASOS online trading 30
report.

Table 10 Actual and Forecast Apparel sales in the UK. Informed by Euromonitor 30
International Passport Apparel and Footwear in the United Kingdom
Country Report 2018

Table 11 List of the Richest People in Fashion in 2017, Fashion United 2019 31

Table 12 Individual and Situational influences on Consumption. Informed by Joshi 36

and Rahman, 2015

Table 13 Theories exploring attitude behaviour through the 20th century. Informed 38
by Jackson 2005, Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015

Table 14 Communication/persuasion theories relating to purchasing behaviour 42

informed by Jackson 2005, and Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015.

Table 15 Belief based and ‘other’ Persuasion models and theories. 44

Table 16 Dimensions of persuasiveness in relation to behaviour change informed 45

by Villarino and Font (2015)

Table 17 Decreasing the attitude-behaviour gap. Antonetti and Maklan, 2015. 46

Table 18 ‘Communication about sustainability and communication of sustainability 47

in comparison.’ (Newig et al., 2013: 2977)

Table 19 Informed by Communication regarding Sustainability: Conceptual 48

Perspectives and Exploration of Societal Subsystems (Newig et al.,
2013)

Table 20 Adapted from ‘Typology of communication processes in relation to 48

sustainability with examples’ (Newig et al., 2013: 2978)

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Table 21 Variables influencing the level of sustainable consumption. Informed by 51
Joshi and Rahman, 2015.

Table 22 Researcher philosophical research profiles from HARP questionnaire. 62

Bristow and Saunders, 2014.

Table 23 Literature Review, Survey and Case Studies themes. 65

Table 24 Summary of Methods to meet the research Aim, Objectives and 66

Questions.

Table 25 Literature and Survey sections and questions. 70

Table 26 Participant Sample for online survey. 72

Table 27 Number of Completed Surveys at different stages of data collection 73

Table 28 Templates used for data collection in stores, web sites and Instagram. 77
Table 29 Case study data collection schedule – July 2019 78
Table 30 Influence of ethical considerations throughout three key stages of 80
research, informed by Hart, 2005.

Table 31 Summary of how primary research design & methods investigated the 83
literature review themes.

Table 31 Influence of survey results in determining the sampling strategy of the 83

case studies.

Table 32 Survey sections and content. 84

Table 33 Influence of survey results in determining the sampling strategy of the 86
case studies.

Table 34 ASOS, Topshop & Zara comparative analysis between links to 102
information about sustainability

Table 35 Using search word ‘Sustainable’ on web sites. July 2019 106

Table 36 Web site search using survey words. Accessed 05.08.19 107
Table 37 Sales Assistants Responses to Sustainable Products - Top Shop and 110
Zara. July 2019

Table 38 Instagram image and video posts and customer responses 17th – 31st 117
August 2019. Instagram, 2019.

Table 39 Brand posts relating to sustainability. 2019 120

Table 40 Summary of survey and case study findings. 126
Table 41 Summary of Join Life product categories outlined on Inditex web site 131
Table 42 Survey results showing consumer and brand emphasis on ‘sustainable’ 134
words.

Table 43 Fashion brand current position within the Newig typology. Adapted from 143
Newig et al., 2013: 2978.

Table 44 Examples from case studies illustrating Stage 1 - Immature to achieve 144
improved sustainable action to accompany communication about
sustainability. (Authors own, 2019)

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Table 45 Summary of three stages for fashion brands to achieve improved 145
sustainable communication. (Authors own, 2019)

Table 46 Summary of stages to achieve improved sustainable action to accompany 147

communication about sustainability. (Authors own, 2019)

Table 47 Antonetti and Maklin (2015) behaviour categorisation for brand 148
communication for sustainably - oriented consumers.

Table 48 Development of Antonetti and Maklin (2015) behaviour categorisation for 148
brand communication about sustainability to consumers.

List of Figures

Figure 1 Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group, 2018. 16

Figure 2 A section of a 3 Tier supply chain for a denim jean, informed by Mejias 17
et al., 2019).

Figure 3 The apparel value chain. Martin, 2013:6 18

Figure 4 Impact categories from production of a cotton T-shirt. (Zhang et al., 24

2015:999)

Figure 5 Primark Manchester 08.07.19 Sustainable Denim - Products, Signs and 26

Tickets on garments

Figure 6 The Generations Defined. Dimok, 2019, online 31

Figure 7 Influence of self, fashion brand and significant others on fashion 37

communication and consumption. Informed by Joshi and Rahman,
2015

Figure 8 Impact of attitude on behaviour prediction, informed by Guyer and 39

Fabrigar, 2015.

Figure 9 Influence of self, fashion brand and significant others on fashion 51

communication and consumption. Informed by Joshi and Rahman, 2015

Figure 10 Fairtrade clothing logo 54

Figure 11 GOTS branding for garment labels and tickets 54

Figure 12 Thesis research methods and characteristics: adapted from Brown 2001 59
(Brown and Rodgers, 2003)

Figure 13 Stages of the research process leading to the selected methods. 65

Figure 14 Sequential mixed method research design. Informed by Biggs & Buchler, 68
2008

Figure 15 Eisenhardt’s process of building theories from case study research, 68

1989.

Figure 16 Stages that must occur if a question is to be valid and reliable. Source: 69
developed from Froddy (1994) Constructing Questions for Interviews
and Questionnaires.

Figure 17 Process of data analysis - survey & case studies, informed by Miles and 75
Huberman (1994)

Figure 18 Case study data collection. 76

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Figure 19 Popular brands from the survey for case study sample. 84

Figure 20 Survey responses about preferred ways to shop for fashion. 85

Figure 21 Survey responses about preferred News and Sustainability Channels 85

Figure 22 Survey responses showing frequency of clothes buying. 86

Figure 23 Survey results relating to money spent on clothes. 88

Figure 24 Survey responses (Q8 & Q9) ‘Reasons & Priorities’ for buying new 88
clothes’.

Figure 25 Survey results on frequency of wearing an item of clothing. 88

Figure 26 Survey results relating to the value of clothes. 89

Figure 27 Survey responses ‘Higher prices for sustainable clothes’ 89

Figure 28 Survey responses ‘Meaning of Sustainable Fashion’ 90

Figure 29 Survey findings relating to interest in clothes production. 90

Figure 30 Survey results relating to motivation for purchasing sustainably. 91

Figure 31 Survey results about interest in news and sustainability 92

Figure 32 Survey results relating to frequency of communication 92

Figure 33 Survey results relating to preferred communication from fashion brands. 93

Figure 34 Survey results relating to communication received from fashion brands. 93

Figure 35 View showing the entire home page of ASOS, Topshop, Zara, 97
highlighting the position of the link to sustainable information. August
2019.

Figure 36 ASOS Header, Route to sustainable information and Corporate 99

Responsibility web site page. July 2019

Figure 37 Topshop Header, Route to sustainable information and Fashion 100

Footprint web site page. July 2019

Figure 38 Zara Header, Route to sustainable information and JOINLIFE web site 101
page. July 2019

Figure 39 ASOS product presented from searching on the word ‘sustainable’ on 103
the web site

Figure 40 ASOS Web site description of the jackets ‘sustainability’ only revealed 103
after selecting ‘Show More’ button.

Figure 41 Image from Topshop web site - Organic T-shirt July 2019 104

Figure 42 Images from Zara web site – Join Life products. July 2019 105

Figure 43 Topshop ‘in store’ signage. July 2019 108

Figure 44 Zara ‘in store’ signage. July 2019 109

Figure 45 Tickets & labels on ASOS ‘sustainable’ products July 2019 111

Figure 46 Tickets & labels on Topshop Boutique Collection July 2019 112

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Figure 47 Swing Tickets from Zara’s JOIN LIFE & BASICS ranges July 2019 112

Figure 48 Instagram home pages with Highlights – 06.07.19. ASOS, Topshop & 114
Zara

Figure 49 Daily Instagram posts ASOS, Topshop & Zara. Instagram, 2019 115

Figure 50 Total Instagram posts ASOS, Topshop & Zara, Instagram, 2019 115

Figure 51 Instagram Followers – ASOS, Topshop & Zara. Instagram, 2019. 116

Figure 52 Top of ASOS & Primark Instagram page. 26.07.19 116

Figure 53 Instagram ‘Like’ to a post on a mobile phone. 116

Figure 54 Instagram posts and Customer responses from ASOS, Topshop & Zara. 118
July 2019.

Figure 55 ASOS & Zara Instagram ‘Sustainability’ posts & customer comments. 119
ASOS & Zara. July 2019

Figure 56 Customers ‘Comments’ on Instagram posts about sustainability. July 121

2019.

Figure 57 Boohoo Recycled T shirt. (Boohoo, 2019 online) 129

Figure 58 Link from Inditex web site to ‘Spanish’ Join Life specifications. 132

Figure 59 Survey results showing Consumer and Brand emphasis on language of 133
sustainability. (Authors own image, 2019)

Figure 60 Instagram posts relating to Sustainability and Others 135

Figure 61 Proposed swing ticket options with information about garment 150
sustainability. (Zara, 2020, online and Authors own).

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Chapter 1 Introduction
In 2018 the global fashion industry was worth three thousand billion US dollars and equating
to 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) whilst employing 57.8 million people, an increase of
69% since 1990 (Fashion United, 2018). Garment production is concentrated primarily in
South East Asia, one of the two regions in the world with the highest number of people living
below the poverty line (United Nations, 2015). Much of the fashion industry is unsustainable,
dominated by low cost, and fast pace, with fragmented and complex supply chains, and little
visibility between production and point of sale (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group, 2018:34).
The United Kingdom (UK) continues to be internationally significant in fashion for design and
trend setting, high street and luxury brands offer fashionable garments at all market levels.
(British Fashion Council (BFC), 2018). London Fashion Week draws visitors from all over the
world, and remains one of the key events of the fashion calendar (BFC, 2018). The scope of
the industry extends from creative and retail, to marketing and media, and an internationally
recognised fashion education system (BFC, 2018).
In 2018, 816,000 people worked in the UK fashion industry, which made a direct contribution
of £21 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (BFC, 2018). In the United Kingdom’s neo-
liberal, political economy, which gives priority to markets (Gamble, 2019), GDP is the main
indicator of economic performance (Coscieme et al., 2019). It measures financial output per
person versus the cost of achieving it. A growing population demands financial growth to
demonstrate economic strength, consumption of goods is encouraged, as it makes significant
contribution to the country’s financial status (Liao et al., 2019) .
Since 2013, the annual turnover of leading fast fashion brands and the number of garments
sold has increased every year, whilst the average selling price has decreased resulting in
fierce competition, particularly on price (Table 10. Section 2.3.2). Despite sector level
commitment to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), forecasts
up to 2022 are for this trend to continue (Euromonitor, 2018:7). Garment manufacture is labour
intensive (Koksal et al., 2017) so when UK wages prohibited financial targets, production
moved to offshore, low labour cost countries. These were frequently developing or third world
regions such as India, Bangladesh and parts of China, all with undeveloped infrastructure and
a poor record on human rights (Alam et al., 2018). Buyers focussed on sourcing products,
sometimes through agents without supply chain visibility or any commitment to particular
factories (Taplin, 2014). This altered the dynamic of relationships between retailer and
manufacturer and allowed Buyers to move from one factory to another to secure the lowest
cost (Koksal et al., 2017). The physical distance between offshore production and customers
in the UK resulted in consumers having little or no knowledge about the making of their clothes,
or the conditions that garment workers experienced (Koksal et al., 2017).
The phenomenal growth (Euromonitor, 2018) of fast fashion has amplified many of the most
damaging aspects of the industry (Gupta, 2019). Privately owned fast fashion retailers such
as Zara and Hennes & Mauritz (H & M) increased their range of options to give customers
more choice, and encourage multiple purchasing. The sector is important in terms of scale in

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the apparel industry (Watson and Yan, 2013). Selling prices have remained unsustainably low
(ILO, 2017) and more garments are sold in order to achieve revenue growth (See Table 10,
Section 2.3.2). Factories have to meet low costs, with smaller average order quantities, and
increased number of options. As each has a unique specification of components, design,
pattern, and construction, maintaining the same level of turnover was more complicated, time
consuming and costly for the factories (Taplin, 2014). From the retailer’s perspective,
extensive product ranges and more frequent ‘product drops’ generated greater sales so that
a customer shopping weekly would always see something new (Cook and Yurchisin, 2017).
This led to a dramatic reduction in lead times from months to weeks, further increasing the
demands on factories (Taplin, 2014). Digital technology has further increased the pace of fast
fashion, smart devices, particularly mobile phones enable online purchasing at all times
(Brewer, 2019, Nash, 2019). Brands encourage the perception that product is scarce (Cook
and Yurchisin, 2017) with online or in store reminders to purchase before product sells out.
Young people are the most significant group of fast fashion consumers (Ritch, 2015:1166),
this research includes Millennials (born 1981-1996) and Generation Z (born 1997-2012)
(Dimok, 2019). Their number and potential buying power make them an attractive target for
many industries (Calienes et al., 2016:47). Perhaps their most distinguishing characteristic is
their digital proficiency, providing unprecedented opportunities for researching, purchasing
and socialising (Nielson, 2017). This generation expect brands to provide personalised
relevant information about products and services (Burch, 2017). They will supplement
managed content from brands with other sources including comparison sites and other
consumers to find information not generated from, or controlled by, the brand, which has led
to a decrease in brand loyalty (Claveria, 2019). They expect personalisation and want to
express their opinion (Calienes et al., 2016:48) this is significant in developing communication
guidelines about sustainability.
Recent business data suggests that millennials in particular are more likely to buy products
from companies using sustainable solutions and willing to pay more for them (The Business
of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018:62). Other research, however, suggests that other factors limit
the extent to which this influences their fashion consumption: enhancing or disguising parts of
the body; being ‘fashionable’ or ‘desirable’ (Joyner-Armstrong et al., 2016, McNeill and Moore,
2015). Social media platforms where ‘selfies’ are posted, has encouraged the ‘disposability’ of
clothes, an outfit ‘shared’ has limited use (Nash 2019, Bess and Bartolini 2011). Although fast
fashion garments are relatively inexpensive, the cycle of constant disposal and replacement
results in consuming much of young people’s disposable income. Therefore, although they
may have a positive predisposition towards sustainable purchasing (McNeill and Moore,
2015), other influences affect their consumption of fashion goods. They want fast fashion at
affordable prices, and are not necessarily aware or interested in factory workers wages or
working conditions (Maximillian, 2013:10). They are largely unaware of the origin of their
clothes, and information provided by fashion brands about sustainability is absent, scarce
and/or inexplicit - perhaps an indication that there is little good practice to communicate, and
that it is safer not to attempt to do so (Ritch, 2015:1170).

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Sustainability has become an increasingly important value in the global fashion industry
(Gupta, 2019). Although there is not an industry wide definition of what it means, it
encompasses terms such as organic, green, fair trade, and ethical (Cervellon et al., 2010) and
includes environmental and social sustainability. The absence of sustainable information and
‘greenwashing’, (deliberately) misleading or vague communication that enhances brands’
sustainable credentials, may have led to the emergence of organisations such as the
Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group in 2013, which provides guidance for brands on
optimising the sustainability message. Pressure groups and organisations such as The Ethical
Trading Initiative (ETI), founded in 1998 have campaigned for transparency in the supply
chain, but it was not until damaging publicity about factory conditions threatened to adversely
affect sales, that many fashion brands began to implement changes (Arrigo, 2020). They
developed Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies, stipulating minimum standards
and auditing procedures for the factories with which they traded. Recognition of investment of
time and money, and working towards long rather than short-term goals presents perhaps the
biggest challenge for many fashion businesses (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group, 2018). However, as investors and shareholders increasingly assess
sustainability in their risk assessment of a company, this will encourage sustainable strategies
(Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018).
Some fashion brands have implemented sustainable practices (Gupta, 2019), particularly with
environmental initiatives. For example, Kering introduced an Environmental Profit & Loss
(EPL) system; Reformation use a RefScale that allows consumers to view each products
environmental impact; G Star and H & M use Fibre Benchmark for the same purpose.
Initiatives such as these have encouraged other brands to put sustainability on their business
agenda for the first time, and have led to the development of The Global Pulse Score, a health
measure for the Fashion Industry developed by Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group (2018:12). The 2018 report provides information for all fashion businesses
regardless of size or market level about how they can become more sustainable. Focussing
on four enablers: Resources, Strategy, Communication and Traceability, it uses previous
companies’ experience to set out key stages and outcomes that a business might expect in
the drive towards sustainability.
Traditional channels of communication used by fashion brands include sales staff, store
signage, swing tickets and labels, but digital platforms including web sites, e-mail, and social
media give unprecedented opportunities to communicate with customers. There is a diverse
range of communication about sustainability reflecting different practices, market levels and
consumers. At one extreme, Patagonia, an outdoor clothing brand who have built their brand
on sustainability, feature environmental campaigns on the home page of their web site
alongside their mission statement: ‘Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use
business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis’ (Patagonia, 2018,
online). M & S was the first mass market brand to provide a Supplier Map, as part of Plan A of
their sustainability strategy (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company (2018). At
the fast fashion end, brands’ primary communication relates to selling product, although in

13
recent years both H & M and Zara have introduced sustainable collections (Conscious and
Join Life).
This research addresses the significance of communication in contributing to improving the
sustainability of the fashion industry. It requires an understanding of the two key parties:
consumers and fashion brands. Digital technology, web sites and social media - may have
contributed to increasing the pace of fashion, but now present an opportunity to develop a
sustainability narrative between fashion brands and consumers. It will explore consumer
motivation for fashion purchasing and interest in sustainability and brand interest in becoming
more sustainable, in order to highlight the extent to which the two are compatible.

1.1 Research Aim and Objectives

The Research Aim for this study is:

To analyse the impact of fast fashion, consumer behaviour and fashion brand
communication on sustainability.

The Research Objectives for this study are:

1) To analyse fast fashion consumers and their fashion consumption.
2) To evaluate how fast fashion brands communicate with their customers.
3) To make a comparative analysis of consumer and fashion brand interest in
sustainability.
4) To recommend guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability
between fast fashion brands and consumers.

The following chapters uncover the theory and original findings of this research thus fulfilling
the Aims and Objectives:-
 Literature Review (Ch. 2)
 Methodology (Ch. 3)
 Results and Findings (Ch. 4)
 Summary and Analysis (Ch. 5)
 Guidelines for Optimising Communication (Ch. 6)
 Conclusion (Ch.7)

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Chapter 2.0 Literature Review
This chapter investigates the meaning of sustainability and the impact of the UK fashion
industry. It discusses environmental and social sustainability and considers the influence of
fast fashion brands and consumers. It compares areas of consumer and brand interest and
behaviour in sustainable consumption. Concluding with an examination of theoretical
perspectives of communication about sustainability.

2.1 Introduction
Fashion is an important global industry in terms of revenue, employment and impact on
sustainability (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018, Alam et al.,
2018). It is not size alone that makes its contribution noteworthy, rather the speed, complexity
and geography of parties involved (Brewer, 2019). The growth and ever-increasing pace of
fast fashion, where constantly changing products are sourced and transported from countries
offering the lowest cost, has led to a worsening situation in relation to sustainability over the
last decade (Dissanayakea and Sinha, 2015). Digital technological developments have
changed lifestyles, particularly of young millennials with their attachment to social media and
unprecedented shopping opportunities (Brewer, 2019). Image driven sites such as Facebook
and Instagram have led to increasing pressure particularly on young women to transform
themselves to live up to others’ curated images (Brewer, 2019). An analysis of the attitude-
behaviour gap will show that despite increased millennial concern with sustainability, other
fashion purchasing priorities may predominate.
Fashion has always represented a significant part of an individual’s identity, and sense of well-
being, but the pace, scale, and cost of fast fashion, has transformed the value of clothes.
Basic jersey items from Primark such as T-shirts and leggings are cheaper than the price of
an alcoholic beverage, so it is hardly surprising that young people perceive garments as
disposable, and may only wear them a few times (McNeill and Moore, 2015). Millennial
investment in fashion has led to a symbiotic relationship with fast fashion brands, which
generate a huge amount of revenue and shareholder wealth. Amancio Ortega of Inditex
(which includes Zara) has been the richest man in the fashion industry for the last three years
(Fashion United, 2018). The rapid growth of online brands such as ASOS and Missguided are
similar success stories; collectively they make formidable opponents to changing the current
model.
Despite the magnitude and complexity of fashion creation and consumption, it is important to
acknowledge some good sustainable practice across all businesses and market levels. The
fashion industry pulse score which measures sustainability has increased by 6 points to 38/100
2017 - 2018 (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018:7). The same
period also saw improvements in the number of sustainably related targets and the extent that
sustainability influences company decisions (2018, Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group), see Figure 1.

15
 Figure 1: Global Fashion Agenda & The Boston Consulting Group, 2018.

Aside from the direct positive contribution to sustainability some businesses are making, their
example raises the profile of the issue with government, investors, businesses and consumers,
and provides experience from which other companies can draw. Initiatives such as the G7
Sustainability Fashion Pact which 32 of the world’s leading fashion and textile companies have
signed up to (Tafreschi, 2019), help to keep the issue of sustainability at the forefront of
people’s minds.
The focus for this research is an examination of communication between fashion brands and
consumers, in order to develop guidelines to improve and optimise the narrative about
sustainability.

2.2 Sustainability in the fashion industry.

2.2.1 Garment Production

There is little awareness outside the fashion industry of the labour intensity of clothing
production and the processes that get products to consumers (Koksal et al., 2017:2). At the
lower and mid-market level, the labour cost represents a significant percentage of the total
garment cost (Jeffrey and Evans, 2011), which is significant in sourcing strategies. In the
eighties and nineties, garment production for the home market began to move from the UK to
South East Asia: China, India and Bangladesh where wages were dramatically lower (Taplin,
2014:74).
Table 1 lists in order from largest to smallest the ten biggest apparel-exporting countries in
2017. Perhaps the most disturbing revelation is the paucity of wages in Asia compared to
Europe. Taken as a percentage of the country with the highest minimum wage, which is France
at 100% Chinas minimum wage equates to 12.5% of that figure, Bangladesh to 3.69% and
India just 3.03%. The attraction that these countries hold for a labour intensive industry like
apparel is obvious.

16
 Country Apparel exports $ National minimum wage % of the highest minimum
million -2017 per month 2019 US $ wage - France
China 110,519.0 224.70 12.51
Bangladesh 26,908.7 66.40 3.69
Italy 23,969.3 not known n/a
Germany 22,448.8 1796.60 99.97
Turkey 22,116.9 535.40 29.79
Vietnam 21,591.4 not known n/a
India 14,103.9 54.50 3.03
Spain 13,018.7 1197.80 66.65
France 12,004.3 1797.10 100
UK 10,572.4 1723.60 95.91

Table 1: Apparel Exporting countries & National Minimum Wage. Informed by ‘Country
Report & Euromonitor’ 2018 Passport 2018.

Manufacturing in these countries enabled fashion businesses to maintain or lower retail-selling

prices and protect their margin. It also started a trend of a spiral downward cost and selling
prices, and fierce competition between factories to maintain or win orders (Taplin, 2014:74).
The complexity of apparel in terms of the number and specificity of components within a single
item is also unknown to most consumers. Apparel production is tiered, the factory making the
garment is Tier 1, the factory supplying the components for the garment is Tier 2, and so on
(Mejias et al., 2019). Figure 2 shows the number of components required to construct a pair
of jeans, typically a main fabric, trim fabric for the pockets, zip, metal shank button, metal
rivets, and thread, many originating from different factories. Even beyond Tier 2, a component
such as a zip has several elements metallic & textile originating from different factories. The
difficulty in accounting for and ensuring that all suppliers are sourcing ethically becomes clear
(Mejias et al., 2019, Koksal et al., 2017:6). To add further complexity, whilst China, the biggest
apparel exporting country, has a well-developed garment infrastructure and can source
components locally, other countries, such as Bangladesh and India, are likely to be importing
them, resulting in a global fragmented supply chain (Koksal et al., 2017:6).

Tier 1
Jeans
Garment
Factory

Tier 2 Tier 2
Tier 2 Tier 2 Tier 2
Denim outer Metal Button
Pocket fabric Zip Thread
fabric & Rivets
Component Component Component
Component Component
factory 2 factory 4 factory 5
factory 1 factory 3

Tier 3
Tape
Metal teeth, zip pull,
slider.

Figure 2: A section of a Three Tier supply chain for a denim jean, informed by Mejias et al.,
2019).

17
 According to ‘The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company’, an apparel company
might think that they only have 1000 – 2000 suppliers the reality is likely to be 20,000-50,000
if you include all the sub-suppliers (2018:65). This extends the responsibility of fashion brands
to include all Tiers in order for them to be fully sustainable (Mejias et al., 2019).
A typical fast fashion garment factory will work on many different small quantity orders
simultaneously. Figure 3 developed by Martin (2013) shows the extended process.

Figure 3: The apparel value chain. Martin, 2013:6

Fast fashion requires extensive planning and co-ordination, and reduces the potential cost
reduction of traditional large production runs, where workers’ speed increased as they become
familiar with completing operations. A picture of the demands on a fast fashion factory begins
to emerge, toughly negotiated cost prices, small margins, diminished order quantities, short
production runs, and tight deadlines leaving little room for error and with the threat of financial
penalties (International Labour Office (ILO), 2017). Many factories face tough challenges in
meeting contractual obligations. A global survey of all industries found that technical
specifications from Buyers in the Textiles and Clothing sector were often lacking detail or
incorrect, leading to additional overtime to keep the agreed date (ILO, 2017:5).

2.2.2 What is sustainability?

‘Sustain’ means to preserve, protect and provide for the future (Collins English Dictionary, 2019).
In 1972, the United Nations first expressed concerns about the negative impact that industrial
development was having on the environment and global equality. In 1987, the Brundtland Report
‘Our Common Future’ summarised sustainability thus: ‘Development which meets the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’
(World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), 1987). Its message was that
the planet’s resources were finite and harmed by industrialisation and population growth, leading
to increasing inequality.

18
The UN formalised their concerns about sustainability in 2000 by developing eight Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs). These were replaced in 2015, by 17 ‘Sustainable Development
Goals’ (SDG’s) available in six languages, (Table 2), and the process of mapping the progress
of 156 countries towards their achievement began (Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable
Development Solutions Network, 2018).

UN Millennium Development UN Sustainable Development

Goals 2000 Goals 2015
1 To eradicate extreme poverty and1 No poverty
hunger. 2 Zero hunger
2 To achieve universal primary 3 Good health and well-being
education 4 Quality Education
3 To promote gender equality and 5 Gender Equality
empower women 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

4 To reduce child mortality 7 Affordable and Clean Energy

8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
5 To improve maternal health 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10 Reduced Inequality
6 To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
other diseases 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
7 To ensure environmental 13 Climate Action
sustainability and
14 Life Below Water
8 To develop a global partnership 15 Life on Land
for development
16 Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
17 Partnership to achieve the Goal

Table 2: United Nations Development Goals 2000 and 2015

Social performance relates to human welfare including wages, working hours and factory
conditions. Environmental sustainability includes depletion and/or pollution of natural
resources. Financial sustainability includes economic factors, relating to the viability of the
business.

2.2.3 Corporate Social Responsibility

In 1994 Elkington, the founder of a British sustainability consultancy recommended that
businesses carry out an holistic assessment of a company’s economic, social, and
environmental performance, or ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL) (Hiller Connell and Kozar, 2017:1).
Simultaneously customers became increasingly interested in knowing about suppliers and the
provenance of products, and businesses began to realise that sustainability was important
(Perry et al., 2014). In response, many introduced Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
strategies, which outlined their commitment to improving their social and environmental
impact. (Lueg et al., 2013). Aguinis (2011:855) defined CSR as organizational actions and
policies that account for stakeholders’ expectations and the triple bottom line of economic

19
social and environmental performance. It conveys the idea that business should assume social
responsibilities beyond any economic, technical and legal obligations, with the objective of
reconciling social and environmental objectives (Davis, 1973).

CSR strategies are voluntary and in practice may become a compliance issue involving the
application of guiding mechanisms, codes of conduct and audits (Perry et al., 2014). They lack
the force of mandatory law (Brewer, 2019), and are associated with increasing costs and
limiting profitability (Hume, 2010:386). Implementation at factory level is frequently
compromised, particularly in fast fashion where achieving other demands including low prices,
short lead times, and trend led products was considered to be more important (Brewer, 2019,
Perry et al., 2014). Consequently, the perception was that they were ‘little more than a PR
exercise…that fail to fully address exploitative working conditions…’ (Perry et al., 2014).

2.2.4 Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

Characterised by its globally fragmented supply chain (Koksal et al., 2017:6), buying offices
distanced from production, and constantly changing low cost products, a lack of transparency
in the fashion industry is unsurprising. An indication of the pressure garment factories face is
that according to the International Labour Office (ILO), 52%, against a global industry figure of
39%, sell below cost (2017:7). The principal motivation for this in most cases was to secure
future orders, although beating the competition and costing error calculations were also cited
(ILO, 2017:8).
In a market where fashion products are constantly changing (Koksal et al., 2017, Thomas,
2015:537) negotiations around style, price and speed are normal. Research by the ILO (2017)
found that the textile and garment industries were two of the worst industries as far as
inadequate lead times were concerned. Furthermore, although in 2017 financial penalties for
not meeting contract dates ran at 5% across all industries, the figure in textiles and garments
was 35% (Koksal et al, 2017:6). In summary, apparel factories work with complex, constantly
changing products made from numerous components, with short lead times, low prices, and
the threat of discount for failure to meet contract details.

2.2.5 Social Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

A consequence of the labour intensive nature of the fashion industry it employs more than 60
million people worldwide (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group,
2018:46), therefore, its social sustainability footprint is substantial. Apparel is frequently a
starter industry for developing countries due to the relative ease in setting up garment
factories, which employ significant numbers and lift people out of poverty (Alam et al., 2018)
In Bangladesh 35% of all employees work in the apparel industry (Kirchain et al., 2015:3).
Workers in these countries are reliant on their earnings to survive and have few rights, there
is little or no welfare support, and trade unions are weak representing only 22% of global
industries (ILO, 2017:12). It is common for apparel factory workers to work 10 -15 hours a day,
six or seven days a week, on mind numbing repetitive tasks (Taplin, 2014, Hiller et al., 2012:
396).

20
The labour cost of a garment is significant (Jeffrey and Evans, 2011) and determined by where
factory location (Alam, 2018). Table 1 highlighted disparity of National Minimum Wages
between Europe and Asian garment exporting countries such as China, India and Bangladesh.
Further investigation exposes the inadequacy of the National Minimum Wage in relation to a
Living Wage, which expresses the needs of a family unit rather than an individual. The Living
Wage measures social participation and mobility, rather than survival and social exclusion,
allowing for food, accommodation, education and health care (Living Wage Foundation &
ACCA, 2017:4). Acording to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance, all National Minimum Wages are
far below the Living Wages in all the countries in Asia with which they work (2018, online). The
latest figures available indicate that in 2014, China’s Minimum Wage was 46% of the Living
Wage; India’s Minimum Wage was 26% of the Living Wage and Bangladesh’s Minimum Wage
represented only 19% of the Living Wage; (Asia Floor Wage Alliance, 2018, online). H & M,
one of the largest global fast fashion brands and the fifth highest scoring brand in the fashion
Transparency Index (Fashion Revolution, 2019) do not pay a living wage to any of the workers
in the factories making their products (Labour Behind The Label, 2019).
Yet, despite increasing concern about sustainability in the fashion industry, cost continues to
be the driving factor in determining order placement. A survey in 2017 revealed that across all
industries cost was twice as important as working conditions (ILO, 2017:10). A further
assessment of a country’s social sustainability is the Sustainable Society Index (SSI), which
measures 99% of the world’s population by evaluating 151 countries over three categories -
human, environmental and economic - to give an overall wellbeing indicator (European
Commission, 2012:3). Table 3 shows the SSI position of the biggest apparel exporting
countries. India (5.23) scores the least well, followed by China (5.24), followed by Bangladesh
(5.36); and the UK (5.88) and Germany (6.24) are at the top. In analysing progress towards
the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, India and Bangladesh are ranked 112 th and 111th
respectively from a total of 151 countries, whereas Germany are in 4 th and France in 5th
position. Scores from a 100 range from India’s, the lowest at 59.1, to the highest, France, with
81.2. The report highlights the goals that present the biggest challenges for these Asian
countries: Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being, Life below Water, Peace, Justice and
Strong Institutions and Reduced Inequalities (Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable
Development Solutions Network, 2018:12).

21
 Ten biggest SSI Sust.
Ten biggest Sust. Dev. Ten biggest
apparel Overall Dev.
apparel exporting Goals rank apparel exporting
exporting Well Goals
countries /156 countries
countries being score

India 5.23 India 112 India 59.1

China 5.24 Bangladesh 111 Bangladesh 59.3
Bangladesh 5.36 Turkey 79 Vietnam 69.7
Vietnam 5.49 Vietnam 57 China 70.1
Spain 5.51 China 54 Italy 74.2
France 5.64 Italy 29 Spain 75.4
Turkey 5.75 Spain 25 United Kingdom 78.7
Italy 5.77 United Kingdom 14 Germany 81.2
United Kingdom 5.88 France 5 France 81.2
Germany 6.24 Germany 4 Turkey 68.5

Table 3: Social Sustainability Indicators – (SDG’s, Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable

Development Solutions Network, 2018:16, & Sustainable Society Index)

A further symptom of the fast fashion cycle linked to social deprivation is inadequate time for
order completion. Excessive overtime because of overcommitting to orders results in workers
forced to do paid or unpaid overtime (Koksal et al., 2017:16, ILO, 2017:11). It is reported that
this is what led to the deaths in 2013 of 1,135 people and injury to a further 2,500 in
Bangladesh was the collapse of the poorly constructed Rana Plaza building, where work on
orders due to be despatched that day continued even after cracks were identified (Chowdhury,
2017). Worldwide attention following this human disaster led to the setting up of the
Bangladesh Building Accord on Fire and Safety, although criticism of its implementation
remains (Koksal et al., 2017:16). Other common issues in garment factories include
discrimination, abuse, health and safety hazards (e.g. blocked fire exits), child and forced
labour.
2.2.6 Environmental Sustainability in the Fashion Industry
The fashion industry consumes huge quantities of raw materials and accounts for 10% of the
world’s carbon emissions (Brewer, 2019, Gupta 2019). Fast fashion has intensified the
demand for constant product newness, leading to continual low cost fibre, fabric and garment
production (Brewer, 2019). The industry produces in ways that deplete, damage or pollute
natural sources through using harmful substances and/or processes, and utilising resources
at a faster rate than are naturally replenished, thereby jeopardising sustainable practices
(Koksal et al., 2017, McNeill, Moore, 2015:213, Joy et al., 2012:290). Aside from garment
production processes, getting product to the point of sale involves extensive transportation of
goods, contributing further to environmental damage (Brewer, 2019). Garment disposal has
resulted in textiles representing the largest sector of household waste and significant landfill
(Sinha, 2012). Table 4 illustrates the type and scale of environmental damage caused by the
industry, including over use of water, water pollution, creation and disposal of non-renewable
and harmful resources, and greenhouse gas emissions.

22
 Water use & pollution Use of non- Greenhouse gas Use of harmful Plastic
renewable emissions substances entering the
resources ocean

Textile production 98 million tonnes Textile production Hazardous Half a million

(including cotton) uses per year of oil for:- totalled 1.2 billion chemicals & tonnes of
93 billion cubic metres Synthetic fibres. tonnes of CO2 processes have plastic micro
of water annually. Fertilisers to grow (equivalent). negative effects fibres shed
20% of industrial water cotton. More than those on farmers, during the
pollution globally is Chemicals to of all international factory workers, washing of
attributable to the produce dye, and flights and and the plastic based
dyeing and treatment of finish fibre and maritime shipping surrounding textiles, an end
textiles. textiles. combined. environment. up in the
ocean.

Table 4: Examples of environmental non-sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

Informed by Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Circular Fibres Initiative, 2017:20.

As the largest apparel manufacturing country, exporting four times the value of any other,
China’s environmental footprint is highly significant. In the last few years, the government has
begun to pay more attention to developing sustainable practices, but 80% of garment
businesses have a poor environmental record (Zhang, 2015:995, Koksal et al., 2013). To
highlight the magnitude of the environmental problem it is worth understanding the impact of
a single garment, as assessed through a system developed by Zhang et al., as shown in Table
5 (2015:1003).

ADP-e Abiotic depletion—elements POCP Photochemical ozone creation

ADP-f Abiotic depletion—fossil WU Water use
AP Acidification (AP) ECP Eco toxicity
EP Eutrophication HTCP Human toxicity—cancer
GWP Global warming HTPNC Human toxicity—non-cancer

Table 5: Impact categories. Informed by Zhang et al., 2015:999

Nine life-cycle stages of a cotton T shirt, including cotton cultivation, transportation, spinning,
knitting, dyeing, making, distribution, consumption and disposal, were assessed in relation to
ten impact categories. The largest portion of the Abiotic depletion-elements (ADP-e) burden
is the dyeing stage (58.04 %) and the second largest is the cotton cultivation (28.66%). In
relation to global warming, the dyeing and making-up represents approximately two thirds of
the total processes involved, whereas 60% of the dyeing process impact relates to human
toxicity-cancer (HTCP). (See Figure 4.)

23
 Figure 4: Impact categories from production of a cotton T-shirt. (Zhang et al., 2015:999)

2.2.7 Sustainability of UK Fashion Brands

A Parliamentary ‘Interim Report on the Sustainability of the Fashion Industry’, (2019),
responded to concerns about labour practices, by asking sixteen leading UK fashion retailers
about their social and environmental impact. Table 6 shows three categories: ‘Engaged’,
‘Moderately engaged’ and ‘Less engaged’. Two of the biggest fast fashion brands - ASOS and
Primark - appear in the ‘Engaged’ group, Boohoo and Missguided are both in the ‘Less
engaged’ group. Analysis of one brand from each of the three categories (engaged,
moderately engaged, less engaged), in relation to retail selling prices is shown in Table 7.
Asda’s prices are the lowest, although they are in the ‘Moderately engaged’ category, whereas
Kurt Geiger’s prices are 8-10 times higher than Asda’s yet they failed to confirm any
sustainable initiatives, and are therefore ‘Less engaged’. There is little correlation between
cost, price and sustainable initiatives.

24
 Sustainability actions Sustainability Initiatives Labour Market Initiatives

Retailer

2040
stock

Use of
Use of
Action,

. (ACT)

(TCFD)
Apparel
Circular

(ZDHC)
Supplier

initiative

recycled

products
(SEDEX)

Initiative

Coalition
Reuse or

Microfibre
Exchange

Chemicals

material in

cotton (e.g.

Sustainable
sustainable

BCI, Cotton
Sustainable
Ethical Data

Plan (SCAP)
In store take
risk reporting
Collaboration

of Hazardous
back scheme
Make Fashion

Zero discharge
recycling of old

Clothing Action
Ethical Trading

climate change
Transformation

or textile banks
Commitment to
Engaged

ASOS Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Burberry No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No
Marks and Spencer
PLC Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes

Tesco PLC Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes

Primark Stores Ltd Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No

Moderately engaged

Arcadia Group Yes Yes No No Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes No No

Asda Stores Ltd No No No No Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes

Debenhams No Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No

Next PLC Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No

Less engaged

Amazon UK No No No No No No No No No Yes No No Yes

Boohoo Group No Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No Yes

JD Sports PLC No No No No No No No No No Yes No Yes No

Missguided Ltd No No No No No No No No No Yes No No Yes

Industry. Table of retailers’ responses to questions about sustainability.

Sports Direct
International No Yes No No Yes No Yes Yes No No Yes
TJX Europe (TK
Maxx & Homesense) No No No Yes No No No No No Yes No No No

25
Table 6: UK Parliament (2019) [online] Interim Report on the Sustainability of the Fashion
Kurt Geiger No No No No No No No No No No No No No
 Own label Ladies footwear Group Number of actions & Comment
products Opening and initiatives involved
Closing prices.
ASOS £10 - £80 Engaged 11 Positive result given that
they are a fast fashion
brand.
Asda £6 - £25 Moderately 6 Price range excludes
engaged slippers & flip flops

Kurt Geiger £49-£199 Less Unknown - failed to Indicates low interest in

engaged respond sustainability.

Table 7: Comparison of opening and closing footwear prices in relation to their engagement with
sustainable initiatives. Informed by Asda, ASOS and Kurt Geiger web sites.

However, some companies including value brands such as Primark are actively promoting
sustainable products. Figure 5 shows a range of denim jeans on sale in July 2019, that were
marketed with large signs to draw attention, signs on the shelves and tickets attached to the
waistband of the product itself.

Figure 5: Primark Manchester 08.07.19 Sustainable Denim - Products, Signs

Garment Tickets.

Although not a UK brand Arket, launched by H & M in 2017 now has six stores in this country
selling higher priced staple rather than trend products. Each item has information on the
location and name of the factory it was made. The brand sees transparency as a means of
driving positive change in the industry (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company,
2018). Marks and Spencer was one of the first mass-market companies to provide a factory
map on its web site for many categories including clothing (The Business of Fashion and
McKinsey and Company, 2018: 65). Together M & S and Oxfam launched Shwopping a
recycling service for customers in M & S stores (Oxfam, 2019).

26
A final but important example of sustainable initiatives is recycling by using biomaterials, which
are biodegradable (H&M Foundation Accenture, 2018). Advantages include reduction of
energy, water and raw material use and decrease in the need for new input materials (H&M
Foundation Accenture, 2018). Mainstream fashion brands embracing this technology include
H & M, Zara, Boohoo, M & S and ASOS.

2.2.8 Sustainability of UK Consumers

In 2015 McNeill and Moore, concluded that the constant array of new fashion products
targeting young people limited their sustainable purchasing. However Lueg et al., (2013) had
previously described how young peoples’ (online) access to information about the fashion
industry had led them to becoming increasingly interested in it. According to a report by Edited
in 2019, sustainable and eco initiatives were hitting the headlines daily and interest was
increasing (Edited 2019:6). This research examines to what extent their competing interest in
fashion and sustainability determines their fashion consumption, and the impact that
interaction with fashion brands has.
Many young people research for background information before buying and are demanding
transparency particularly with fair labour and sustainable resources (The Business of Fashion
and McKinsey & Company, 2018). Although recent research revealed that consumers are still
largely unaware of the impact of the fashion industry on the environment (Perez and Lonsdale,
2019). Some (perishable product) industries including food and beauty have already embraced
standards and certification relating to sustainability, fashion has not, this is an opportunity for
them (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018).
The State of Fashion 2019 report concludes that young people’s desire for variety, affordability
and sustainability has resulted in a ‘fundamental evolution’ in consumer behaviour, whereby
ownership is subservient to their other demands. The report argues that rental, resale and
refurbishment models not only extend product lifecycle but also provide the newness
customers desire (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018). Depop for
example is a unique social marketplace where over 12 million people come to buy and sell,
recycled, vintage, upcycled and reworked clothing (Parish, 2019, online). Paying less (for
second hand clothes) and wearing a few times (before selling on) offers a tangible alternative
to fast fashion.

2.2.9 Summary of Sustainability in the Fashion Industry

This section summarised how apparel production and supply chain impact on sustainability.
Social exploitation include inadequate lead times, financial penalties for late shipments,
factories selling below cost and not paying living wages (ILO, 2017). From an environmental
angle, depletion and/or pollution of natural resources such as water are common (Koksal et
al., 2017), as factories place other priorities, (cost and lead times) before sustainable goals.

Despite a growing interest in sustainability, cost was considered twice as important as working
conditions in 2017 (ILO, 2017:10). As young people demand variety and affordability (The
State of Fashion, 2019) they are probably completely unaware that some factories are selling

27
below cost. It is clear that a better understanding of their conflicting interests is necessary in
order to improve sustainability in fashion.

Diversity of interest, practice and action exists with UK fashion brands with little correlation
between market level and sustainability. Findings from the UK Parliamentary report showed
that even amongst fast fashion value driven brands ASOS and Primark are ‘Engaged’ in
sustainable initiatives whilst Boohoo and Missguided were both found to be ‘Less engaged’.

Further research to expose brand attitude and behaviour towards their supply chain and their
customers will forge a better understanding of how to improve sustainability in the fashion
industry.

2.3 Fashion Consumption

Consumption reflects historical and societal priorities including ‘incentive structures,
institutional barriers, inequalities in access, and restricted choice’ (Jackson, 2005). In 1899,
Veblen described how wearers used fashion to display wealth and social standing -
conspicuous consumption (Tortora, 2015:119). Consumer goods, including cars and clothes
indicate status; their acquisition characterises an advanced industrial society, pre-occupied
with and valuing materials, possessions and physical comfort above spiritual values (Jackson,
2005). Material goods play a symbolic role signifying ‘…status, identity, social cohesion, group
norms and the pursuit of personal and cultural meaning’ (Jackson, 2005). Consumer behaviour
flows from habits, routines, social norms, expectations and dominant cultural values (Jackson,
2005:vi). Participation in fashion has great cultural significance, self-expression or conformity,
and often reflects significant events such as wars and politics (Tortora, 2015:121).

2.3.1 Fast Fashion

Fast fashion has revolutionized the UK apparel industry in recent decades (Brewer, 2019). It
is characterised by copious styles reflecting catwalk trends interpreted into competitively
priced garments (McNeill and Moore, 2015:213). Overseas low-cost supply chains, with short
lead times and highly efficient production, deliver new product in days or weeks (Mintel, 2007).
Design, sourcing and manufacturing decisions are made with an emphasis on speed (McNeill
and Moore, 2015: 213), and hinge on selling many customers vast quantities of low-price
clothing at the highest possible margin regardless of true cost (Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2017,
Arrington 2017:282, ILO, 2017). Sometimes referred to as ‘disposable’ fashion, as product is
inexpensive and not designed to last (McNeill and Moore, 2015:191). This phenomenon is
particularly salient amongst young female consumers, who have little awareness of the social
impact of their fashion consumption, but exhibit the highest levels of demand for new fashion
items (Morgan and Birtwistle, 2009). Fast fashion allows consumers to make choices, with
little economic or psychological investment, whilst expressing their lifestyle through
consumption and possession (Veronica et al., 2013:206). The demand for fast fashion and the
gratification it provides its consumers, although transient, is nevertheless addictive (Joy et al.,

28
2012:292). Consumers accept poor quality and discard clothes at unprecedented levels
(Brewer, 2019, Joung, 2013:689, Chau, 2012).
Digital technology has significantly affected fast fashion through 1) online shopping 2) social
media. Although the fashion industry was slower than others to introduce online shopping it is
now one of the biggest in the world (Blázquez, 2014). Online only fashion brands such as
Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Nasty Gal, have achieved phenomenal growth (Walker, 2019),
by providing an even greater choice of even cheaper garments, including a £5 dress (Boohoo,
2019, online) and a £1 bikini from Missguided (Wood, 2019). It has facilitated unprecedented
choice and speed (Brewer, 2019), leading to more demanding consumers seeking greater
variety and cheaper prices, as consumers compare products online to find what they want
(Blázquez, 2014). Social media platforms are an integral part of the day-to-day lives of young
people (Nash, 2019) and have significant impact on fast fashion in two distinct ways. Fashion
companies use channels such as Instagram for brand or product promotion, and consumers
engage and share content with other users, thus creating demand and desire (Nash, 2019).
Social Media is the main driving factor of visual representation of high-street fashion retailers,
the quality of posts has a positive direct correlation on their followers and strongly influences
brand image.

2.3.2 Fast fashion brands

Mainstream fashion in the UK is probably more competitive than anywhere in the world,
offering stylish products, fast service and low prices. Short-term profit has primacy over long-
term goals including sustainability (Brewer, 2019). ‘Downward pressure on margins has
reduced investment for activities not directly associated with driving sales’ (Hussain, 2017,
online). The continued success of Primark, H & M and Zara, and new online brands such as
ASOS and Missguided, indicate a thriving market. Some of the biggest fast fashion
companies: Primark, H & M, and Zara - have steadily increased market share (McNeill and
Moore, 2015: 213). Table 8 illustrates how four major fast fashion brands in the UK increased
their market share 2013 - 2017.

Fast-fashion brands market share in the UK.

Market share by % growth
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
% value 2013-2017

Primark 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.65%

H&M 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 12.50%
Inditex (Zara) 0.9 1 1 1.1 1.2 33.33%
ASOS 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6 50.00%

Table 8: Brands UK market share of Apparel and Footwear. Informed by Euromonitor

International Passport Apparel and Footwear in the United Kingdom Country Report. 2018

In its first four years, despite the challenge of established high street brands such as Zara and
other new online brands, such as Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing, ASOS achieved year-on-

29
year growth every year since their conception, with a 23.36% increase 2017 – 2018, as
documented in Table 9.

Year % Year % Year % Year % Year % Year

to 31 incr. to 31 incr. to 31 incr. to 31 incr. to 31 incr. to 31
Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug. Aug.
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
276,027

372,241

473,884

603,800

698,200

861,300
34.86

27.42

15.63

23.36
7.31
Table 9: ASOS revenue growth 2013 – 2018 informed by ASOS online trading report.

In fact, Table 10 shows growth forecast in the UK to 2022. The growth in volume is significantly
higher (14.93%) than the growth in value (9.85%), resulting in a decrease in the average selling
price over the nine-year period from £20.09 to £19.20. This indicates a greater number of low
priced or fast fashion products overall.

Total
Actual apparel sales - UK Forecast apparel sales - UK
increase
2013-
Year 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
2022
2,044.20

2,068.40

2,096.60

2,127.70

2,159.30

2,205.00

2,247.90

2,284.90

2,318.80

2,349.40
Units
305.20
(mills)

%
14.93
increase
1.17

1.35

1.48

1.49

2.12

1.95

1.65

1.48

1.32
n/a
41,060.70

41,756.00

42,064.60

42,436.00

42,896.30

43,334.70

43,776.20

44,214.60

44,661.60

45,103.50

£ Value
4042.80
(mills)

%
9.85
increase
1.69

0.74

0.88

1.08

1.02

1.02

1.00

1.01

0.99
n/a

Ave SP £ n/a
20.09

20.19

20.06

19.94

19.87

19.65

19.47

19.35

19.26

19.20

Table 10: Actual and Forecast Apparel sales in the UK. Informed by Euromonitor
International Passport Apparel and Footwear in the United Kingdom Country Report 2018

To provide context about the success of this model it is pertinent to note the extent of wealth
created by fast fashion brand owners. Table 11 shows that Amancio Ortega of Inditex (Zara)
has made more money from fashion than anyone else in the world, including owners of luxury
brands LVMH and Hermes International. Stefan Persson of H & M is seventh of more than
one hundred people who have made money from fashion (Fashion United, 2019).
Paradoxically, none of H & M’s factory workers earns a living wage (Labour behind the Label,
2019). Persson (H & M) recently demonstrated resistance to changing this successful model

30
by claiming that reducing consumerism will hinder the eradication of poverty (Remington,
2019).
Position Name Company Value – US Brand type
from a total $ Billion
of 110
1 Amancio Ortega Inditex (Zara) 71.30 Fast Fashion

3 Bernard Arnault LVMH 41.50 Luxury

4 The Brennink Meijer C&A 30.00 Fashion

family
5 Betrand Puech & family Hermes 28.60 Luxury
International
6 Alain & Gerard Nike 26.20 Sports wear
Wertheimer & family
7 Stefan Persson H&M 19.60 Fast Fashion

Table 11: List of the Richest People in Fashion in 2017, Fashion United 2019

The problem is that the fast fashion business model is unsustainable (UK Parliament, 2019,
Bly et al., 2015:125). Mass media has played an increasingly significant role into societal
discourse about sustainability (Newig et al., 2013) as a result, interest in sustainability is
greater now than ever and yet the level of sustainable consumption in fashion remains low
(McNeill and Venter, 2019). The primary research of this study will uncover the characteristics
of fast fashion consumers and what motivates their consumption and reveal why there has
been such limited progress in sustainable fashion.

2.3.3 Fast-Fashion Consumers

Identifying a generation shaped by their birth year and common life experiences provides a
useful platform to understand them (Van den Bergh and Behrer, 2011). Sharing social,
political, historical and economical events such as pace of change, employment status, family
structure, and exposure to cultural diversity influences them. Critical in this research is how
their experiences values and lifestyles influence their buying behaviour (Williams & Page
2011).

Figure 6: The Generations Defined. Dimok, 2019, online

Millennials (aged 23-38 in 2019) and Generation Z, (aged 7-22 in 2019) represent a significant
group of fast fashion consumers and are at the centre of this research. They are digital natives;

31
owning a phone, tablet or laptop which give unprecedented access to the developed world
unknown by earlier generations. Technology has always been around them so they are
‘…hyper-connected and digitally driven…’ (Nielsen, 2017). It has also transformed the way
that they interact and communicate with each other (Royal Society for Public Health, 2017).
The significance is in establishing how this has led them to develop unique characteristics,
particularly in their fashion consumption.

Their online community is very important; receiving immediate feedback on social media
postings satisfies their demand for instant gratification. They trust, connect, and want
acceptance from their peer social media group, who are important to them (Burch, 2017:56,
Williams & Page 2011:8). They check their phone an average of 150 times a day and consume
an average of nine hours of media, mostly on their mobiles (Forston, 2018). In 2016, 91% of
16-24 year olds used the internet for social media (Royal Society for Public Health, 2017:6).
They use mobiles for research, entertainment and engaging with social media, so they are
well connected and networked, especially with their peers (Burch, 2017:56, Williams & Page
2011:8). They curate images for posting on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, using
clothes and body adornments such as piercings and tattoos to make personal statements
about their image and self-identity (Williams & Page, 2011:8). Wearing different clothes every
day, and rarely wearing the same item more than a few times, plays a significant part in
creating the illusion of multiple roles. The ‘selfie generation’ appear to reflect their ease with
change even in their own presentation through multiple identities and constant transition
(Forston, 2018, Bina, 2017). This has led to an increase in fashion consumption - more than
half of fast fashion garments discarded in less than a year (Butler, 2018).

Mobiles are used to access global platforms to find and purchase everything they want
(Forston, 2018, Williams & Page, 2011:8). In 2017, 60% still bought their clothes from physical
stores, after researching online beforehand (CBRE, 2017). They have high expectations –
style, cost, speed and service - as technology gives them access to extensive information
(Burch, 2017:56). This generation is more likely to spend money on an experience than a
product and to seek retail environments that supply this (Nielsen, 2017, Burch, 2017:56).
Ideally, customised and personalised products to their unique needs (Burch, 2017:56, Williams
and Page, 2011:9). In terms of service, their experience of technologically driven businesses,
including Amazon, Uber, Netflix, and Deliveroo, has led to their expectation of simple
transactions and expediency (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018:51).But what do
these young people want from their fashion?
1. “Clothes that enhance and disguise aspects of the body in line with societal ideal of
beauty”
The fashion industry perpetuates unrealistic stereotyped standards of beauty, pressurising
young women particularly to fall in line with them (Joyner Armstrong, 2016:418). Fashion
brands are very selective about their models, using those that fall within the current perception
of cultural beauty norms, taller and slimmer than the average height of a woman (Pounders
and Mabbry-Flynn, 2019). Over the last 30 years, whilst fashion models have become
increasingly slender, the average woman has increased in size, thereby increasing the gap

32
between the idealised body shape and reality (Rieke, et al., 2016:212, Alessandro and Chitty,
2011). Even images of celebrities and fashion models are ‘photo shopped’ to enhance or
change body shape and appearances (Rieke et al., 2016: 209).
Fast fashion is used to aspire to societal ideals of beauty (Guy and Banim, 2010:325) and hide
negative societal features (Rieke, et al., 2016:212, Kim and Damhorst, 2010, Kaiser, 1997). It
is a complex, on-going and changing relationship where consideration, including display and
concealment, sit alongside changing fashions (Guy and Banim, 2000).
It is not a new practice for the fashion industry to use idealised images to raise consumer
interest in fashion and appearance (Barnes and Lea-Greenwood, 2010). The evolution of
aspirational images on social media sites such as Facebook 2004, YouTube 2005, and
Instagram 2010, has increased the emphasis on appearance (Joyner Armstrong, 2016). The
difference from previous decades is the unprecedented scale and ease of access to content,
leading to the endless challenge for young consumers of living up to images that they view,
and the effect that this has on their well-being (Child Mind Institute, 2020). Constant exposure
can lead to body image dissatisfaction and low self-esteem (Krishen and Worthen, 2011).
Disturbingly, the majority of girls, even those as young as seven want to be ‘…thinner, prettier,
or even want a different body shape’ (Rieke et al., 2016:212, Martin and Peters, 2005). Twenty
per cent of young women have an eating disorder (Rieke et al., 2016: 213, Alessandro and
Chitty, 2011). Others associate overweight people negatively in relation to work, relationships
and success, resulting in negative implications on a female psyche (Rieke et al., 2016:212,
Alessandro and Chitty, 2011). Fashion marketing frequently focusses on how body-enhancing
products inspire confidence.
2. “Clothes that express their wearers image and identity
The concept of identity is critically important in providing understanding of an individual and in
highlighting the intimate connection between inclusion and exclusion within society (Tseelon,
2003, online). Self-identity describes how someone perceives and values themselves, ‘…an
abbreviation of one’s self, using their identity to recognise their own status, in relation to other
people’ (Mobrezia and Khoshtinata, 2016:447). The development of one’s self-identity is
parallel with the development of one’s social identity. Identity construction is a significant
motivator in fashion consumption (Dantas, and Abreu 2020, McNeill and Venter, 2019).
Tseelon (2003) and Mittal (2006) posit that women’s identity is realised through multiple
presentations of themselves by using clothes as the medium of expression. Rieke et al., (2009)
argue that the reason for buying a particular item of clothing is for defining who they are and
‘…continual re-invention of self, achieved by constant ‘newness’ in their clothes’. Clothing has
become a socially acceptable way to differentiate oneself from others and to feel a sense of
belonging to a group (Dantas, and Abreu, 2020, McNeill and Venter, 2019). The digital world,
including online shopping, and social media, have intensified behaviour that focusses on an
individual’s appearance in a society that values image above other personal qualities (McNeill
and Moore, 2015). As the main users of social media and consumers of fast fashion, the extent
to which this represents young people’s identity and feelings of self-worth is significant.

33
 3. Affordable fashion
Young people are the biggest group of fast fashion consumers, with the least disposable
income (Ritch, 2015:1166). Inexpensive fashion allows consumers to make choices, with little
economic or psychological investment, whilst expressing their lifestyle through consumption
and possession (Veronica et al., 2013:206). The demand for fast fashion and the gratification
it provides its consumers, although transient, is nevertheless addictive (Joy et al., 2012:292).
One of the characteristics of fast fashion is that items are worn a small number of times,
products must be low cost and affordable. Ruthless sourcing strategies to get unrealistically
low costs (Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2017) have led to low and falling retail prices, enabling continual
consumption, and the commodification of garments (Hussain, 2018). Sustainable production
increases cost (Brewer, 2019), due to paying workers higher prices or increased technological
investment. The margin that most garment factories make is unlikely to withstand additional
cost; history suggests that retailers, driven by their shareholders are unable to reduce their
profit, leaving the remaining option as passing the increased cost to the customer. This
jeopardises the successful fast fashion business model, which focusses on profit and is likely
to face opposition from its stakeholders (Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2017). Although consumers are
more likely to pay higher prices for sustainable product, if it benefits them personally (Ritch,
2015). Finding ways to generate product value through a lens other than price such as usage,
service, or delivery is another solution for fashion brands (Hussain, 2017).
4. Authentic fashion brands
This generation values realness, honesty and authenticity – and are looking for a meaningful
existence. They are ‘…shifting away from the materialism of the Boomers (born 1946-1964)
to the search for inner tranquillity and deeper meaning from life’ (Williams & Page, 2011:9).
Burch attributes this to the chaos in the world driving them towards investing in ‘doing
something for other people’ (2017:56). They tend to be more socially conscious than older age
groups, and influenced by product offerings marketed as ethical, sustainable or
environmentally friendly (Fung Global Retail, 2016:2). They expect companies to report on
sustainability (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018:33).

In terms of fashion, this young generation increasingly want to know where the cotton came
from that made their T-shirt. They are willing to spend more for products made by companies
they see as socially and environmentally responsible (Just Style, 2018). They distrust fashion
brands and want more transparency from them. Two in five consumers reported that they do
not know which brands to trust (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018:60). Research
also indicates that consumers they feel that fashion brands use sustainable claims to increase
prices (Ritch, 2015:1175, Bray et al., 2011, Fisher et al., 2008). Although 52% of Millennials
research brands to find out how ethical they are, they comment on a lack of information and
understanding of what sustainable fashion is (Perez and Lonsdale, 2019, The Business of
Fashion and McKinsey, 2018:60). They are particularly interested in fair labour, sustainable
resourcing and the environment, and 66% of Millennials are willing to pay more for sustainable
products (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018: 61). Whilst this is at face value very
positive, other research has found that despite increased interest and awareness in
sustainability, there is a drop in emphasis in fashion compared to general consumption

34
(McNeill and Moore, 2015:217). In fact, research found that only 16.3% of consumers
considered social and environmental criteria when acquiring new clothing (Joyner Armstrong
et al., 2016:421, Koszewska, 2013). Other research suggests that consumers attach little
importance to brand sustainability, and rely on their own expectations and personal contacts
to guide their purchases (Goldsmith, 2006). This is significant insofar as it influences behaviour
to consume more sustainably (Ciasullo et al., 2017:12).

2.3.4 The purchasing (consumption) process

Each purchase involves a complex decision making process (Young et al. 2010). Sproles
and Kendall (1986:286) defined a consumer decision to purchase as a ’…mental orientation
characterizing a consumer’s approach to making choices…’. Functional, emotional, social
cognitive and conditional values influence decision-making criteria (Young et al., 2010).
Identifying influences on purchase intention offers insight into affecting behavioural change.
Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that the biggest determinant of a behaviour is intent.
Purchase intent is the probability that a consumer will buy a product. A behavioural intention
represents the amount of effort an individual is willing to exert (prompted by their level of
motivation) in order to perform a given behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Therefore as
intention strength increases so does the likelihood of predicting a given behaviour. The
Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen) suggests the significance of intention, which
presupposes cognitive deliberation implying the persons’ perceived control over the outcome
of their behaviour (1991). Young et al., build on this theorising that values, and context,
including social, political, cultural, economic and psychological are all part of the process
(2010). Social influence refers to the level of influence of celebrities, friends and family on
behavioural decisions and cultural refers to societal ideas and customs (Mobrezia and
Khoshtinata, 2016). The impact of messages from social media and celebrities to young
people therefore is likely to be highly significant in their purchasing decisions.
Peattie (1999) suggests that the decisions involved in individual consumption may be inter-
related and underpinned by common values or unconnected and situational. Joshi and
Rahman (2015) propose the significance of both individual and situational forces in the
consumption process. Individual variables include emotions, habits, trust, knowledge,
values, personal norms, perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived behavioural
control. Situational variables include price, product attributes, availability, brand, labelling,
store attributes, subjective and social norm attributes and reference groups. In fashion pre-
conceived ideas such as body image satisfaction, accompany personal, social and cultural
factors in the decision to buy (Rieke et al., 2016:214, Joyner Armstrong, et al., 2016:421).
Table 12 focusses on the individual variable that influence consumption.

35
 Individual variables that influence consumption:

Habits Habit and past behaviour guide consumer preferences and influence their
purchasing behaviour, making it difficult to change.

Trust A belief or expectation about a products performance.

Emotions Consumer emotions have a direct impact on consumer purchase intention and
behaviour

Knowledge Knowledge has a direct effect on consumer purchase intention and behaviour.

Values and Individual values will have a direct effect on their purchase behaviour.
personal norms

Perceived Perceived behavioural control is the perceived control one has over one’s
behavioural actions. It refers to the capacity of an individual to perform a given behaviour
control (Ajzen, 1988).

Perceived Indirectly influences consumer purchase intention since it influences consumer

consumer attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (Kang et al.,
effectiveness 2013).
Situational variables that influence consumption

Product Style, quality and functional characteristics of products influence consumers’

attributes green purchase behaviour.

Store related Store related attributes influence consumer purchase of products.

attributes
Price In relation to expectations or other products.

Labelling Labelling informs consumers about product characteristics.

Product Limited availability and inconvenience in procuring products act as barriers.

availability
Brand image Consumers generally have personal favourite brands and they prefer them to
green brands (Young et al., 2010).

Subjective & Social and reference groups, especially peers and other individuals with close
social norms & proximity have a stronger influence on consumers’ decision-making process.
reference
groups
Table 12: Individual and Situational influences on Consumption. Informed by Joshi and
Rahman, 2015
In relation to this research, which analyses the impact of communication on fashion
consumption the individual variables are determined by the consumer, and the situational by
fashion brands. To explain, if a consumer ‘habitually’ buys from a particular store, this will
increase the chance of them making a further purchase from them, whereas if brand ‘trust’
has been lost a consumer is less likely to make a purchase. From a brand perspective
‘product’ and ‘store’ attributes such as product quality, and shop and web site
communications influence purchasing decisions. For example as Gen Z expect expediency
(Jones and Kang, 2019,The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018, Parker et al, 2010)
especially through digital channels they may be deterred from making an online purchase if
it is slow. Other factors identified include labelling, discussed in more detail in Section 2.4.3
Fashion Brand Communication.

36
 Figure 7: Influence of self, fashion brand and significant others on fashion communication
and consumption. Informed by Joshi and Rahman, 2015

These variables are used later in the study as a basis for developing the primary research,
which examines young fashion consumers purchasing influences and their attitude towards
communication from fashion brands, and to analyse the meaning behind messaging from
fashion brands across a range of channels.

2.3.5 Attitude-behaviour
For many years’, ‘attitudes’ in social contexts were studied as they were believed to influence
and predict behaviour (Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015). Allport’s original Attitude-Behaviour theory
in 1935 assumed that once an attitude was identified behaviour was predictable. By the 1960’s
this concept was criticised as it assumed that individuals always behaved according to their
attitudes, regardless of other personal and situational variables, giving rise to the ‘attitude-
behaviour-problem’. Since the early 70’s Attitude-Behaviour, research has explored why
measures of attitude frequently failed to predict behaviour (Guy and Fabrigar, 2015).

Perhaps one of the most influential models was the Theory of Reasoned Action (ToRA),
(Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) which submits that the most significant influence on behaviour is
intention. This theory is based on the construct that the individual believes that their intention
determines the outcome therefore identifying intention leads to an accurate prediction of
behaviour. This is significant in that it suggests that the stronger the intention the greater the
effort to perform the behaviour (Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015:184). The relevance of this in
contemporary fashion is that increasing consumer knowledge of the negative impact of the
industry, may lead to a greater intention to buy sustainable fashion, avoid un-sustainable
brands or simply buy less. Ajzen and Fishbein (1977) found a strong attitude-behaviour
connection when they measured the strength of four specific elements of attitude: action,
target, context and time. Schwartz’s Norm Activation theory (SNAT, 1977) also focussed on
the consequences of one’s actions, in terms of taking personal responsibility for behaviour. In
fast fashion, if consumers had greater awareness of the impact of continual consumption of
low-cost clothes, by seeing river pollution or working conditions in clothing factories they are
more likely to understand and take responsibility for their actions.
In 1986, Bandura developed the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) model that proposes that
increased knowledge may lead to behaviour change. Stern and Oskamp, (1987) developed
the Attitude-Behaviour-Context (ABC) which explains the significance of the context or setting

37
on individual behaviour. By 1991, Ajzen had developed the Theory of Planned Behaviour
(TPB) building on ‘intention’ to include cognitive function. The Value-Belief norm theory (Stern
et al, 1999) developed SNAT to incorporate the relationship between values, beliefs attitudes
and norms.

Theories Year Theorists Summary of Theories

Attitude- 1935 Allport Based on the assumption that attitudes predispose an individual to
behaviour behave in a certain manner

Theory of 1975 Fishbein Theory begins with the premise that the effects of attitude on
Reasoned and Ajzen, behaviour are not direct. The most proximal determinant of a
Action (TORA) behaviour is a behavioural intent.
Norm activation 1977 Schwartz A personal norm (PN) activates awareness of the consequences
model (AC) of one’s actions and the ascription of personal responsibility
(AR) for them.
Knowledge- 1986 Bandura Model proposes that knowledge increase can change attitudes and
attitude-practice changed attitudes can change practice
(KAP)
Attitude- 1987 Stern and Attitude-Behaviour-Context (ABC)
Behaviour- Oskamp
Context (ABC)
Theory of 1991 Ajzen Ajzen’s model of behaviour is mediated by intention – which
planned presupposes some sort of cognitive deliberation.
behaviour (TPB)
Value-belief 1999 Stern et al ‘An attempt to adjust SNAT to incorporate a more sophisticated
norm theory relationship between values, beliefs, attitudes and norms.

Table 13: Theories exploring attitude behaviour through the 20th century, informed by Jackson 2005,
Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015.

More recently, Guyer and Fabrigar (2015) synthesized previous models and theories on
Attitude-Behaviour to identify influences that can intervene and reduce the predictive power of
attitude and intention on behaviour. They concluded that greater ‘attitude-strength’ and
‘attitude-certainty’ increased the success in predicting behaviour, and that ‘attitude-formation’
and ‘attitude-ambivalence’ are important. Although two people might have similar attitudes,
such as wanting to make a sustainable purchase, their behaviour reflects their underlying
attitude-strength, in this case, the extent they are prepared to go, in terms of investing time for
research and or additional cost in order to purchase sustainably. A high degree of Attitude-
Certainty - the extent to which an individual is confident in their attitude towards a particular
object (Tormala and Rucker, 2007), was also a reliable predictor of behaviour. Conversely,
attitude-behaviour associations were weaker if ‘attitude-ambivalence’ defined as the
simultaneous possession of positive and negative evaluative responses toward an object was
present (Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015). Finally, the way attitudes are developed is significant in
predicting behaviour. According to Guyer and Fabrigar (2015), behaviour prediction is more
successful if attitudes are informed by direct experience. Therefore, a young consumers pre-
purchase attitude towards buying fashion sustainably are most likely to translate into behaviour
if they have: personal experience of the negative impact of fast fashion, such as seeing a
factory with poor working conditions, conviction that their knowledge about fashion and
sustainability are well-informed, and a strong disposition towards buying sustainably.

38
Figure 8: Impact of attitude on behaviour prediction, informed by Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015.

2.3.6 Attitude-behaviour gap

The attitude-behaviour gap refers to the gap between consumers’ expression of environmental
or social concern and intention (attitude) and ensuing actions, which do not translate directly
into behaviour (Joyner Armstrong et al., 2016:421, Roberts, 1996). Despite consumers
positive intentions and strong convictions to purchase something that they believe is
sustainable, they frequently do not (McNeill and Moore, 2015:213, Carrigan and Attalla, 2001).
Consumers bring personal beliefs and expectations or ‘attitude’ to purchase considerations.
Empathy positively influences pro-sustainable behaviour, leading to an intention to purchase
something that they believe contributes positively to society (Hwang and Griffiths, 2017:142).
In this situation their ‘intention to purchase’ or likelihood of making a particular purchase, is
strong’ they have an ‘attitude’ that pre-disposes them to purchase.
According to Antonetti and Maklan (2015), in a public setting, the social desirability bias
persuades consumers to exaggerate their orientation to buying ethically (2015:51) – whereas
the private act of purchasing is frequently not ethical (Young and McCoy, 2015:42, McNeill
and Moore, 2015:215). In fact, only 3% of consumers with positive attitudes towards
sustainable products translate these attitudes into consumption choices (Antonetti and Maklan
2015:51). Consumers are reluctant to admit publically that other factors - such as price - are
more important than a socially desirable factor such as ethics (Young et al., 2015:43). The
attitude-behaviour gap highlights how the influence of personal priorities, such as identity,
body image, and affordability are more important than making a sustainable purchase. This
study uncovers new research about the impact of social media in brand and consumer
behaviour on the attitude-behaviour gap.

2.3.7 Sustainable fashion consumption

Typically, ‘sustainability’ refers to three dimensions: economic, social and environmental
(Elkington, 2011). The term is used across multi-disciplines including health care, education
and business and therefore lacks specificity, especially in terms of implementation (Moore
et al., 2017). In reviewing extant literature, it is apparent that even amongst academics in the
field a detailed definition of sustainability is frequently absent.
Sustainable fashion consumption implies that when purchasing, the consumer considers the
consequences of their behaviour and/or power to bring about social change (Moisander,
2007). Each purchase involves a complex decision making process and in so doing
contributes to more or less sustainable consumption (Young et al., 2010).
Consumers ‘purchase intention’ refers to their willingness to purchase a particular product that
satisfies their motivation, in the case of sustainable purchase intention this refers to
motivational factors that influence sustainable purchase behaviour (Ramayah et al., 2010).

39
Information Processing Theory (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986, Chaiken, 1980) suggests that
information processing is either systematic or heuristic A systematic approach involves
detailed evaluation and comparison, whilst the heuristic approach relies on stereotypes and
clues and is therefore less objective, and potentially less accurate.
It is evident that customer knowledge about sustainability is limited and/or inaccurate (Cerri et
al., 2017:344, Antonetti and Maklan, 2015). It is exacerbated by fashion brands using vague
and hyperbolic language contributing to confusion and/or misunderstanding (Markkula and
Moisander, 2011). The retail landscape is unhelpful in terms of the information it provides
customers about sustainability, both for the 30% who want to buy sustainably and others who
may do if it was communicated effectively (Antonetti and Maklan, 2015). Too much information
can lead customers to feeling overwhelmed; insufficient information leaving them unable to
know which products to buy and using heuristics as a ‘…guiding principle to simplify the
decision-making process’ (Nisbett et al., 1982) to make their buying decision (Ritch, 2015).

In 2018 a thousand survey responses were collected from a range of ages from residents of
Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, New York and Tokyo found the top three definitions of
sustainable fashion were high quality and durable (37%), made without hazardous chemicals
(28%), ethical and fair trade labour practice (25%) (Fashion Summit and KPMG, 2019). To
expand, the most common answer was not about the provenance of clothes but about what
the respondents expected from them. However, for this study, a sustainable fashion product
is one that satisfies customers’ needs but that has not contributed to environmental or human
exploitation in its making (Shamdasami et al., 1993).

Despite extensive research, knowledge of the complexity of aligning sustainable attitudes with
behaviour remains limited and the disconnection between expressed attitudes and actual
behaviour, defined as the attitude-behaviour gap is still cause for concern in the drive for
improving the sustainability of the fashion industry (Joshi and Rahman, 2015:129). Although
it is difficult to provide precise measures about sustainable fashion in the UK, for the reasons
already discussed, notably that the phrase is open to interpretation, in 2017 the sale of fashion
promoted as sustainable in the UK was estimated as less than 1% of the total offering
(Common Objective, 2019).

2.3.8 Summary of fashion consumption

Fast fashion satisfies many of young people’s expectations, in being readily available,
affordable, body and image enhancing, and on trend. However, extant research reveals that
this group are also expressing concern about environmental and social deprivation, although
not yet translating this attitude towards making a positive contribution to sustainability into
behaviour by buying sustainable fashion. Further investigation into the attitude-behaviour
gap through examining fast fashion brand communication and consumer motivation will
explore these themes further. Brands such as M & S and H & M recognise customer interest
in sustainability and are beginning to address it. For many others the route to sustainability
will not be easy, much of their practice is not currently sustainable and many consumers now
distrust brand information.

40
This section has defined and explained the complexity of consumption, in terms of influences
that affect someone’s decision to buy or not to buy. Purchase-intent is affected by individual
and situational variables before or at the time of purchase. Attitude has for many years, been
recognised as a critical factor and yet it is still not a reliable predictor of behaviour. Aspects
including how attitudes are formed, how strongly beliefs are held and the subject they relate
to all affect the relationship between attitude and behaviour. Belief based theories such as
Norm Activation and Value Belief are more likely to lead to attitude and behaviour change. The
main conditions leading to a sustainable purchase are that the consumer has a strong attitude
towards buying sustainably, has time for research and decision making, is knowledgeable
about sustainable issues, has positive previous purchase experience, can afford and are
committed to paying higher costs and that product is available (Young et al., 2010).

The next section 2.4 ‘Fashion Communication’ provides insight into brand commitment. It
examines how and what fashion brands communicate and analyses the type of
communication most likely to reduce the attitude-behaviour gap thereby encouraging
consumers to buy sustainably. It reviews the extent to which consumer interface with the
fashion industry helps or hinders consumers with decision-making.

2.4 Fashion Communication

Apparel is one of the largest global industries and its impact is significant. In terms of the
environment, it is the second most damaging industry after oil, and it is a major contributor to
global inequality (Roberts, 2018). Sustainability goals frequently involve conflicts of interest
(Newig et al., 2013). Major shifts by both consumers and fashion brands are required in order
for mainstream fashion to become more sustainable ( Dissanayakea and Sinha, 2015). The
previous section reviewed fashion consumption and assessed the level of brand and
consumer interest in sustainability in order to highlight potential barriers and identify
opportunities for moving towards a more sustainable industry. Central to the issue is
communication, fundamental for sustainable development (Genc, 2017).

2.4.1 Communication
Communication involves the transfer of ideas, thoughts or feelings from a sender to a receiver.
There are numerous reasons to communicate but Genc (2017) posits that the purpose of most
is to affect another(s) feelings, thoughts or behaviours. Petty and Cacioppo (1986) measure
the success of an effective message by the extent to which it leads to behaviour change. In
developing this discussion, it is important to analyse the construction of an effective message.
In the 1950’s, the Hovland-Yale Communication and Persuasion (HYCP) group, identified
three key elements to successful persuasion: the credibility of the speaker (the source); the
persuasiveness of the arguments (the message); and the responsiveness of the audience (the
recipient) (Hovland, 1957, Hovland et al., 1953,). Although this theory has subsequently been
criticised for its limitations, namely, that the message may be credible and understood, without
leading to behaviour change (Jackson, 2005:106, Petty et al., 2002), it provides a useful start
point.

41
Campbell argued that information provision and persuasion were far less effective in realising
behaviour change than trial and error, through observing what others do and then observing
others’ reaction to their own behaviour (1963). Bandura agreed with the inadequacy of
information only, but argued that not all learning could be through trial and error; social learning
must complement it. That is, behaviour is learnt and modelled through observing influential
role models and significant others, including parents, peers, people in the media, those who
are powerful or successful or simply people with whom we identify (Jackson. 2005:111,
Bandura, 1977b:27). Chapter 6 develops the theme of using celebrities, influencers and
collaborations in fashion to promote sustainable behaviour.

Bator and Cialdini (2000) built on the ‘message framing’ theory developed by Kahneman and
Tversky (1979) and ‘regulatory focus’ theory (Higgins, 1997) to propose four over-riding
characteristics of successful persuasion. These include: the emotional and imaginative appeal
of the persuasive message, the immediacy, directness and relevance of the message, the use
of commitments to signal involvement; and using ‘retrieval cues’ that remind people of the
message. (Summarised in Table 14). It is clear that changing consumer behaviour relies on a
message from fashion brands that addresses all points.

Message framing Kahneman and The degree of positivity of a message influences

theory Tversky 1979 the extent of the risk the message recipient will
accept.

Regulatory focus theory Higgins 1997 Message design fits other message aspects

4 characteristics of Bator and Cialdini Emotional, imaginative appeal of the message

successful persuasion 2000 Immediacy, directness and relevance of the
message
Use of commitments – to signal involvement
Use of ‘retrieval clues’ as reminders
Table 14 Communication/persuasion theories relating to purchasing behaviour informed by
Jackson 2005, and Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015.

What begins to emerge is not only the challenges in achieving effective communication, but
also the difficulties in relation to communication about ‘sustainability’, a word for which that
there is no industry definition (Evans and Peirson-Smith, 2018, Thomas 2008, Kangul et al,
1991). To sustain is to preserve protect or provide for the future (Collins English Dictionary,
2019) frequent descriptions about behaving sustainably allude to what ‘not to do’ rather than
what ‘to do’. The challenges around successful communication about sustainability are clear.
2.4.2 Communication about sustainability
Six years after the United Nations (UN’s) Millennium Development Goals about sustainability,
Manderson (2006) found over three hundred definitions of the word (2006). Hume in 2010
described it as an under researched area strewn with confusion and difficulties, inhibiting the
addressing of important issues. The absence of exact definitions of words like ‘ethical’, ‘green’
and ‘sustainable’, and the lack of industry wide meaning allows businesses to make vague or
imprecise claims about their sustainable credentials or to exaggerate or to hide behind them
(Thomas, 2008). A further difficulty in encouraging sustainability through communication is that
the term is subjective and as such means different things to different people (Henninger et al.,

42
2016), it’s scope is broad and inclusive (Evans and Peirson-Smith, 2018, Thomas, 2008). In
fact when asked, people were unable to define what sustainable fashion was without using the
word ‘sustainable’ (Henninger et al., 2016).

The previous section identified the importance of attitude in the consumption process, it is
equally significant in determining the effectiveness of communications, and particularly those
intended to lead to behaviour change. Many theories of Persuasion posit that an effective
persuasive message is one whose characteristics are designed to influence others by
modifying their beliefs, values, or attitudes (Simons, 1976:21). (See Table 15) For example,
Schwartz’s Norm Activation Model (1977) is based on the premise that personal norms
determine behaviour. Chaiken’s Information Processing theory posits that by evaluating
detailed information individuals are motivated to behave in a way that accords with the
cognitive information they hold about themselves, for example that they are sustainable. The
Elaboration Likelihood model prescribes that communication that brings about behaviour
change is determined by how attitudes were formed in the first place, either ‘Centrally’ or
‘Peripherally’. In the former, motivation and ability are high and attitude change occurs as the
result of deep analysis of the message content. Attitudes arrived at via careful thought are
more enduring and consequential and therefore more powerful determinants of behaviour than
attitudes arrived at superficially (Guyer and Fabrigar, 2015:186). Conversely, peripheral
persuasion cues appeal to those who are not highly motivated for example by using a celebrity
to endorse the message. Building on Norms model Stern (2000) developed a further belief-
based model of persuasion believing that social attitudes and personal moral norms are
significant predictors of environmental behaviour. Ives et al (2020) concluded that scientific
communication about sustainability was not successful because it targeted the head not the
heart. Its focus on the science rather than deep leverage points including worldviews and
values, failed to engage the emotions and failed in the transformative human capacity for
behaviour change.
Table 15 summarises other influential models including: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice,
(Bandura, 1986) - by increasing individual knowledge attitude change will happen, and this will
lead to a change in practice. For example, yielding behaviour change such as ‘not making a
purchase’ by informing a consumer that the workers who have made the product have been
exploited. The problem here is that it does not account for the other influences affecting the
purchase, in fast fashion it is particularly complex, with low cost and constant change being
two of the many driving forces. Mackie and Queller (2000) and Dragulanescu (2002) agreed
that the message ‘sender’ was the most significant factor in determining whether behaviour
change would occur. The problem is that they disagreed who it was, the former proposed that
consumers are more accepting of information and therefore more likely to be persuaded to
change if the source is someone in their ‘in group’, whereas Dragulanescu believed that people
were more likely to change their behaviour if the source is perceived to be an expert.

43
 Theory/model Year Author Description
Persuasion models based on:- beliefs, values or attitudes
Norm Schwartz A social-psychological ‘belief-based models of
activation 1977 persuasion’.
model Provides a framework for understanding pro-social
altruistic behaviours on the premise of the theory that
personal norms are the only direct determinant of pro
social behaviour
Information 1980 Chaiken Internal feelings of discomfort motivate people to reduce
Processing inconsistencies in the cognitive information they hold
Theory about themselves, their environment & their behaviour.
Systematic – very detailed level involving evaluation and
clarification of info to arrive at a conclusion.

Elaboration 1981 Petty and Behaviour change pivots on identifying how existing
Likelihood Cacioppo attitudes are formed, which determines different
Model (ELM) psychological processes involved in changing it Central
– attitude change occurs when attention is given.
Peripheral – low target audience motivation therefore
‘persuasion cues’ such as using a celebrity are used to
encourage behaviour change.
Value-belief 2000 Stern A social-psychological ‘belief-based models of
norm theory persuasion’. Social attitudes and personal moral norms
are significant predictors of environmental behaviour
2020 Ives et al Scientific versus emotional appeal (Ives et al, 2020)

Other Persuasion models

Knowledge, 1986 Bandura Propose that knowledge increase can change attitudes
Attitude, and changed attitudes can change practice
Practice
(KAP)
Theories 2000 Mackie and People are more accepting of info & therefore more
relate to Queller likely to be persuaded to change if the source is
message someone in their in group.
originator. 2002 Dragulanescu More likely to be persuaded to change if source is
perceived to be an expert

Processing 2011 Hanks et al Suggests that information is processed either

fluency systematically or heuristically
2014 Stanford Persuasion works best when it articulates individual
benefits

Table 15: Belief based and ‘other’ Persuasion models and theories.

Villarino and Font (2015) developed the ELM (1981) to conclude that increasing the likelihood
of behaviour depended on four dimensions of ‘persuasiveness’, Types of Action, Structure,
Content and Authority. ‘Type of action’ includes ‘Theme’ which refers to words used to
describe sustainability, (particularly challenging in persuading behaviour change given the
lack of universal understanding of it (Roberts, 1996, Kangun et al, 1991), and ‘Beneficiary’ or
who the message is intended for, business, customers or society. The ‘Message Structure’
can be ‘Explicit’ (stating) or ‘Implicit’ (not stating) (O’Keefe 2002). An ‘Explicit message is more
likely to be understood and more effective in reaching a wider audience, whereas an ‘Implicit’
message works with audiences familiar with the concepts. The next variables ‘Active’ or
‘Passive’ relate to the specificity of the action called for, the more specific the recommendation
the more persuasive it will be (O’Keefe, 2002). ‘Denotative’ or ‘Connotative’ describe the
degree to which words are interpreted differently. Denotative, refers to a generally agreed
meaning, ‘Connotative’ reflects the attitudes that individuals develop towards words, may be
more abstract and therefore less effective as a means of persuasion (Bettinghaus and Cody,
1994).The third category is ‘Content’: further divided into Appeal and Logic, Social Norms and

44
‘Level of Experience’. A message with an emotional ‘Appeal’ is more likely to get attention, be
memorable and lead to behaviour change than a message that is only ‘Logical’ (Bettinghaus
and Cody, 1994). ‘Social Norms’ guide or constrain social behaviour, as people are influenced
by others. If they involve emotions they are more likely to affect people, which increases the
likelihood of being persuaded to change behaviour (Goldstein et al., 2008). Within ‘Content’ is
‘Level of experience’ – increasing customer empowerment improves the experience and
outcome (Villarino and Font, 2015). The fourth and final category is Authority, and refers to the
message originator and their credentials. However as discussed earlier there is disagreement
about whether a perceived expert (Dragulanescu, 2002) was more persuasive than someone
from within their group (Mackie and Queller, 2000).

Type of action Structure Content Authority

Theme Explicit/Implicit Appeal versus logic Author/originator of

message
Beneficiary Active/Passive Social norms
Denotative/ Level of experience
Connotative
Table 16: Dimensions of persuasiveness in relation to behaviour change informed by
Villarino and Font (2015)

Other recommendations relating to persuading consumers towards more sustainable

consumption include adopting a group rather than individual approach such as community-
based projects (Jackson, 2005:132) and participatory problem solving where participants are
trusted to define the problem themselves, and given support to find solutions (Kaplan,
2005:112).
Pratkanis and Greenwald (1993) posit that a persuasive appeal must stand out in a ‘message
dense’ environment by being credible and structured around a single well-placed positive
message to have the best chance of success. Jackson supports this argument for a single
message, arguing that presenting multiple reasons why someone should change their
behaviour may lead to them feeling helpless or out of control and less likely to change
(2005:111).
Jackson draws on extensive evidence to conclude that changing behaviour is difficult and that
simplistic prescriptions for change are unlikely to be successful, particularly in western
societies where material goods are ‘…deeply embedded in the cultural fabric of our lives’
(Jackson, 2005:133). Clothes satisfy needs and desires, have cultural value, enable social
and group cohesion, and communicate who we are (Jackson, 2005). Consumers rely on their
own knowledge and experiences, when making consumption choices and may resist cues
suggesting changes (Genc, 2017). Communication targeted to groups of people, such as
customers, must be simple, direct and concise, with some knowledge of the target audience,
including its cultural beliefs and values (Genc, 2017:511).
In scoping out this research, an examination of an extensive number of theories, concepts and
principles about communication took place, before selecting those that enable the study to
meet the aim and objectives. The appeal of the work of Antonetti and Maklan is two-fold.

45
Firstly, it focusses on decreasing the attitude-behaviour gap, a concept widely agreed to be
significant in accounting for the lack of sustainable consumption. Secondly, as the focus of
this research is on fast fashion, the communication strategy must be applicable to a wide range
of consumers, not just those committed to sustainable consumption. (Objective 4: To
recommend guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability between fast fashion
brands and consumers.)
Antonetti and Maklan (2015) based information provision about a brand’s sustainability on
consumer motivation. Those motivated by altruism, being socially or conspicuously
responsible, or politically orientated would best respond to information provision about a
brand’s sustainability. For example, an ‘Altruistic’ consumer who is personally motivated and
requires no public acknowledgement is more likely to purchase sustainably if information is
easily available, such as at the point of sale. By contrast, a ‘Political’ consumer’s intention to
purchase increases if the product identifies them as part of a cohesive group and a
‘Conspicuous Responsible’ consumer wants publically to declare that they are purchasing
responsibly, through the product, - so investing in sustainable obviously branded merchandise
would appeal to them.
.Responsible purchasing behaviours
1) Altruistic 2) Socially Responsible 3) Conspicuous 4) Political
Responsible
Motivated by personal Motivated by ethical Motivated by Motivated by political
ethical beliefs, otherwise interest, but not at the public perception principles and
breaking a moral expense of personal of doing the right identifying with a similar
principle. Without public benefits. thing, therefore empowered group.
acknowledgement. self- interest.
Influencing the attitude-behaviour gap
Convenience of Sustainable features Independent of Gap bridged by setting
sustainable purchasing are part of a bundle, pre-existing out conscious choices
to transform moral which includes an attitudes and as markers of social
commitment to action advantage to self. behaviour, the and political identity
product must be
socially distinctive.
Significance in developing communication guidelines about sustainability.

Providing easily This group of Communication This consumer is

understandable consumers will only buy must focus on the oriented towards
information at the point of sustainably if product benefits of buying sustainable products.
purchase is likely to satisfies all their other sustainably. Information must be
encourage this group to requirements. They are A public channel visible and
buy sustainably. The interested in ethics so where their accurate/honest.
channel of information relating to a actions are If the product identifies
communication is only products ethical positively their cohesion to a
significant insofar as provenance may reinforced by group this will increase
being convenient, as convince them to others their purchase intent
public opinion is less purchase. approbation towards it.
important to them. is beneficial.
Table 17: Decreasing the attitude-behaviour gap: Antonetti and Maklan, 2015.

The attraction of the work of Newig et al., in relation to this study is in its pragmatic and holistic
approach to the development of sustainable communication. Their model provides analytical
tools comprising of ‘Communication about Sustainability’ (CaS), ‘Communication of
Sustainability’ (CoS) whereas ‘Communication for Sustainability’ (CfS) embraces all facilitators
towards societal transformation to sustainability (Newig et al., 2013: 2978).
There are two distinct perspectives, ‘about’ and ‘of’ communication, which include the direction
of information flow, the function of information and the effectiveness of communication (Newig

46
et al., 2013: 2978). Table 13 illustrates how ‘about’ and ‘of’ are used to assess the function
and effectiveness of communication.
Mode, function and effectiveness of communication processes

Direction/mode of Function Measures of effectiveness

communication
Communication Deliberative; Deliberation; production of Discourse oriented: quality
about horizontal, many to intersubjective/shared of discourse; compatibility of
sustainability many. concepts/frames concepts to sustainability

Communication. Transmissive; sender- Transmission; transfer of Sender oriented;

of sustainability receiver, one to many. information towards an achievement of sender’s
objective. communication objective.

Table 18: ‘Communication about sustainability and communication of sustainability in

comparison.’ (Newig et al., 2013: 2977)

‘Communication about Sustainability’ (CaS) highlights the significance of information

exchange and discussion about sustainability. Communication takes place at various levels,
including ‘face to face’ and between the masses. It serves significant functions of framing
concerns and structuring facts, arguments and claims through establishing a common
understanding of the issue at stake. The flow of communication is multi directional (Newig et
al., 2013:2978).

This contrasts with CoS where the flow of information is one directional – from experts and
decision makers - educators and companies to the public. It has specific functions, such as
informing and educating individuals, achieving social engagement and taking action. It takes
an elitist stance by making a central distinction between experts and ordinary people. Its’
success is assessed by whether recipients have been reached, understood the message, or
changed their values and behaviours (Newig et al., 2013: 2979).

‘Communication for sustainability’ was the third constituent; the objective of CfS is to establish
societal transformation based on the normative goals of sustainable development. The
effectiveness of CfS is its impact in terms of measurable action towards sustainable
development, which communication related to sustainability may in fact neglect or inhibit.
Since no one is openly against sustainability, this happens by symbolically seeming to be
supporting it but following (hidden) non-sustainable agendas (Newig et al., 2013:2980). See
Table 19 for a summary of the key points:

47
 Communication about Sustainability Communication of Sustainability COS
CAS
Direction and Horizontal information flow and Mono-direction, sender-receiver flow
initiators of Flow exchange i.e. Instrumental/managerial

Takes place at various levels, including

Flow of communication is one
‘face to face’ and between the masses.directional – from experts and decision
makers - educators and companies to
the public
The Function of Frames issues, structures facts Informs and educates individuals and
communication arguments and claims by creating a achieves social engagement and
common understanding of the issues at action by adopting an elitist stance by
stake, of goals and of who needs to take making a central distinction between
action. experts and ordinary people.

Measures of Amount of mass media attention Whether recipients have been

effectiveness or reached, whether they have
quality of Who has access to the discourse and understood the message, and changed
communication influences the framing process their values and behaviours

The extent that discourse in one sub

system is compatible with another i.e.
science and politics.

Communication for Sustainability’ CFS

To facilitate societal transformation towards sustainable goals

Effectiveness relates to impact in terms of measurable action towards sustainable development.

It may neglect or inhibit sustainable development by appearing to support sustainability but following
hidden non-sustainable agendas.

Table 19: Informed by Communication regarding Sustainability: Conceptual Perspectives

and Exploration of Societal Subsystems (Newig et al., 2013)

Table 20 summarises the range of content centered communication processes from

counterproductive (e.g. greenwashing) to transformative (e.g. educational). It is worth
highlighting that some organisations include communication about sustainability simply to
convey a positive and effective message, as it is an opportunity to improve their reputation
(Newig et al., 2013:2984).

Content centered typology of communication processes.

Counterproductive Neutral Transformative (CfS)

Communication Discourse oriented to Scientific deliberation Participatory dialogues in
about impede genuine about sustainability local groups (Agenda 21 –
sustainability sustainability related phenomena. 1992 UN goals)
development.
Communication. Greenwashing in Scientific Educating students or the
of sustainability sustainability reporting. communication of facts public

Table 20: Adapted from ‘Typology of communication processes in relation to sustainability

with examples’ (Newig et al., 2013: 2978)

Examination of the work of an extensive although not exhaustive range of theorists about
communication, in and outside the fashion industry, enabled the researcher to identify two
models on which to base the research methods and best answer the aim and objectives. The
challenge of reducing the attitude-behaviour gap was discussed in Section (2.3.6) and in
relation to most theories about Fashion Communication, therefore Antonetti and Maklan’s work
is appropriate. The second reason for selection is that they use consumer motivation as a

48
basis for developing effective communication guidelines. Motivation is a concept widely agreed
to lead to the possibility of behaviour change, and is relevant to all consumers. On the other
hand, the communication model of Newig et al., complements Antonetti and Maklan’s work by
providing comprehensive detail relating to a wide range of aspects about developing and
measuring the effectiveness of communication. The ‘conceptual perspectives’ of
communication about sustainability (Newig et al., 2013) provide a framework for developing
communication guidelines for fashion brands and are used to develop the communication
framework in Chapter 6.

2.4.3 Fashion Brand Communication

There is little doubt about the increased mainstream narrative about the lack of sustainability
in the fashion industry. Consumers and organisations such as the Fashion Transparency Index
are increasingly demanding more information about sourcing and manufacturing (Fashion
Transparency Index, 2019). Television programmes such as ‘Fashion’s Dirty Secrets’ and ‘The
One Show’ in October 2018, Radio 4 shows such as ‘You and Yours’ and ‘Mary Portas: In
Style’ in 2019, and regular news features in papers and on television that connect fashion to
environmental damage have all contributed to this. A Parliamentary report early in 2019 on
‘The Sustainability of the Fashion Industry’ was widely publicised. ‘Edited’ reports that there
has been a gradual increase this year in retailers’ communications with customers in
‘mentions’ and ‘iterations’ of sustainability (2019: 6). This is good news given that societal
discourse is fundamental in providing legitimacy in sustainable development and
communication must reflect societal values (Genc, 2017). The value in this research is in
analysing to what extent the narrative has led to fashion brands and consumers adopting more
sustainable practices.
Brands must be pro-active, transparent and communicate an authentic message (Hakala et
al., 2017, Fournier and Avery, 2011). Young people respond positively to brands that practise
transparently and present an authentic message. Greenwashing or overstating sustainable
credentials has led to consumers distrusting brand claims (Thomas, 2015:11). Online access
to information about global events such as the aftermath to the collapse of the Rana Plaza
garment factory in 2013 where 1135 people were killed (Chowdhury, 2017) has led to distrust
of fashion brands. When this happened, UK brands were quick to disassociate themselves
from it by claiming that they were unaware that this factory was making their product (Ritch,
2015:1178). The implication of Primark’s ethical position is that they do not own factories and
that their standards are acceptable as they are in line with the rest of the high street ‘… 98%
of the factories making products for Primark also manufacture for other brands’ (Primark, 2018,
online). Brands frequently respond to multiple negative press exposes about poor working
conditions in apparel factories by declaring the factories that they work with meet required
standards, and that sub-contracting without their knowledge has led to the problem. (For
example the response to allegations of staff in factories in Leicester being paid £3.50 per hour
for making Boohoo product ‘…we are currently trying to establish the identity of this company’
(Boohoo, 2020)). It is important to highlight the significance of their perception of a company’s
motivation for sustainability communication (Bronn and Vrioni, 2001). Scepticism results from

49
marketing communications that appear deceptive or manipulative (Evans and Peirson-Smith,
2018, Forehand and Grier, 2003). A survey in 2017 found that two in five consumers declared
that they did not know which brands to trust (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and
Company, 2018). This is important, as the credibility of the source (senders of information) is
a significant factor in determining whether behaviour change will occur (Mackie and Queller,
2000, Dragulanescu, 2002). Hence, it can be concluded that lack of consumer trust in
sustainable products acts as a barrier towards sustainable consumption (Athena Information
Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2020, Joshi and Rahman 2015) and consumer trust in a sustainable brand
is an important purchase criterion which positively influences purchasing (Shen, et al, 2017.
Rahbar and Wahid, 2011).
When examining the consumption process in Section 2.3.4, it was clear that Individual and
Situational variables were fundamental in understanding behaviour (Joshi and Rahman,
2015). Table 21 details the Situational or External variables that influence fashion consumption
as reflected through communication. It is apparent that fashion brands control all the
Situational variables that influence consumption behaviour, except Significant others
(Reference groups), see Figure 9. These include store attributes, product attributes,
availability, labelling, price, image and communication.
In fashion, product attributes are arguably more important than in other products.
Appearance, fashionability, colour, fit, quality and sustainable characteristics all influence
whether to purchase or not. A high price may negatively influence purchase intention and
behaviour, as could difficulty in procurement (Joshi and Rahman, 2015). Consumers are
likely to purchase from one of numerous other brands available if the product attributes do
not meet expectations, they consider it is expensive or the transactional process is not
simple. Given that two key aspects of fast fashion are low prices and fast availability, it is
clear that these variables would influence a fast fashion consumers’ decision to buy. Joshi
and Rahman (2015) found there is limited research about the information provided about
sustainable products in stores and that favourable attributes such as clear signposting or
helpful staff can positively influence the outcome. The success of labelling depends on
whether the consumer trusts the information provided, this is explored further in the next
section Channels of Communication.

50
 Individual variables that influence consumption.
Habits Habit and past behaviour guide consumer preferences and influence their
purchasing behaviour, making it difficult to change.

Trust A belief or expectation about a products performance.

Emotions Consumer emotions have a direct impact on consumer purchase intention and
behaviour

Knowledge Knowledge has a direct effect on consumer purchase intention and behaviour.

Values and Individual values will have a direct effect on their purchase behaviour.
personal norms

Perceived Perceived behavioural control is the perceived control one has over one’s
behavioural actions. It refers to the capacity of an individual to perform a given behaviour
control (Ajzen, 1988).

Perceived Indirectly influences consumer purchase intention since it influences consumer

consumer attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (Kang et al.,
effectiveness 2013).
Situational variables that influence consumption

Product Style, quality and functional characteristics of products influence consumers’

attributes green purchase behaviour.

Store related Store related attributes influence consumer purchase of products.

attributes
Price In relation to expectations or other products.

Labelling Labelling informs consumers about product characteristics.

Product Limited availability and inconvenience in procuring products act as barriers.

availability
Brand image Consumers generally have personal favourite brands and they prefer them to
green brands (Young et al., 2010).

Subjective & Social and reference groups, especially peers and other individuals with close
social norms & proximity have a stronger influence on consumers’ decision-making process.
reference groups
Table 21: Variables influencing the level of sustainable consumption. Informed by Joshi and
Rahman, 2015.

Figure 9: Influence of self, fashion brand and significant others on fashion communication
and consumption. Informed by Joshi and Rahman, 2015

51
2.4.4 Channels of Communication
Research has established that customers increasingly want to know about the provenance of
their clothes (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company, 2018:62, McNeill and
Moore, 2015). Communication about sustainability is complex it needs to portray a consistent
message across a variety of channels that is suitable for a wide target audience (Evans and
Peirson-Smith, 2018, Ackerstein and Lemon, 1999).

Digital developments over the last decade have created unprecedented communication
prospects between brands and consumers (Fournier and Avery, 2011). Young people - the
main protagonists of fast fashion are prolific users of digital platforms, so web sites and social
media are important conduits through which fashion brands can engage with them.
Communication between consumers and brands is through shops, web sites, online social
platforms and product labels hence these channels are selected for the case studies.

The value in this research is in adding to the limited research about the effectiveness of digital
communication about sustainability (Lundquist, 2014) in a fashion context. The internet
supports bi-directional and multi-directional communication processes with stakeholders,
which empowers them to become active in the generation of content (Ledingham and Bruning,
2000). Social media is as key communication channel that not only broadcasts messages, but
also enhance organisation-consumer interactions (Bendeler 2017, Kimmel and Kitchen,
2014).

This is not to suggest that the power lies with consumers, rather that they have the opportunity
to engage with a brand in a way that was not previously possible. Digital platforms guided by
attention algorithms provide more and more content that initiates behaviour change and
constant consumption (Bendeler, 2017, Busch, 2019). Elements such as Walls, Competitions,
Newsfeeds, Blogs, Discussion forums, and Customer images, generate relationships and
positively influence behavioural intentions (Hakala et al., 2017:542, Duffett, 2015:515). For
example, Missguided responded to one of their customer’s requests by introducing a ‘Jeans
and Nice Top’ section on their web site. The story went viral, causing a spike of nearly six
thousand interactions against their normal number of less than 500, and much more than their
previous highest number for the month, engagement and brand loyalty increased (Redelmeier,
2018, online). Clearly, it is a powerful tool for engaging customers (Vazquez et al., 2017), and
building loyalty.
Young consumers expect expediency (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018:51) and
web sites that do not have easy navigation will deter them (Jones and Kang, 2019, Parker et
al, 2010). They consider information from social media to be more trustworthy than marketing
messages received through traditional channels (Hakala et al., 2017:552, Goldsmith,
2006:429). Online peer conversations are also important as they guide brand and product
choice (Williams & Page 2011:8). Shared negative consumer comments can damage a brands
reputation (Fournier & Avery, 2011).

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Enabling the customer to make an informed decision by providing information about a
product at the point of sale is an opportunity for fashion brands to limit the use of heuristics
(Ritch, 2015:1175). Eco-labels have the potential to enhance sustainable consumption (Ma
et al., 2017, Henninger, 2015). The Global Ecolabelling Network, (2020, online) describes
an ecolabel as a marker that identifies products or services proven to be environmentally
preferable, although the United Nations include Social Criteria in their definition (United
Nations, 2020, online). Research demonstrates that consumers found labels with
information about the sustainable aspects of the garment convenient and useful (Perez and
Lonsdale, 2019) as long as they were easy to read and aesthetically pleasing, (Hiller-Connell
Kozar, 2017). Their other advantage is that there is less opportunity for vagueness, as what
is stated must link directly to the product. Gam et al., (2014) found that participants familiar
with ‘socially responsible labels’ (labels that demonstrate a commitment to sustainable
causes) and that those oriented to sustainable consumption showed a greater intention to
purchase products that included them. The practice of using labels as an educational tool to
enhance sustainable consumption is discussed further in Chapter 6 ‘Guidelines for
Optimising Communication about Sustainability’.
There are over 100 eco-labels currently used in the UK, making it very difficult for consumers
to recognise and understand what each represents (Henninger, 2015, Ma et al., 2017). In fact,
even with fashion industry experts, Fairtrade was one of only four that was widely understood
(Henninger, 2015). Clearly, product labels reflect whichever aspect of sustainability a fashion
brand is developing or a product incorporates, so the range is extensive.

Earlier discussion highlighted that mainstreaming sustainability in fast fashion is likely to lead
to price increases (ILO, 2017). Garment labelling provides brands with an opportunity to
include cost information on swing tickets so that customers can understand the real cost of
garment production. Providing information to educate consumers is significant in achieving
long-term goals about sustainability, and in consumers accepting, that products made without
exploitation may cost more (Ritch, 2015:1174). A further benefit was demonstrated when M
& S started charging for plastic bags, customers viewed this action as an indication that the
business was practising sustainably elsewhere (Ritch, 2015:1171). In 2018, Birnbaum (2017)
suggested that the demand for knowledge was already leading the industry towards increased
transparency through labelling and marketing. Ultimately, this level of transparency could be
an effective means of gaining customer trust, leading to greater loyalty and increased sales
(Ritch, 2015:1166).
Developing an independent logo or trademark is an opportunity for the fashion industry (Ritch,
2015:1175, Nisbett et al., 1982; Taylor, 1982,). Ritch posited that ‘…notions of sustainability
are slowly transferring to fashion retailing, as sustainable concepts become ingrained within
everyday behaviours’, and that despite very different supply chains, the same principles apply
to both (2015:1176).
The food industry has successfully developed sustainable or ethical branding, with logos such
as ‘Fairtrade’ acting as a heuristic cue to guide purchasing (Nisbett et al., 1982, Taylor, 1982).
The mission of the Fairtrade Foundation is to connect disadvantaged workers with consumers.

53
They check that standards are met by all parts of the products’ supply chain, and license the
FAIRTRADE mark to signal this to consumers (Fairtrade, 2010, online). Their web site
provides links to their certified brands. In clothing, this includes People Tree, a niche ethical
brand and White Stuff, but no fast fashion brands.

Figure 10: Fairtrade clothing logo (Fairtrade, 2020, online)

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) (2018) provides a means of identifying products
where the ‘…processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution of all
textiles made from at least 70% certified organic natural fibres’, and sets out ‘…requirements
on working and social conditions that are equivalent to those of leading social sustainability
standards’ (GOTS 2020, online). It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire
organic textiles supply chain and social criteria (GOTS, 2020, online). The web site has a
Public Database with a search function, which leads to a list of garment manufacturers with
the following proviso ‘Not all products manufactured or sold by a certified operation may be
GOTS certified. Please check if the products show the correct and complete labelling at the
time of purchase.’ (GOTS, 2020, online). The problem here is threefold. One, all products from
one factory are not guaranteed to be GOTS certified. Two, even a sustainably oriented
customer who takes the time to look at this web site will not find a list of fashion brands or
stockists who sell GOTS accredited product. Three, although the web site states that GOTS
products are ‘…already visible on the shelves of natural textile shops but large-scale retailers
and brand dealers as well’ (GOTS, 2020, online) this is not the case in mainstream fashion in
the UK. An online search revealed some baby and children’s product including at John Lewis,
ladies wear at People Tree (an ethical brand) and product in the SEASALT ranges.
Unfortunately, although their vision is for organic textiles to become part of everyday life – in
the UK there is still a long way to go.

Using 95 -100% organic fibres: Using 70 – 94% organic fibres:

Organic Made with [x] % organic materials.

Certified by [certifier’s ref.] Certified by [certifier’s ref.]
License no [1234] License no [1234]

Figure 11: GOTS branding for garment labels and tickets (GOTS, 2020, online.)

54
Although labelling fashion products that are environmentally or socially preferable to others,
can guide heuristics in the decision-making process of purchasing (Henninger, 2015), the
effectiveness is inconclusive, especially with consumers who do not trust (Henninger, 2015),
are unaware of or do not understand the information provided (Joshi and Rahman, 2015).
The sheer number of certifications and the limited number that apply to fashion products
could complicate rather than enhance decision-making. Additional marketing and
communication to improve customer understanding is required before they reach their
potential. A final point is that the many other demands on fast fashion consumers, including
finding product that accords with their price, style and fit requirements are likely to be more
important than finding products with eco- labels (Henninger, 2015).

2.4.5 Corporate Social Responsibility

It is important to review the part that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plays in fashion
communication. Elkington recommended that businesses carry out an holistic assessment of
a company’s economic, social, and environmental performance, or ‘Triple Bottom Line’ (TBL)
(Hiller Connell and Kozar, 2017:1). Simultaneously customers became increasingly interested
in knowing about suppliers and the provenance of products, and businesses began to realise
that sustainability was important (Perry et al., 2014). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
strategies outlined businesses commitment to improving social and environmental impact.
(Lueg et al., 2013). Aguinis (2011:855) defined Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as
organizational actions and policies that account for stakeholders’ expectations and the triple
bottom line of economic, social, and environmental performance. Hiller Connell and Kozar
(2017) go further by recommending that brands include CSR initiatives in their marketing, to
positively impact on their image.
A sustainable business approach requires effective communication that aims at sharing CSR
values with stakeholders (Harrick and Pratt, 2013). The web sites of large companies play an
increasingly important role in sustainability communication (Dade and Hassenzahl, 2013), and
are replacing traditional corporate communication media (Siano et al, 2016). The risk of
greenwashing is amplified by stakeholders’ empowerment in digital environments (Kucuk and
Krishnamurthy, 2007).
Thus, the purpose of sustainability communication is to convey an organisations commitment
and ability to achieve and report the expected results (Siano et al, 2012). In practice, CSR
strategies are voluntary and may become a compliance issue involving the application of
guiding mechanisms, codes of conduct and audits (Perry et al., 2014). They lack the force of
mandatory law (Brewer, 2019), and are associated with increasing costs and limiting
profitability (Hume, 2010:386). Implementation at factory level may be compromised,
particularly in fast fashion where achieving other demands including low prices, short lead
times, and trend led products are considered to be more important (Brewer, 2019, Perry et al.,
2014). Consequently, the perception is that they are sometimes ‘little more than a PR
exercise…that fail to fully address exploitative working conditions…’ (Perry et al., 2014).
So, to evaluate the influence of CSR on fashion communication (and practice), assessment
of: a) the type of business and b) the stakeholders is required. For example, sustainable
practice may not be a priority for a business model built on ‘low cost and speed’ as opposed

55
to ‘quality and longevity’. Siano et al., (2016) define the stakeholders as employees,
consumers’ investors’ communities and media. A CSR strategy helps investors and
shareholders assess sustainability in their risk assessment of a company (Global Fashion
Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018, Newig et al., 2013). It highlights business
priorities and provides a benchmark for reviewing implementation against the plan (Fukukawa
and Moon, 2004).

2.4.6 Summary of Fashion communication

This section has assessed communication between consumers and brands in relation to the
sustainability of the fashion industry. Literature has revealed complex issues surrounding the
creation and measurement of effective communication. The lack of a universally or even
industry agreed definition of sustainability (Evans and Peirson-Smith, 2018, Kangun et al.,
1991) leads to difficulties in language and understanding. Other challenges identified through
the literature analysis include the relationship between the two stakeholders’ consumers and
brands in the fast fashion industry. In response to a gap in the literature, this study explores
the consumer perspective on the frequency and content of communication received from
fashion brands, their feelings about social media posts and their interest in knowing about the
provenance of their clothes. It examines the extent to which fashion brands and fashion
consumers understanding of sustainability align and which aspects are consumers most
interested in, and are most likely to motivate them to change their behaviour to buy sustainably.

In response to the growing societal interest in sustainability, this study scrutinises fashion
brands sustainable language for evidence of lack of clarity and exaggerating sustainable
claims as suggested by the literature (Thomas, 2008). It assesses whether consumers
unlimited access to world news and negative press exposes about the fashion industry have
led them to distrust fashion brands, and considers the extent to which they ‘buy into’
sustainable sub-brands that many fast fashion companies have released, or recognise them
as a marketing ploy to increase sales.

Research about the effectiveness of garment labels as a means of educating consumers about
sustainability is inconsistent. It is beneficial for customers to access information that relates
directly to the product, at the point of sale. However, the lack of an industry certification
identifying sustainable fashion products means that individual brands determine labelling
information. The risks with this are - brands may use words and symbols that imply
sustainability but are not specific, or manipulate the content to exaggerate sustainable claims,
customers may not trust labelling information that brands generate.
This research addresses a relatively new phenomenon relating to fashion brands utilisation of
channels to communicate with customers, from the traditional shops and labels to web sites
and social media. It analyses their messages to determine their business priorities through
their investment of time and money. It investigates whether they use ‘persuasive’ messages
to alter or influence behaviour, that encourages sustainable consumption or simply just to
encourage them to buy more.

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2.5 Chapter summary

In reviewing the literature, three significant themes that require further investigation emerged
to address the aim of this research: to analyse the impact of fast fashion, consumer
behaviour and fashion brand communication on sustainability. The first is an analysis of
current sustainability, followed by an exploration of fashion consumption, concluding with an
examination of communication about sustainability.
In response to both investors and customers, sustainability is now on the agenda of most
brands (Global Fashion Agenda, 2018). However, evidence suggests that the fast fashion
business model perpetuates social and environmental exploitation in order to satisfy the
demands of both fashion brands and consumers (Arrigo, 2020, Waller and Waller, 2018,
Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2017, ). The number of clothes bought per person is higher in the UK than
in any other country (UK Parliament, 2019). Although many fashion brands have CSR
policies, in practice, they are frequently subservient to other business demands such as low
cost and short lead times (Brewer, 2019, Perry et al., 2014).

Whilst it is encouraging that millennial consumers are increasingly interested in

sustainability, fast fashion brands feed their customers’ dreams and desires (Joy et al.,
2012:291) by targeting marketing messages with slogans such as ‘Become the person
you want to be’ and ‘The future is yours to create’ (Missguided, 2019, online). Image
sharing social media sites have increased emphasis on physical beauty, resulting in
more impulse buying for immediate gratification and less appreciation of the value of a
single item of clothing. Research has identified an attitude-behaviour gap (Joyner
Armstrong et al., 2016:421, Roberts, 1996) which describes how a consumer’s positive
attitude towards sustainability is not reflected in their buying behaviour. Through primary
research, this work investigates consumer interest in sustainability and fashion
consumption to identify how the two elements can be aligned so that they consume
fashion sustainably, thereby satisfying Objective 1 To analyse fast fashion consumers
and their fashion consumption.

However, reducing the gap depends not only on consumers, but also on fashion brands.
The financial success of the current fast fashion business model of brands such as Zara
and H & M means that they have little incentive to change (Arrigo, 2020, Ozdamar-
Ertekin, 2017). Many have a poor reputational image in relation to sustainability in terms
of both practice and communication about sustainability. A review of the literature
revealed opportunities through communication that could lead to improving the
sustainability of mainstream fast fashion. Primary research will examine communication
about sustainability from a selection of fast fashion brands. It will explore the extent to
which their communication educates their consumers and encourages them to buy
sustainably, answering Objective 2 To evaluate how fast fashion brands communicate
with their customers.

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 The originality and value of this research is in addressing how the relationship between
fast fashion brands and consumers contributes to the current lack of sustainability in the
fashion industry. The findings from the research on consumers and brands will be
compared in order to satisfy Objective 3 To make a comparative analysis of consumer
and fashion brand interest in sustainability. The literature review has shown the
magnitude, scale and urgency of the problem. Resolving it requires systemic change
and investment of time and money from all stakeholders, including consumers, fashion
brands, and throughout the supply chain (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group, 2018).

From a theoretical perspective, work by Antonetti and Maklin (2015) who grouped
consumers according to their motivations for sustainable consumption and Newig et al.,
(2013) who provided analytical tools for improving communication about sustainability in
terms of flow, function and effectiveness were most relevant and will be explored in later
chapters. This will answer the final Objective (4) To recommend guidelines to optimise the
communication of sustainability between fast fashion brands and consumers.

The Methodology chapter explains how the chosen methods seek to answer the research
objectives by using a survey and case studies as a basis for examining communication
between fashion consumers and brands, thereby achieving the thesis aim – ‘To analyse the
impact of fast fashion, consumer behaviour and brand communication on sustainability.’

1) To analyse fast fashion consumers and their fashion consumption.

2) To evaluate how fast fashion brands communicate with their customers.
3) To make a comparative analysis of consumer and fashion brand interest in
sustainability.
4) To recommend guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability
between fast fashion brands and consumers

It includes the following sections: Introduction, Research Philosophy, Design, Methods, Data
Collection and Analysis, Ethical considerations, Limitations and Chapter summary.

Chapter 3.0. Methodology

3.1 Introduction
The methodology provides a rationale and over-arching framework for the research process,
including how and why the research is undertaken (Creswell, 2009). It includes the
philosophical meaning, the approach and paradigms that underpin the research (Blaxter and
Hughes, 2010), and the design phase where the researcher decides what it is that they want
to do and how they will do it (Moon et al., 2018). The importance of the methodology within
the research process and outcome cannot be overstated. It serves two critical functions: 1)
providing validity and reliability (discussed further in section 3.3) by describing and explaining
influences, and 2) documenting at each stage what was considered and/or dismissed, in order

58
for others to replicate or alter the methods in future research. The approach to research arises
from the desire to understand complex social phenomena (Yin, 2003), and is determined by
the type of questions to answer, and the researcher. The researchers’ thoughts on research,
philosophical approach and ways of working strongly influence the process, methods and
analysis of data and consequently shape what is learnt from a study (Brown and Rodgers,
2003). Understanding a researcher’s principles and embedded assumptions is a pre-requisite
for interpreting the work of others and developing their own work (Moon and Blackman, 2014).
In fact, according to Sievanen et al., (2012) failure to recognise them can limit or distort
interpretation of research outcomes.

This chapter discusses how the research design and methods achieve the research aim and
objectives of this study. It begins with how the researcher’s philosophical approach influenced
the research strategy and design, followed by an explanation of the selected research
methods. Discussion of the Sampling Strategy and Data Analysis precede Research Ethics
and Limitations, and the Chapter summary.

Primary and secondary research inform the outcome and the success in answering the
research questions, data may be qualitative (non-numerical) and quantitative (numerical).
Primary research is original data, collected and analysed to address a specific research
problem, rather than depending on previous data (Flick 2014, Kothari, 2004, Brown and
Rodgers, 2003). Research issues and the nature of the research questions determine the
approach, techniques and method applications (Yin, 2003). In this work, the selected
methods of primary research to collect original data are a survey and case studies. The
literature review process analyses data collated from existing (secondary) sources to
determine what is known and yet to be known about a subject (Clark et al., 2000). According
to Yin (2003), the purpose of the Literature Review is to develop insightful research questions
about a topic, by reviewing existing literature and exposing gaps. It summarises what related
studies have revealed but also discusses what has not, thereby revealing research questions
on which to base the study (Brown and Rodgers, 2003). Figure 12 shows the relationship
between the research stages and approach.

59
 Figure 12: Thesis research methods and characteristics: adapted from Brown and
Rodgers, 2003.

Secondary research sources include formally published items such as peer reviewed trade
and professional journals, books, newspapers, conference proceedings, and reports
including Government (Saunders, 2015). These resources provide historical and
contemporary context and a background to inform existing research, knowledge and
understanding (Blaxter and Hughes, 2010).
This study is ‘explorative’, as it asks questions, assesses and seeks insights into phenomena
in a different way and ‘descriptive’ in terms of observations of behaviours and processes in
given situations (Saunders et al., 2016). Descriptive research typically draws from a cross-
section of a population (Duffett, 2014:507). This research investigates the attitudes and
behaviour towards fashion, and sustainability, of a group of young people studying at
Manchester Metropolitan University.
The Literature Review established that curtailing the sustainable footprint of the fashion
industry requires a comprehensive understanding of the two main parties involved in fashion
consumption: consumers and fashion brands (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston
Consulting Group, 2018). In reviewing the literature, two significant research questions
emerged: 1) why young consumers are unaware or uninterested in how sustainable their
clothes are, despite a reported interest in sustainability (McNeill and Moore, 2015), 2) to what
extent are fashion brands interested in increasing their customers’ awareness of the
provenance of their clothes. As apparel consumption continues to rise, an evaluation of the
literature about the relationship between the two parties identified themes relating to barriers
to the industry becoming more sustainable (See Section 2.3.1). The literature identifies
opportunities to reduce the negative impact of fashion, predominantly by improving
communication about sustainability (See Section 2.4.2).
First, it is important to establish how the researcher’s philosophical perspective influences the
research process.

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3.2 Philosophical perspective
The introduction to this chapter emphasized that processes must be meticulous, thorough and
un-biased, in order that results are valid, replicable and reliable (Kumar, 2011). Philosophical
assumptions shape all stages of research including the approach and the creation and
interpretation of knowledge and meaning, therefore it is important to reveal the researchers
philosophical perspective (Sievanen et al., 2012). Philosophical perspectives can be described
as ‘a basic set of beliefs and values that guide action, (Guba 1990:17) frame theoretical
perspectives, and influence research questions (Moon et al., 2018). Underlying philosophical
approaches explain how studies of the same phenomenon yield different insights (Easterby-
Smith et al., 2008). If a researcher is aware of how their philosophy influences research
practice by considering embedded assumptions it increases the objectivity of the research
output (Saunders et al., 2016).

In social sciences ‘ontology’ – the study of being, of what actually exists in the world (Spirkin,
1983) and ‘epistemology’ the study of how people create knowledge and what it is possible to
know, are important branches of philosophy (Oppong, 2014, Crotty, 1998). A third
philosophical approach is ‘axiology’ or ‘theoretical perspective’, which relates to the influence
of personal values in knowledge acquisition (Moon and Blackman, 2014, Oppong 2014). The
acquisition of knowledge may be Deductive, value free or generalizable or Inductive – value-
laden, and only applicable within a context. (Moon and Blackman, 2014:1169). Within each
category a range of beliefs exists, for example within ontology, one extreme deals with
Realism, or the view that one reality exists, or Relativism, the belief that multiple realities exist
(Moon and Blackman, 2014:1169). The range of epistemological stances include Objectivism
– where meaning only exists within an object, Constructionism – where meaning is created
from interplay between subject and object and Subjectivism where the meaning exists within
the subject (Moon and Blackman, 2014:1169). Dominant philosophical approaches in this
study are Inductive, Relativist and Constructivist.

A final significant consideration in relation to research practice is ‘researcher reflectivity’. As

researchers themselves are part of the world they study one of the ways to retain rigor and
validity is by being reflexive, by critiquing their frame of reference, pre-conceptions and
inherent cultural and ethical views (Mills et al., 2012). This involves being transparent about
how and what knowledge was uncovered (Mills et al., 2012). Declaring a researchers personal
stance on a topic enables readers to consider the findings in light of the stance or position
(Begoray and Banister, 2016).

In order to reveal and establish the researcher’s dominant perspectives and philosophical
research profile (Appendix 1), the researcher completed the HARP questionnaire
‘Heightening your Awareness of your Research Philosophy’ by Bristow and Saunders (2014).
Table tbc describes how five philosophical approaches including Pragmatism, Interpretivist,
Post Modernism, Positivism and Critical Realism influence research design and methods
through their ontology (world-view), axiology (values) and epistemology (knowledge) (Hart,

61
2005). Responses from the questionnaire identify the researcher as predominantly a Critical
Realist, the highlighted column summarises the approach and method selection of a Critical
Realist (CR).
Critical Realist Pragmatism Interpretivist Post Modernism Positivism
Ontological (approach to reality)

Realism – Is External, Socially No one reality, External, objective

objective. Exists multiple, view constructed, there are multiple and independent of
independently of chosen to best subjective, may realities and social actors.
human thoughts, enable change. interpretations.
beliefs but is answering of
interpreted through research
social conditioning. question
Axiological (values) approach
Value-laden. Value-driven Value-bound. To Value- constituted Value-free
Experiences - Research understand, explain Emphasizes the Knowledge is
explained in terms initiated and the subjective world-making role objective, true, with
of underlying sustained by nature of human of language and no allowance for
structures of reality.
researchers behaviour & power relations. cultural values or
doubts and complex social unpredictable
beliefs. values. human behaviour
Epistemological (knowledge) approach
Knowledge Driven by Focus on creating Questions Scientific.
historically situated problem solving new, richer accepted ways of Designed to yield
& transient. Facts to inform future understandings and thinking & pure facts
are social practice. interpretations of propose uninfluenced by
constructions social words and alternative view to human
context. dominant world interpretation.
perspectives.
Typical Research Methods
Range of methods Range of mixed Focus on They de-construct Researcher is
& data types to fit methods & complexity, data to expose the neutral, detached
subject matter. combination of richness, multiple instabilities and and as external to
qualitative & interpretations and absences within the data collection
quantitative meaning-making them. as possible.

Table 22: Researcher philosophical research profiles from HARP questionnaire. Bristow and
Saunders, 2014.

Results from the HARP questionnaire revealed that ontologically the researchers approach
was objective (science based) but the data was interpreted through a social science lens.
This approach was invaluable in enquiring beyond the superficial, for example in examining
the relationship between fashion brands and consumers. The influence of ‘values’ (axiology)
which are built on personal experience affect the research topic selected and how it will be
investigated. To expand, the selection of sustainability as a research topic resulted from the
impact on the researcher of seeing poor working conditions in apparel factories, and the
desire to improve them through education. Epistemologically, a researcher looks for
historical causal relationships that explain social constructions. For example, to explain
contradictory behaviours such as why young people continue to buy fast fashion on the one
hand and increasingly demonstrate their support for sustainability on the other. A final but
important point was the belief that the world exists independently of what we think of it,
leading to an acceptance of the fallibility of knowledge and the possibility of getting things
wrong (Zachariadis et al., 2010). A Critical Realist approach to data collection typically
includes a range of methods this is discussed in section 3.5.

62
Philosophy is the relationship of thinking to being: a philosophical perspective reveals
someone’s general worldview (Moon and Jackson, 2014, Guba 1990). Completing the HARP
questionnaire revealed theoretical understanding and embedded principles that could
compromise the integrity of the process and research outcomes (Sievanen et al., 2012). By
reflecting upon these findings, the researcher is able to be aware of how their philosophical
perspective influences research design. The theoretical lens of Critical Realism influenced the
research design by overcoming difficulties in the drive to get beneath the surface to understand
and explain why things are as they are (Zachariadis et al., 2010). Critical Realists recognise
the importance of multi-level study, including the existence of many structures and procedures,
and the capacity that these have to interact with each other (Saunders, 2015). The approach
involved a range of methods including collecting qualitative and quantitative data, to make
sense of complex issues and expose meaning.

The research questions, listed below required an interpretative philosophical approach to gain
an understanding of the constructs held by people in a given situation, whilst allowing for
variance according to time and context (Mertens, 1998:161).
 What is the impact of fast fashion on sustainability?
 Why do young people keep buying fast fashion?
 How do fast fashion brands communicate with their customers?
 What aspects of sustainability are consumers interested in?
 What aspects of sustainability are brands communicating about with their customers?
 What is the most effective way of communicating sustainability to young people?
 What will lead to young people buying fashion more sustainably?
This contrasts with a positivist approach, where the unreliability of human beings has no
influence (Biggam, 2009:93). An abductive approach to theory development (where the
Researcher uses empirical data to explain previously unexplained phenomena) explored
themes relating to young people’s fashion consumption and interest in sustainability. It
supported examination of the relationship between fashion brands and their consumers and
identified themes including motivation for buying fashion and the content of communication
from fashion brands to their customers. An inductive approach (where theory is developed
from the observation of empirical data (Charmaz, 2008) approach guided exploration of the
apparently contradictory values and behaviour of young people in terms of their general
support for sustainable action, not applied to buying clothes.

In the social sciences, grounded theory is a research methodology that results in the
development of a theory that explains data patterns expected in similar data sets (Glaser and
Strauss, 1967). It is a theory based on scientific research that creates meaning from data but
seeks to ensure that the emerging theory arises from the data rather than any other source
(Crotty, 2014). It relies on the continuation of sampling and data collection until ‘saturation’ is
reached, or no new conceptual insights emerge (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). A grounded
theory approach is useful in predicting or explaining behaviour, as in this study (Goulding,
2002). To elaborate it depends on primary data to develop theory, and relies therefore on a

63
research design and strategy that ensures that data is collected and analysed reliably, validly,
objectively, accurately and economically to fulfil the aim and objectives (Kumar, 2011).
Grounded theory is subjectivist, focussing on values, with an underlying view that social reality
relies on perceptions and consequent actions of people. This is distinct from objectivism -
which relies on facts and views social and physical phenomenon as existing independently of
people - and constructivist, which recognizes the researcher’s role in interpretation.

3.3 Research Strategy and Design

The research strategy lays out the most effective way of systematically solving a research
problem.
‘…the first and most important condition for differentiating among the various research
strategies is to identify the type of research question being asked’ (Yin 2003:7).
Yin explains that this means understanding the questions substance (what it is about) and
form (as in whether the questions begin with “Who”, “What”, “Why”, “Where” or “How”).
Accordingly, these factors provide clues to the most appropriate research strategy to be used
(Yin, 2003).
Research design is a plan, structure and strategy of investigation, conceived to obtain answers
to research questions or problems (Duffett, 2014:507). Research design is the logic that links
the data to be collected to the initial questions of study (Yin, 2003). A grounded theory strategy
has substantial flexibility and is adapted to fit the study and answer the research questions
(Charmaz, 2008, Crotty, 2014). The design of the methodology in this study reflect principles
of grounded theory by allowing the analysis of the literature to expose areas for research, and
enabling survey data to inform the case study selection. This approach permits exploratory,
explanatory and descriptive research and ensures that the research questions determine the
methods employed.
In research, ‘reliability’ refers to consistency of results obtained (Evely et al., 2008) and is
demonstrated by using operational procedures such as data collection that could be repeated
and yield the same results (Yin, 2003). ‘Validity’ is the applicability of the results to other
contexts (Moon and Blackman, 2014). Construct validity relates to establishing correct
operational measures for the concepts being studied. External validity is the extent to which
the study findings are generalizable or transferable to another setting. Internal validity is
established by meticulous study design, which allows all explanations to be exposed (Yin,
2003).
Table 23 illustrates how the survey and case studies built on themes emerging from the
literature. The survey was designed to establish a consumer perspective on fashion, shopping,
and sustainability and develop insights into the influence of fashion brand communication on
their purchasing behaviour. The case studies focussed on the brands, communication
channels and language. These two research methods were selected to answer the aims of the
study, develop knowledge and influence the empirical approach to data collection by focussing
on what needs to be explored and understood whilst allowing the unexpected to emerge and
be recognised (Moon et al., 2018, Saunders, 2015).

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 Literature Survey themes (Consumer Case study themes (Fashion
review perspective) brand perspective)
themes Themes for data Themes for data description
description and analysis & analysis
Fashion Fashion & Shopping
Consumption
Channel

Frequency

Budget, value & price of clothes

Motivation for buying & wearing clothes

Sustainability in Fashion & Sustainability

the Fashion
Industry Terminology &/or meaning of sustainability.

Aspects of sustainability

Provenance of clothes

Fashion Communication between Consumers & Brands

Communication.
Channels

Frequency

Message content

Table 23: Literature Review, Survey and Case Studies themes.

3.4 Research Methods

Methods are tools of data collection and analysis, this section focusses on the design of the
methods selected, but first a reminder of the preceding stages. The process began by
reviewing existing work on the topic of interest to identify a gap in the literature and refine
research questions. To ensure that the outcomes were valid and reliable the researchers’
philosophical principles were revealed. This is important as how researchers choose their
methods reveals their commitment to a version of the world (Moon and Blackman, 2014,
Oppong, 2014). A strategy or plan was developed to explain the best way for the researcher
to answer the research questions (Yin, 2003) and finally a consideration of the range of
methods to select those that were most suitable, allowed the most appropriate methods to
emerge.

Figure 13: Stages of the research process leading to the selected methods.

65
Specifically, this section details how the selected methods answer the research questions that
emerged from the aim and objectives of the study whilst ensuring reliability and validity. Yin
(2003) proposes three criteria to evaluate the suitability of ‘methods’. The first is the ‘form’ of
research questions, the second is the extent of control that the researcher has over the events,
and the third is the extent of focus on contemporary rather than historical events. Surveys
answers ‘what’, ‘how’ questions and Case studies answer ‘how’, and ‘why’ questions – this
range includes all the research questions posed in this study. Neither method has control over
the events, but both are appropriate for focusing on contemporary situations (Yin, 2003). The
research questions in this study therefore are answered by surveys and case studies.
Table 24 summarises how the chosen methods fulfil the aim, objectives and research
questions. The Literature Review informed the survey sample and questions (O1) and
provided information about consumers, fashion brands and communication (O2). The survey
forged a better understanding of fast fashion consumers (O1) and informed the case study
sampling. The case studies analysed fashion brand communication and identified areas of
current sustainable interest (O2 and O3). All the selected methods led to the development of
the communication guidelines, fulfilling Objective 4.

Aim Objectives Research Questions Lit. Survey Case

Review Studies

To analyse the O1 To analyse fast What is the impact of fast

impact of fast fashion consumers and fashion on sustainability?
fashion, their consumption of Why do young people keep   X
consumer fashion. buying fast fashion?
behaviour and O2 To evaluate how fast How do fast fashion brands
fashion brand fashion brands communicate with their   
communication communicate with their consumers?
on sustainability. customers.
O3 To make a What aspects of sustainability
comparative analysis are consumers interested?
of consumer and fast What aspects of sustainability   
fashion brand interest are brands communicating
in sustainability. with their customers?
O4 To recommend What is the most effective way
guidelines to optimise of communicating
the communication of sustainability to young people?   X
sustainability between What will lead to young people
fast fashion brands and buying fashion more
consumers. sustainably?

Table 24: Summary of Methods to meet the research Aim, Objectives and Questions.

Developing theory with a grounded approach is particularly appropriate in research that

predicts or explains behaviour (Goulding, 2002). Data collection starts with positivist
assumptions but without a theoretical framework (Saunders et al., 2016). It is an emergent
method as it allows indeterminate and open-ended theories to emerge rather than testing
existing ones (Charmaz, 2008). The subject of this study: an analysis of the combined impact
of fashion consumers and brands on sustainability is un-chartered making it suitable for an
emergent grounded theory approach, where what will emerge is unknown. Theory develops
by a systematic inductive approach to data collection and analysis (Charmaz, 2008). Data
collection and analysis through different research instruments (in this case a survey and case

66
studies) means that each method informs the other and reveal new questions to be answered
(Charmaz, 2008).
Section 3.2 highlighted the importance of reflection and on how the researchers ‘critical
realist’ profile, influenced the selection and application of research methods. Table 22
showed that a CR approach was to use a range of methods and data to fit the subject under
investigation, one that recognises the importance of multi-level study (Oppong 2014,
Saunders et al., 2009). In relation to data collection, the ‘critical’ aspect reflects two stages
in understanding, the thing itself and the mental processes that follow, each of which has the
capacity to change the researchers understanding (Saunders et al., 2009).
‘Realism’ is a scientific approach to the development of knowledge, (Saunders et al., 2009).
Researchers are only able to make sense of a small part of the social world when they
understand the social actors and structures that have led to the phenomenon being
researched (Bhaskar, 1989).

Further, a typical CR approach uses a range of methods (Oppong, 2014, Saunders et al.,
2016) and attempts to explore, explain and describe, as distinct from others that may select
one method and one action. In this case, a mixed method approach known as ‘triangulation’
facilitates the collection of qualitative and quantitative data, where insights from one method
illuminate another (Zachariadis et al., 2010). Several research methods focus on the same
subject and help to confirm the validity and reliability and give a more comprehensive
description of the phenomenon (Patton, 2002, Denzin, 1978). This aligns directly with a CR
approach. Using triangulation to develop a comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon
from different perspectives and sources increases the validity of the findings (Carter et al.,
2014). Mixed methods research draws on the strengths of quantitative methods (expressed
numerically), and qualitative methods (offering an evaluation or explanation of meaning behind
the numbers), to develop insights. It involves the use of all approaches in tandem so that the
overall strength of a study is greater than either qualitative or quantitative research (Plano
Clark and Creswell, 2008).

The selected research instruments led to the collection of unambiguous data providing a
robust platform for analysis and synthesis. A sequential mixed method approach allowed the
survey results to inform the case studies, see Figure 14. Stage 1 was collecting and analysing
data from the survey, to plan and design the case study. Stage 2 was collecting case study
data.

67
 .
Figure 14: Sequential mixed method research design.

The next step was designing each of the methods to ensure the collected data was valid and
reliable, that the process was detailed enough to be replicated at a different time by another
researcher and that the research questions were answered. Eisenhardt (1989) developed a
systematic process for case study research, which was used to develop both research
instruments, the survey and the case studies in this study. The stages are shown in Figure
15, ranging from ‘getting started to ‘reaching closure’. Details of how these were implemented
are found in 3.4.1 Survey Design and 3.4.6 Case Studies Design.
hypothesis
instruments

Ananlysing
Enterering
& protocol

Reaching
Enfolding
Selecting

Shaping

literature
Crafting

the field
Getting

closure
started

cases

data

Figure 15: Eisenhardt’s process of building theories from case study research, 1989.

At each stage, the design must retain theoretical flexibility whilst constraining extraneous
variation (Eisenhardt, 1989). The research instruments collected qualitative and quantitative
data to foster divergent perspectives, and strengthen the grounding of theory (Eisenhardt,
1989).

3.4.1 Survey Design

A survey or questionnaire design captures data that contributes towards answering research
questions. This study examines social relationships, social processes and behaviour so a
research method depending on, or ‘grounded’ in data was appropriate. The online survey
collected data consistently in that all participants answered the same questions in the same
order and each set of answers carried the same weight for analysis. The data set consisted
of quantitative and qualitative data allowing descriptive, exploratory and explanatory theories
to emerge.

68
A survey is a document with questions that gather information from individuals for research.
The first and most important stage in survey development is in deciding what data needs
collecting to answer the research questions (Saunders et al., 2016, Kumar, 2013). A survey
offers a one-off opportunity therefore, it is essential to plan what data is needed and how it
is analysed. Figure 16 illustrates the process. The response rate, validity and reliability of the
data collected from a questionnaire depend on the final questions following implementation
of amendments from pilot studies (Saunders et al., 2016).

Researcher is clear
about the expected
data when designing
questions.
Rese

Researcher decodes the Respondent decodes

answers in the way the the questions as the
respondent intended. researcher intended.

Respondent
answers the
questions.

Figure 16: Stages that must occur if a question is to be valid and reliable. Source:
developed from Froddy (1994) Constructing Questions for Interviews and Questionnaires.

Dilman et al., (2014) posit that ‘data variables’ determine the accuracy of obtaining data
through survey questions. These include ‘factual or demographic’ questions where
respondents have the answers readily available, (age and gender for example) and explore
the demographic influence on attitudes and behaviours whilst checking that the data set
represents the population under investigation. ‘Attitude and opinion’ questions demand
answers requiring more thought, such as feelings or belief questions that may be influenced
by the context of the question being asked. ‘Behaviour and event’ questions that may also
be influenced by context, relate to what people did (behaviours) or what happened (events)
in the past, present or future. This type of question allows respondents to give a future
‘socially desirable’ behavioural response (Dillman, 2007), which may not reflect their action.
An example might be that they indicate that they are happy to pay higher prices for
sustainable fashion, but do not do so when the opportunity arises.

Table 25 illustrates how questions within each section of the survey aligned with the literature
review: Fashion & Shopping, Fashion & Sustainability or Communication with fashion brands.

69
 Literature review Survey sections Question
sections Themes for data description and analysis number
Fashion Fashion & Shopping
consumption
(2.3) Channel 4
Purchasing Frequency 5
process
Sustainable Budget, value & price of clothes 6, 7, 14
consumption
Attitude-behaviour Motivation for buying & wearing clothes 8,9,10

Sustainability in Fashion & Sustainability

the Fashion
industry (2.2) Terminology &/or meaning of sustainability. 11
Definition of
Aspects of sustainability 12, 15
Environmental
Social Provenance of clothes 13
Attitude-behaviour
Fashion Communication with fashion brands
communication
(2.4) Channels 16, 19
Channels
Frequency 17
Content
Language Message content 18,20

Table 25: Literature and Survey sections and questions.

Other validity measures used to assess surveys include construct, content, internal and
criterion related (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015, Saunders, 2015) Construct validity refers to the
extent to which the questions accord with the construct intended to be measured. Content
validity explores the adequacy of the measurement device (questions within a survey) in
answering the investigative or research questions. Internal validity measures the ability of
survey questions to measure reality and what was intended. Finally, criterion related reality
is concerned with the ability of questions to make accurate future predictions.

The survey was one of two research instruments selected to collect data tailored to the
subject matter. Data was collected from the survey first to inform the second research
instrument the case studies. This typifies a CR approach where information from one method
informs another and leads to new areas of investigation. Survey methods are typically
associated with descriptive research (Hair et al., 2009). The advantage of a survey is that
the questions collect unique data to answer a complex research question. Collected data
examines underlying structures and layers of reality to expose causal relationships such as
the affordability of clothes in relation to budgets, Questions 6 and 7.
It is important that investigators use instruments that are reliable and valid for the population
and purpose for which they will be used (Morgan and Harmon, 2001 Saunders et al., 2016).
The literature revealed that most fast fashion consumers are young people (Ritch, 2015) and
the survey recruited students from MMU that were predominantly under 25. Data from a
survey or questionnaire sample captures a snapshot of characteristics and views of a given
research population at a particular time (Bhattacherjee, 2012). It reveals a picture of
independent (usage characteristics and demographic factors) and dependent (‘intention to
purchase’ and purchase) variables of a given research population by means of a sample at
a given point in time (Duffett, 2014:507, Saunders et al., 2016). The sample participants are

70
drawn from a larger population with the intention of making inferences describing the
population. The generalizability of the findings therefore is determined by the sampling
method and return rate (Morgan and Harmon, 2001).The extent to which survey findings are
‘generalizable’ where results can be applied to the wider population is determined by the
survey design and sample selection (Saunders et al., 2016, Merriam and Tisdell, 2015). Data
can expose causal relationships where an independent variable causes a change in a
dependent variable.

A survey requires a thorough understanding of the best way to ask the important questions, in
anticipation of a range of expected and unexpected responses, informed by analysis of
literature. This survey determined whether young people’s interest in sustainability influenced
their fashion consumption and provided insight into the evolving relationship between fashion
brand and customer. From a Critical Realist perspective, the survey method offered an
opportunity to consider underlying structures and different layers of reality, by looking beyond
the superficial to understand a complex changing world. For example, the effect that
communication young people receive from fashion brands has on their fashion consumption.
In order to ensure data validity, a range of question formats including multiple choice and open
ended were designed to avoid Common Method Bias (CMB) where variances in data are
attributable to the measuring instrument rather than the construct (respondents’) answers
(Cerri, et al., 2017). It was a structured survey whereby participants answered questions in the
same order. The survey was pilot tested to ensure that questions were clear, easy to answer,
and unambiguous and that it would provide data that was valid and reliable (Saunders, 2015).
Finally, piloting tested data recording enabled evaluation of whether the data collected
answered the research questions.

3.4.2 Pilot Study

The function of a pilot survey is to check that the investigative questions address what
information is needed to answer the research questions and objectives (Bloomberg et al.,
2014). Other determinations are ensuring that questions in the main survey instrument are
unambiguous, clear and easily understood, making it easy for respondents to answer
(Saunders, 2015). Conducting a pilot allows the researcher to refine the structure, content
and design before implementing the main survey, thereby increasing the validity of the survey
data. Other considerations tested in the pilot included length of time to complete, clarity of
instructions, topic omissions and the layout (Bell and Waters, 2014).

There is a risk of contamination when data from a pilot is used in the larger study, (Ismail et
al., 2018) particularly if the pilot instrument is unreliable and multiple changes are made
between the design of the first and second instrument (Williams-Mcbean, 2019). This can lead
to distorted data and biased or inaccurate analysis and findings, but can be prevented by
leaving the decision about whether to include or exclude pilot data until the pilot is complete
and the main survey is designed and evaluating the number of changes required (Williams-
Mcbean, 2019). In this study 15 of the 20 questions were the same or included only minor

71
adjustments such as the age categories (Pilot – 18-23, 24-29, 30 or above, Main survey – 18-
24, 25-30, 31 or over) and therefore the pilot data was added to the main data for analysis.
A convenience sample of 14 students taught by the researcher completed the pilot survey.
This number is in line with guidelines recommending a minimum of ten responses for a
research project of this nature (Fink, 2013). The sample was appropriate in aligning with the
literature which identified under 25 year olds as the main consumers of fast fashion, and was
similar to the main sample therefore its value was in exposing flaws in the survey design before
the main survey was completed. (See Appendix 2). There were 21 questions in the pilot, three
of which sought feedback about the number of questions and difficulties experienced in
completing it. Evaluation of responses identified where changes were required before
implementing the main survey. Three participants felt that 21 questions was ‘…a couple too
many’; one participant felt that five should be the maximum number of multiple-choice
answers; and one person felt that Q.11 was unclear. Other changes included adding a
question about shopping to reflect the significance of this theme from the literature, and moving
Q.3 to the Fashion and Sustainability section. The main survey instrument was up-dated to
include these changes.

3.4.3 Sampling Strategy - Survey

Sampling refers to the selection of an appropriate group of people that share values relating
to the research question (Hart, 2005:339). In this study, the survey represents the fashion
consumer. Data collected from the sample suggest inferences about the larger population
(Hart, 2005). Student samples have been widely used to examine the relationship between
sustainable practice and consumer behaviour (Barone et al., 2007, Iyer and Kashayap, 2007)
and fashion consumption (McNeill and Moore, 2015, Morgan & Birtwistle, 2009). Purposive
sampling, defined as targeting a group of people for a particular purpose (Sekaran and Bougie,
2016), recruited participants that were predominantly under 25, the age group identified
through the literature as the main protagonists of fast fashion, from Manchester Metropolitan
University (MMU). The sample was also one of convenience as the researcher worked for the
university and had access to students, making it a non-probability group. This is important
insofar as it limits the suggestion that the findings are representative of the larger population,
rather they are exploratory and provide insight for further research. The survey was e mailed
to everyone within the Fashion department, Table 26 shows the demographic majorities i.e.
98% female and 88% were 18-24 years.

Participant Survey Sample

Gender Female 98%
Age 18-24 years 88%
Demography Student/Staff at MMU Not confirmed by the survey, but as 88% were less
than 24 years old it is probable that most were
students not staff.

Table 26: Participant Sample for online survey.

72
3.4.4 Data collection – Survey.
Although the broad survey themes emerged from the literature, it was important from a CR
perspective to allow new ideas that might answer the research questions to emerge. This
approach led to the collection of quantitative and qualitative data providing both statistical and
exploratory data.
Data findings are more robust if drawn from a large sample size, the larger the sample size,
the more closely the distribution to normal, and the more likely they are to be representative
of the population from which they are drawn (Saunders et al., 2016, Merriam and Tisdell,
2015). A sample size of no less than 30 has proved to be a reliable indicator for analysis
(Stutely, 2003). Therefore, the target number of responses within a two-week period was 30 –
100. The data collection period was the beginning of Term 3 (April 2019). The survey link was
e mailed to more than 4,000 students and staff via the MMU intranet – Moodle.

Reminders were sent on day seven and one day before the survey closed. It was important to
maximise the sample size to increase the representativeness of the results (Biggs & Buchler,
2008). Table 27 indicates the effectiveness of the two reminders in achieving the targeted
number of responses, so that a second phase was not required.

Mid-point (Day 7) 24
One day before the end (Day 13) 54
End of survey (Day 14) 63

Table 27: Number of Completed Surveys at different stages of data collection.

To maximise the number of completed surveys, a technique of virtual snowballing asked

participants to forward the survey link to others through their social networks. As this method
results in non-random participants, it is important to acknowledge the potential for bias
(Faugier and Sargeant, 1997). The survey was voluntary, and self-administered online, which
has the advantage of reaching a large number of people, eliminating interview bias and using
a channel with which young people are comfortable (Duffett, 2014). However, Bhattacherjee
(2012) argues that this method yields a low response rate, borne out here with 63/4000
completed surveys, yielding a response rate of just 1.5%.

The pilot survey used Microsoft Forms; however, software limitations prevented the inclusion
of a Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form, required for ethical approval. An
investigation into other survey software providers included Qualtrics, Survey Monkey and
Online Surveys. Although some faculties within MMU have licences for Qualtrics, it was not
available in Arts & Humanities and cost US $1500 for an individual user, which made it
prohibitive. Survey Monkey advised that a single user license was required for the survey
format required at a cost of £1,185. Whilst assessing these options, MMU’s IT department
recommended Online Surveys, available to all MMU staff, and meeting all the survey
requirements. (Part of Jisc https://www.onlinesurveys.ac.uk). A final test with a colleague
reviewed the link and questions of this new software. Question format included multiple

73
choice, free text and ranking statements in order of preferences. The data collected was both
quantitative and qualitative.

The first two pages were the Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form, followed by
four sections containing 20 questions. Beginning with demographic information about age and
gender, the remaining sections reflect the three key themes emerging from the Literature
review: fashion consumption, sustainability and communication. (See Appendix 3).
The Fashion and Shopping section of the survey was to reveal participant preferences,
including shopping channels, frequency, and budget, views on prices, motivation and priorities
for buying clothes. The sustainability questions aimed to reveal participant interest in
sustainability, and paying higher prices for sustainable products.

3.4.5 Data Analysis - Survey.

Most survey questions were designed to confirm or test theory arising from the literature
review. They were multiple-choice questions designed to collect quantitative data. Questions
were organised into sections based on three themes arising from the literature: fashion and
shopping, fashion and sustainability, and fashion communication. Further sub themes from the
literature determined the subject of each individual question. For example, one of the sub
themes was that sustainable fashion costs more than fast fashion. Within the section on
fashion and shopping Question 7 sought survey respondents’ views about the price of clothes,
to assess views on the current price of clothes and provide insight into whether they would
resist paying higher prices for sustainable products. The data reduction process analysed
responses from all completed surveys to find the most popular choice. The results were
displayed as percentages, rounded to the nearest whole number. This question was answered
by 70 participants, 37 of them (53%) selected that the price of clothes they buy are ‘About
right’, 27 participants (38%) selected ‘Good value’ and the remaining 6 participants (9%) found
clothes to be ‘Expensive’. The finding arising from this question therefore is that some
consumers who consider fashion to be good value may pay more for sustainable clothes. This
area is worthy of further research.

Two survey questions that were not multiple choice, asked respondents to ‘describe
sustainable fashion’ and ‘describe any communication received from fashion brands about
sustainability’. (Q11 from the fashion and sustainability section and Q20 from the fashion
communication section). The sub themes here relate to the complexity of language and
understanding of sustainability by consumers and fashion brands. Data from these questions
were qualitative, useful for finding patterns and exploration. The process of analysing
qualitative data required an additional coding stage as respondents used their own words,
rather than selecting from words provided by the multiple-choice options. For example, in
question 11 responses were, coded, analysed and grouped into eight sub-themes: re-cycling,
longevity, fabrics, circular, transparency, environment, social and ethical. The frequency of the
occurrence revealed dominant themes which were the environment, (mentioned by 56%),
social sustainability (mentioned by 38%) and longevity (mentioned by 19%) of the total 63

74
respondents. Some respondents mentioned more than one theme explaining why the
percentages do not total 100%. These findings support the need for further research around
the language of sustainability and interest in different aspects of it.

A CR approach looks for data trends and patterns to identify themes originally grounded in the
literature, but that can change as findings emerge during the analysis process (Fletcher, 2017).
The first stage of data analysis was determining how the data would be organized and
understood, the second was deciding a meaningful way to display the results.

In this study, quantitative data was analysed and displayed using Excel and descriptive
statistics including tabulation and graphics – bar charts, and pie charts which record,
summarise and display data from survey and case studies. Data analysis involves processing
raw data into tools such as graphs, tables and word clouds, in order to describe and examine
themes, trends and relationships between them (Saunders, 2015).

Qualitative data or data expressed through words requires a classification process before it
can be analysed. The first step is organising data into codes, which are phrases or short
sequences of text, which group data by meaning or concept. In order to reduce the number of
different pieces of data, codes are arranged into categories, which in turn are grouped into
themes (Daniel and Harland, 2017). In this study inductive coding, where codes were based
on collected data were used, meaning that the codes were not known until data collection was
completed. Finally, thematic analysis examines themes and the relationship between them
(Thematic Analysis Inc, 2020, online). Figure 17 illustrates how quantitative and qualitative
data were reduced and displayed to prepare for the Results and Findings discussion in
Chapter 4.

Figure 17: Process of data analysis - survey & case studies, informed by Miles and
Huberman (1994)

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3.4.6 Case Studies Design
In order to examine themes emerging from the LR and the Survey, the second research
method selected were case studies. This reflects a grounded theory approach by examining
and explaining social processes and behaviour from emerging data patterns. Eisenhardt
(1989) defines the case study approach as one, which focuses on understanding the dynamics
present within a single setting, although data from more than one case may be used. Case
studies build theory from data as part of multi-level data collection and analysis (Eisenhardt,
1989). A case study is advantageous in answering how or why questions (Yin 2003:7).
Typically, specified cases or samples are used. The selection for this study emerged from an
open-ended survey question, which asked participants to list the main three brands that they
buy. The data set consisted of quantitative and qualitative data for analysis, leading to the
emergence and inclusion of descriptive, exploratory and explanatory theories. Eisenhardt
(1989) recommends a flexible and opportunistic approach to data collection, in this study, an
additional component was added to the store data collection in response to limited information
in shops relating to sustainability; this is discussed in Section 3.4.8.

A distinguishing feature of case study research is that it allows detailed investigation in the
context or real-life setting (Yin, 2014). The researcher probes and analyses a particular entity
or characteristic and seeks to understand the dynamics of it within boundaries they define.
‘Case study research requires a structure that allows the context to be described and its
analytical importance to be established, but also maintains a balance between description,
analysis & interpretation. An in-depth inquiry can identify what is happening and why, leading
to an understanding and implications for further research or action (Saunders, 2015).
A Critical Realist approach influenced the decision to have a case study to explore fashion
and sustainability from a brand perspective; it built on information from the survey, which
identified consumer views on fashion brands, shopping and communication channels. A
feature of a Critical Realist approach is using more than one method to collect data, Stage 2
of this data collection process, was case studies. The case study selection was determined by
responses to the survey, the Researcher designed the data collection templates to probe
beyond the superficial and expose causal relationships such as the effect that in-store
messages from fashion brands have on the consumer.

The design of the case study was descriptive, exploratory and explanatory. Descriptive in
searching for themes about message content. Exploratory in identifying new insight into how
fashion brands encourage consumption through their communication with customers through
quantitative data about frequency of posts on social media or results from using the ‘Search’
function on web sites.. Explanatory by focussing on a particular problem in order to explain a
relationship between variables.

Informed by the survey, qualitative and quantitative data was collected from three fast fashion
brands and three different sources: web sites, shops and social media, to examine one
phenomena - brand communication. Templates were used to ensure consistent data collection
for comparative and conclusive analysis. (See Table 28 and Appendices 7, 8 , 9). Checklists

76
and Observations (descriptive and evaluative) collected data from each of the three brands
web sites. Table 29 shows the plan for the number of visits to the case study stores. The focus
of the third case study data collection was social media. Instagram, was selected because it
is the most significant Social Media channel (You Guv, 2019). Checklists and observations
were used to record consistent and structured data, which included brand posts and customer
responses also providing insight into the interaction between the two parties. Data collection
was primarily in July 2019 and therefore represents a snapshot in time rather than an
exhaustive study. Figure 18 illustrates the structure of data collection from primary and
secondary sources.

Create templates
for data collection

Shops Social Media

Websites
(Instagram)

Figure 18: Case study data collection.

3.4.7 Sampling strategy – Case Studies

The purpose of the case study was to record and analyse the content, style and frequency of
communication between fashion brands and consumers. Data from two of the survey
questions (representing the consumer) informed the case study sampling. In Question 3:
participants listed the main three brands where they bought their clothes and in Question 4:
they selected their preferred shopping channels. The results and findings are discussed in
Chapter 4.

3.4.8 Data collection – Case Studies.

Methods or data types do not limit a grounded theory approach, which uses quantitative and
qualitative data from a range of sources to find meaning and develop theoretical concepts,
whilst acknowledging the researchers influence in the process. In this study, purposive
sampling directed by survey data determined the case study selection.

Templates were used to record data for each of the three channels so that information
collected was consistent, valid and useful for analysis, please see Table 28 (Appendices 7, 8,
9).

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 Data Collection from stores. Data collection from web sites. Data collection from Instagram
Data
Data Collection from Collection Date & Number of
stores. Date & time.. from w/s. time.. posts Date & time..

Features, User
1) Product labels & swing Pages Contents
Interface
tickets Number of likes
Information on product
tickets
Home Slider Products Page
(Sustainable/CoO/Fabrics)
Type of posts
Information on product
labels: Front End Header & Footer Services Page
(Sustainable/CoO/Fabrics) Themes
2)Point of Sale information
About Above the Fold Call to action Posts re
Sustainability
3)Other in store messages
Product Navigation menu Blog

4)Recycling
FAQ’s Sidebar

Contact Infinite Scrolling

5)Staff knowledge
Question - Do you have
any ranges or garments
that are sustainably Press/News
Mobile
sourced?
compatibility

Colour, aesthetic
Miscellaneous Blogger
appeal

User interface &

Themes from LR & Survey: Environment, experience
Social Sustainability, Recycling, Circular, Themes from LR & Survey: Environment, Social Themes from LR & Survey: Environment,
Transparency, Longevity, Ethical, Fabrics Sustainability, Recycling, Circular, Transparency, Social Sustainability, Recycling, Circular,
Longevity, Ethical, Fabrics Transparency, Longevity, Ethical, Fabrics

Table 28: Templates used for data collection in stores, web sites and Instagram.

A reflective approach led to minor modifications of the templates such as speaking to store
staff about sustainable products when there was little or no other visible information in stores
about sustainable products and ranges. Data was collected concurrently from three different
channels, shops, web sites and Instagram. The bracketed numbers indicate recurrences, for
example 4 shop visits, and 7 visits to Instagram and web sites. The complete schedule is
shown in Table 29.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Create Create Top Shop &
Templates Templates Zara shops(1)
Pilot web site & Pilot store data Web site data Web site data n/a n/a n/a
Instagram data collection collection -all collection all
collection brands (1) brands (2)
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Top Shop & Top Shop &
Zara shops(2) Zara shops(3)
Web site data Instagram data Web site data Web site data Instagram data Instagram data Web site data
collection - all collection (1) collection all collection - all collection (2) collection (3) collection (6)
brands(3) brands (4) brands(5)
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Top Shop &
Zara shops(4) n/a n/a
Web site data Instagram data Instagram data Instagram data Instagram data
collection (7) collection (4) collection (5) collection (6) collection (7)

Table 29: Case study data collection schedule – July 2019

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There were four visits to the two brands that have shops, Topshop and Zara on 3rd, 8th, 10th
and 15th July in Manchester city centre and the Trafford Centre (red font). Data was collected
from all three brands, including ASOS on seven occasions from web sites (black font) and a
further seven dates from Instagram (blue font). All case study data collection was completed
3rd – 20th July. This provided sufficient insight into the current narrative and developed a
foundation for developing appropriate sustainable communication within the planned research
timescale.

A feature of case study research is an opportunistic approach throughout the data collection
process (Eisenhardt, 1989, which allows the researcher to modify what is collected in reaction
to what has emerged. In this case, it became clear from the first two store visits to Topshop
and Zara that their signage provided little or no information about sustainability, therefore
Element 5 was added to the template to record responses from store staff when asked about
whether there were sustainable garments and/or ranges on sale (See Table ).

3.4.9 Data analysis – Case Studies.

A combined CR and grounded approach to analysing the data, led to a coding process, the
first stage in developing meaning. This process recognises the influence of the researcher
throughout the process and allows themes to emerge (Fletcher, 2017). A Critical Realist
perspective drew on both quantitative and qualitative data to enable a deep understanding of
how fast fashion brands communicate with their customers. A two-step evaluation known as
retroduction, beginning with the experience of sensations and events, followed by mental
processing that goes on by reasoning backwards, analysed message content from fashion
brands (Reed, 2005). Much of the interaction between fashion brands and consumers is image
driven; therefore, data collection included images and language.
Quantitative data collection focused on the frequency of messages or posts from fashion
brands across selected platforms to provide data for statistical analysis. The framework for
analysis of the quantitative data from the case studies was Descriptive Statistics including,
tabulation and graphics (bar chart, pie chart line charts). Analysis of the case study data
involved cross checking facts and discrepancies from different sources to collaborate and
support the findings. Results were displayed using tables and charts to record event
frequencies and themes.
As described in Section 3.4.9 and Figure 17, all case study data was reduced to meaningful
overlapping themes for display and drawing conclusions (Miles and Huberman, 1994) in
preparation for Chapter 4, Results and Findings.

3.5 Ethical Considerations

An important aspect of research is that the process is ethically sound. From a methodological
stance, this refers to safeguarding the interests and concerns of anyone involved in the
process (Robson, 2002:18). However, its application is broader in that ethical considerations
influence the design, implementation and reporting at all stages of the research process (Hart,
2005). Table 22 summarises how ethical considerations applied to this study, for example by

79
ensuring that the survey data was anonymous and protected, and in the case studies by
maintaining meticulously consistent records throughout the data collection period.

Participants for the survey were recruited from MMU but those taught by the researcher were
excluded in order to avoid bias. The survey informed them that their answers were anonymous
and confidential, and that by answering the survey questions they were consenting to take part
in the study. No personal data was collected as the survey was anonymous. Participants could
withdraw at any point. The data was restricted to the researcher and their supervisors and
destroyed after six months. Explanations of the terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘fashion brand’ were
provided before the questions were presented. Question designs were structured sensitively,
so that there was an appropriate option for all participants to select from. The data collection
method was subject to ethical approval by MMU.

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 Ethical influence on the methodology through all stages: designing, implementing and reporting.
Including clear Considering and Thorough Literature Independent
Designing definitions justifying methods Review Action
Anonymous
Ensuring that survey
‘Sustainability’ & survey with no The design based
questions were
‘Fashion Brands’ contact with the on the
informed and fairly
Survey defined in the researcher researchers work
reflected a consumer
Introduction to the enabled with supervisory
perspective, informed
survey respondents to be support.
through the LR.
honest.
Although the literature
highlighted many The design based
brands for possible on the
Case study n/a n/a focus, the selected researchers work
three should emanate with supervisory
from the survey support.
findings.

Un-biased
Implementing Respecting others Avoiding mistakes Being self-reflective collection
Advising
participants how
long the survey Receiving & acting on Defining the
Piloting the survey
takes to complete, feedback positively, sample selection.
Survey with a small group
and being open for and being receptive Using all data
of participants.
two weeks to to changes. collected
accommodate
individual time.
Maintaining
Piloting data
Receiving & acting on meticulous and
collection
feedback positively, consistent records
Case study n/a templates before
and being receptive throughout the
starting the data
to changes. two-week data
collection period.
collection period.

Safeguarding Maintaining
Attributing ideas Ensuring the confidential authorship
Reporting appropriately integrity of data information standards
Rigorous review of Using data as No personal data as
the Literature to presented, data collected
avoid missing representing the anonymously. Data Acknowledging
Survey anything. findings as they was password data sources
Referencing other are. Conclusions protected and appropriately.
people’s words & supported by destroyed after six
ideas. data. months.
Rigorous review of Using data as
the Literature to presented,
avoid missing representing the Acknowledging
Case study anything. findings as they n/a data sources
Referencing other are. Conclusions appropriately.
people’s words & supported by
ideas data.
Table 30: Influence of ethical considerations throughout three key stages of research,
informed by Hart, 2005.

The case study did not involve participants, so ethical considerations revolved around
consistency of collecting and analysing data to ensure its integrity. (Appendices 4, 5, 6).

3.6 Limitations of the Study

Some of the findings in this research are limited by the survey and case study sample selection
in terms of size and generalizability to a) the wider population and b) the fashion industry.

81
Literature about ‘fast fashion consumers’ is generalised, clearly not all statements made can
or will relate to the whole of this group.
Although survey participants represented the targeted age range for this study, they comprised
of students who have unique characteristics relating to age, lifestyle and income (Su, 2018).
Further exploration in this field should extend beyond the student population and include larger
samples thereby increasing the representativeness of the findings. The data for analysis from
the online survey was self-reported and participation was on a self-selecting basis, increasing
the tendency for bias and not representative of young fashion consumers. Characteristics of
this group are likely to include a higher level of motivation and empowerment than a non-self-
selecting sample (Cecile et al., 2012). Another consideration with online recruitment is that the
sample population is unknown to the researcher, pointing to the need for further replication
and research (Cecile et al., 2012).

The empirical nature of case studies results in observational findings, where explanations are
appraised solely by the researcher, subject to researcher bias and therefore only partly
conclusive. They offer depth of study and relatability, rather than generalizability (Biggam,
2009). The case study sample in this study consisted of data collected from a two-week period,
offering a snapshot in time during July 2019. The seasonal and trend led nature of fashion
means that findings would be different at another time of year. Data collected from the three
most popular brands identified from the survey may not represent mainstream fashion brands
or the fast fashion industry. Extending the data collection phase and including other brands
would improve the reliability and gain a better understanding of the reasons behind the
findings, to give a more comprehensive basis for analysis and recommendations.

3.7 Chapter Summary

This chapter has detailed the rationale and operational decisions that have fulfilled the
Research Aim, Objectives and Questions. It has explained and outlined all stages of the
research process that qualify its validity - absence of bias and replicability – provision of
comprehensive detail enabling others to replicate and trust the methodology. This included
examining the researchers’ philosophical perspective and its’ influence on the research
process. It concluded with an analysis of research methods to determine which best
answered the aims and objectives of the study as exposed by gaps in extant literature.
Beliefs and values influence all stages of the process from scoping out the original research
question, interpreting and describing findings to proposing avenues for future research.
Failure to declare a researchers philosophical approach risks losing the objectivity and
validity of the research output. The HARP questionnaire revealed that the researcher fell
mainly into the Critical Realist category. This approach led to the selection of the research
topic, which was formed from personal experience of working in the fashion industry. Using
mixed methods (survey and case studies) to collect data from a range of sources
(consumers, shops, web sites, Instagram) that were interpreted from a social science
perspective characterise a CR approach. Reflecting back on the process to identify elements
to change if repeated was another way of ensuring transparency and highlighting the
researcher’s frame of reference. For example if the survey was to be repeated some of the

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ranking questions would be replaced by open- ended questions for deeper exploration of
consumer views about fashion and shopping. A grounded theory approach that examined
and explained social patterns and behaviour and allowed the research question to dictate
the method selection was appropriate for the theme of this research. Although research
questions were developed through an examination of the literature, the interpretation of
primary data was independent of it. This approach permits new themes to emerge rather
than testing existing ones.
Once the researchers’ philosophical stance was declared the next stage was selecting the
most effective way to solve a research problem. The research strategy considered the nature
of the research question, and how best to answer it. It explained how the design linked the
collected data to the research investigation and demonstrated a systematic process to
ensure validity.
Analysis of the literature revealed a gap about the impact of the relationship between fashion
brand and consumer on sustainable consumption, a range of emergent data collection
methods was considered before selecting surveys and case studies. Both methods are
appropriate for examining contemporary situations (Yin, 2003) and behaviour, and allow data
sets from one to inform the other (Zachariadis et al., 2010). The other advantage was that
quantitative and qualitative were collected and in the case studies changes to data collection
in the field were made in response to early findings (Eisenhardt, 1987). Targeting young
people, the survey provided a deep understanding of the consumer perspective on fashion,
sustainability and communication from fashion brands. The case studies focused on how
the three most popular brands from the survey communicate with their customers. The
combined data provided new insights into the relationship between consumers and fashion
brands.
The ethical section focussed on two aspects: a) protecting those involved in the research b)
maintenance of accurate records at all stages to avoid bias and demonstrate transparency.
Most research is limited by time or budget as such the survey and case study methods
represent a snapshot in time of a small sample that has limited generalizability. Data from
case studies was interpreted solely by the researcher, which provided depth rather than
generalizability to all fast fashion brands.
The comprehensive detail in this chapter creates a solid foundation for the ‘Results and
Findings’ and ‘Summary and Analysis’. The survey findings are organised by themes from
the literature: Fashion, Sustainability and Communication, and the case study findings are
analysed by channel: Web sites, Shops (including Product Labelling) and Social Media –
Instagram.

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Chapter 4 Results and Findings
4.1 Introduction
This chapter summarises the results and findings of the selected methods: the survey, which
provided insight into young people’s attitudes and engagement with fashion and sustainability;
and the case study that explored how fashion brands communicate with their customers. Table
31 indicates how the themes emerging from the literature review led to the subject to be
investigated through the Survey and Case studies. For example, analysis of the literature
established that language around sustainability is confusing. The survey asked participants to
explain what sustainability means, and to describe language about sustainability used by
fashion brands in communication received from them. The case studies examined
communication between fashion brands and consumers through the three main channels (web
sites, shops & social media) to reveal how the three most popular fashion brands communicate
about sustainability.

Summary of how primary research design & methods investigate the literature
review themes.
Survey Section C

Survey Section B
(LR Section. 2.2)
Sustainability in

Survey Section D
(LR Section 2.3)

(LR Section 2.4)

communication
consumption

Case Studies
the fashion

Case Studies

Case Studies
industry

Fashion

Fashion

 
What is
sustainability  Fast fashion
brands  Communication
about 
sustainability
 
Corporate
Social x  Fast fashion
consumers
Fashion brand
communication 
responsibility
Sustainability
in the fashion  The
purchasing
  Channels of
communication 
industry (consumption)
process
  
Social
sustainability
Attitude-
behaviour  Corporate
Social x 
Responsibility
Environmental   Sustainable 
sustainability fashion x
consumption

Sustainability
of UK fashion  Attitude-
behaviour gap 
brands
Sustainability
of UK 
consumers


- very relevant,  - relevant, not relevant x
Table 31 – Summary of how primary research design & methods investigated the literature
review themes.

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4.2 Survey (Consumer insight).

4.2.1 Introduction to Survey

The results and findings from the survey represent views of a sample of fast fashion
consumers. Section A - General Information about you included age and gender. Section B
established attitudes and behaviours towards – Fashion and Shopping, including the most
popular fast fashion brands (ASOS, Topshop, Zara), which became the case study selection.
Section C – Fashion and Sustainability collected answers on attitude and behaviour about
sustainability and the final Section D, Communication with fashion brands, asked respondents
about the frequency and content of communication received from fashion brands, particularly
the language. A summary is provided in Table 32.

Section A Section B Section C Section D

Attribute variables Opinion and Behavioural variables
General information Fashion & Fashion & Communication
about you. Shopping Sustainability with fashion
brands.
Age & gender of Attitude & Attitude & , Frequency, content
respondent behaviour & most behaviour & & language of
popular brands. language about brand
sustainability. communication.
Table 32 Survey sections and content.

Survey Questions 1 and 2 established that 98% of the respondents were female, and 88%
were aged between 18-24 years. As such, this sample represents fast fashion consumers
identified in the literature (See P29, Section 2.3.2). The sequential mixed method approach
determined the case study sampling of fashion brands, shopping and communication
channels.
Question 3 was an open-ended question, which asked the participants to list the brands where
they bought their clothes. Analysis of the data including participants first, second and third
choices and revealed that the three most popular brands were Topshop, Zara and ASOS. (See
Figure 19)
Q3 Top 3 brands identified from pilot & main
survey.

Zara 33% ASOS 32%

Topshop…

Asos Topshop Zara

Figure 19: Popular brands from the survey, which identified case study samples.

Survey respondents completed a ranking question (Q4) about shopping preferences with five
possible answers. Analysis of the data identified that the most common answer was shopping

85
on websites (28%), closely followed by going to shops (25%), then using shopping apps on
phones (18%). See Figure 20 for full results.

Q4 PREFERRED SHOPPING CHANNELS

30% 28%
25%
25%
18%
20% 15% 14%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Fashion Going to Shopping Links to Social media
brand web shops Apps on fashion platforms
sites phone brands from
social media

Figure 20: Survey responses about preferred ways to shop for fashion.

Questions 16 and 19, about communication, identified social media as the most popular
channel for learning about the news (28%) and second most popular for information about
sustainability (27%). Information on web sites and in shops was the first choice for the
majority of survey participants (29%) to find information about sustainability. (Figure 21)

Preferred channels for news & information about sustainability.

28% 27% 29% 27% 27%
23%
12% 10% 13%
4%

knowing how…
Youtube

Social media

.E mail or text
Print mags &

garment labels or
Links from Social

Online mags &

Information on
web sites or in

interested in
Social media

Information on

messages
I am not
swing tickets
media sites

papers
papers

shops

Q16 Preferred News channels. Q19 Preferred channels for informing

about sustainability
Figure 21: Survey responses about preferred News and Sustainability channels.

Table 33 shows the eight most popular fashion brands and highlights the final three significant
channels for shopping and communication. It illustrates that although YouTube was the
second most popular way of learning about the news, it was not significant for shopping or
learning about sustainability, and was therefore not included in the case study selection. The
survey results therefore determined that the case study sample of fashion brands was
Topshop, Zara and ASOS, and channels for shopping and communication were web sites,
shops and social media.

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 Popular brands Summary of Preferred Preferred Preferred channels
from survey (26 preferred overall shopping channels for for fashion brands
brands in total) channels from the channels news & current to inform about
survey. Q4 affairs Q16 sustainability Q19

Top 1st Social media n/a 1st 3rd

Shop platforms

ASOS 2nd Fashion brand web 1st n/a =1st

site

Zara 3rd Shops 2nd n/a =1st

Pretty 4th Fashion brand e n/a n/a n/a

Little mails
Thing
H&M 5th Fashion brand 3rd n/a n/a
shopping apps

Primark =6th YouTube n/a 2nd 0

New =6th Links from social 4th 3rd 0

Look media sites

Urban 8th Information on n/a n/a 3rd

Outfitters swing tickets or
labels

Table 33: Influence of survey results in determining the sampling strategy of the case studies.

4.2.2 Fashion and Shopping.

The first section of the survey was designed to gain a deeper understanding of young people’s
fashion shopping including the channels they use to shop, shopping frequency and motivation
for buying and wearing clothes.

Question 5 was a multiple choice single answer question - established how often respondents
bought new clothes. Figure 22 illustrates that the most popular answer selected by 44% was
that they bought clothes once a month. However, the second biggest group - 35% - bought
clothes once a week. The category between – ‘Less than once a month’ was selected by 21%.

Q5. Frequency of Buying New Clothes.

21%

44%

35%

Once a month Once a week Less than once a month

Figure 22: Survey responses showing frequency of clothes buying.

Following frequency of purchasing it was important to establish how much young people spent
on clothes. Analysis of data from Question 6 (Figure 23) revealed that 46% of survey

87
respondents spend £50 - £150 per month on clothes, closely followed by ‘Less than £50’
selected by 41%. The least common answer was ‘More than £150’, selected by just 13%.

Q6 MONTHLY SPEND ON CLOTHES

50

% Respondents
40
30
20
10
0
Between £50 - Less than £50 More than £150
£150
Monthly clothes spend.(£)

Figure 23: Survey results relating to money spent on clothes.

It is useful to know the frequency and budget of young people’s clothes buying but perhaps
there is greater value in understanding their motivation for buying new clothes, as revealed
through questions 8 and 9. Participants ranked in order of importance from multiple choices
their reasons (Q8) and priorities (Q9) for buying clothes. See Figure 24. In question 8,
analysis of the data shows 54% of the participants buy clothes because it 'makes them feel
good'. Buying clothing for a specific occasion was the second most selected answer with 32%.
An unexpected result was that only 6% placed 'posting images on social media' as the main
reason from the given options for buying new clothes. Analysis of the responses to Question
9 clearly show that the priority for young women buying clothes relates to appearance with
48% selecting this option. ‘Fit’ was the second largest category, selected by 32%; and only
6% selected ‘knowledge of how clothes are made’ as a priority when buying clothes.

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 Q8. Reasons for buying new clothes

6%
8%

54%
32%

It makes me feel good to have new clothes.

I need something new for an occasion or night out.
Communication from fashion brands tempt me.
I need to have new clothes for posting images on social media

Q9. Priority when buying clothes.

6%
14%

48%

32%

Appearance Fit Price Knowing how made

Figure 24: Survey responses (Q8 & Q9) ‘Reasons & Priorities’ for buying new clothes’.

4.2.3 Fashion and Sustainability.

Having established reasons for buying clothes it was pertinent to investigate frequency of
wearing. Contrary to some of the findings from the literature (Joung, 2013, Chau, 2012),
Question 10 revealed that none of the survey respondents reported wearing clothes only once
and the vast majority (62%) reported that they wore an item ‘more than 10 times’, as shown in
Figure 25.

Q10. NUMBER OF TIMES AN ITEM OF CLOTHING

IS W ORN

70%
60%
% respondents

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
More than 10 Between 5-10 Between 2-5 Once
times times times

Figure 25: Survey results on frequency of wearing an item of clothing.

Analysis of the literature revealed that some fast fashion sells below cost (ILO, 2017) and is
therefore unsustainably low. The survey results indicated that the majority of consumers (53%)

89
thought that prices were ‘About right’. The second biggest group perceived fast fashion to be
‘Good value’ (Figure 26). This suggests that there may be scope for trialling marginal price
increases on sustainable products whilst measuring the impact on sales.

Q7. Price of Clothes

9%

38% 53%

About right Good value Expensive

Figure 26: Survey results relating to the value of clothes.

Leading on from consumers view on fast fashion prices, a multiple choice single answer
question (Q14), determined if and to what extent young people would pay more for sustainable
products. The results indicated that 90% of the respondents would buy sustainable clothes
even if they were more expensive. The most common answer, selected by 41%, was that they
would pay up to 10% more. This was, closely followed by 33% who were prepared to pay up
to 30% more. In fact, 12% of respondents reported that they would pay an additional 30% for
sustainable products, whilst only 14% were not prepared to pay a higher price. (Figure 27)
This is explored in Chapter 5 in relation to the attitude-behaviour gap.

Q14 PREPARED TO PAY MORE FOR SUSTAINABLE

CLOTHES.

45%
40%
% Respondents

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Yes, up to 10% Yes, between 10- No I would not pay Yes, I would pay
more 30% more more more than 30%

Figure 27: Survey responses ‘Higher prices for sustainable clothes’.

Question 11 related to consumer views on sustainability, specifically, to reveal the language

and words that they were using. It was an open-ended question where participants described
‘sustainable fashion’ in their words. (Where respondents mentioned more than one theme,
all have been included). The content of all answers was analysed and coded into the
following themes: Environment, Social, Longevity, Fabrics, Re-Cycling, Circular, Ethical and
Transparency. It is important to remind the reader here that the survey participants were all
studying fashion and may have used terms unfamiliar to the wider population. The

90
‘environment’ was the most frequently occurring word in connection to sustainability, found
in 36% of all responses. Social sustainability was the second biggest category, mentioned in
25% of responses, followed by Longevity (representing 12%). Figure 28 shows the
percentage of respondents that mentioned the other themes when describing sustainable
fashion.

Q11. Meaning of 'sustainable fashion'.

40% En. 36%
% Respondents

30% SS. 25%

20%
L. 12%
F.9%
10% R.6% C. 5% E. 5%
T.1%
0%
Environment Social sustainability Longevity
Fabric Re-cycling Circular
Ethical Transparencey

Figure 28: Survey responses ‘Meaning of Sustainable Fashion’

A small number of answers describing sustainable fashion fell outside these themes but were
recorded for further analysis. These included; ‘Not fast throw away fashion’, ‘Vintage and thrift’,
‘I want brands that I currently buy from to offer sustainable product. I would not switch to
another just because of sustainability’ and ‘A student with limited budget I find it hard to find
sustainable clothes that are fashionable and cheap.’

Question 13 investigated the extent to which survey respondents’ buying behaviour reflected
their interest in sustainability. The conclusion was that 48% stated that although they were
interested in how their clothes are made, it did not influence what they actually bought. A
further 34% reported that they avoided buying from brands where they had concerns about
how clothes are made, and 17% preferred to know how their clothes were made. (See Figure
29)

Q13. Interest in how clothes are made.

17%

49%

34%

I am interested, but this does not influence what I buy.

I avoid buying from some brands because I am concerned about how the clothes are made

I prefer to buy from brands that tell me how their clothes are made.

Figure 29: Survey findings relating to interest in clothes production.

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The purpose of Question 15, a multiple choice ranking question, was to establish from four
possible options which was the most likely to motivate consumers to make a sustainable
purchase. Based on respondents’ first choice answers, 38% of participants chose the
environment, and 29% selected treatment of factory workers. Brand sustainability initiatives
and treatment of staff were in third and fourth place with 18% and 15% respectively. Figure 30
shows the full results.

Q15. Priorities for purchasing sustainably.

45%
40%
% RESPONDENTS

35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Environmental Treatment of Brand Treatment of
impact factory sustainability staff
workers initiatives

Figure 30: Survey results relating to motivation for purchasing sustainably.

The findings from this question about sustainable purchasing priorities support those from
Question 11 where respondents described the meaning of sustainable fashion. In both cases,
the environment was the most important and social sustainability, including the treatment of
factory workers, was the second.

4.2.4 Communication between fashion brands and consumers.

The remaining survey questions encouraged fashion consumers to share views about
frequency and content of communication. Question 12 investigated the extent of this group’s
interest in news and global issues including sustainability. Figure 31 shows that 48% of
survey respondents considered that they were knowledgeable about news and current
affairs. By contrast, the smallest number (4%) stated that they were not interested in the
news. The second most popular answer, chosen by 27% of participants, was that they are
concerned about poverty and deprivation in the world.

92
 Q12. YOUNG PEOPLES INTEREST IN NEW S AND
SUSTAINABILITY
60%
50%

Respondents
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
I am I am concerned I would describe I live for today I am not
knowledgeable about poverty and myself as and do not worry interested in news
about news and deprivation in the environmentally about tomorrow. and current affairs
current affairs. world. responsible.

Multiple choice options about interest in sustainability.

Figure 31: Survey results about interest in news and sustainability.

Analysis of the literature indicated that some young people felt overwhelmed by the number
of targeted messages received from fashion brands (RSPH, 2017). Analysis of the results from
Question 17 revealed that 43% of the participants selected ‘Once a week’ as their preference,
followed by ‘Every 2-3 days’ selected by 28% and in third place 16% that confirmed that they
would rather not hear from fashion brands at all. (See Figure 32)

Q17. Preferred frequency of communication from fashion brands.

5%
8%

16% 43%

28%

About once a week Every 2-3 days

I would rather not hear from them Ideally every day

More than once a day.

Figure 32: Survey results relating to frequency of communication.

Question 18, another multiple-choice ranking question, revealed respondents’ preferences

about the ‘content of communication’ from fashion brands. Figure 33 illustrates that 64%
selected either ‘Promotions and offers’ or ‘Arrival of new styles’. The third biggest category -
‘information about how clothes are made - was selected by 21% of the respondents. These
findings are discussed further in the next chapter in relation to what information brands
currently communicate and how it affects communication about sustainability.

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 Q18. W HAT W OULD YOU MOST LIKE T O HEAR
ABOUT FROM FASHION BRANDS?
45
38
40
35
30 26
25 21
20
15
15
10
5
0
Promotions and offers Arrival of new styles Information about how Styling suggestions and
the clothes are made tips

Figure 33: Survey results relating to preferred communication from fashion brands.
‘% Respondents 1st choices’ and ‘Multiple choice options’)

The last survey question (Q20) asked the participants to detail any communication about
sustainability seen or received from fashion brands. Answers were analysed and categorised
into the same themes as Figure 28 (Q11), where participants defined sustainability. Seventy-
seven survey respondents reported only 21 occurrences between them where they had
received information from fashion brands about sustainability. The largest category was
‘Recycling’, mentioned by 38%, followed by Fabric innovations - 24%, then, in equal third
position, Environment and Social Sustainability, with 14% each. See Figure 34.

Q20 Information received from fashion brands about sustainability.

40%
R
30%

20%
FS
10% En SS
C T 0% 0%
0%
Recycling R Fabric sustainability
1 FS Environment En
Social Sustainability SS Circular C Transparency T
Longevity L Ethical Et

Figure 34: Survey results relating to communication received from fashion brands.

It is worth highlighting here that according to information sent to consumers, brands’

sustainable priorities are as follows: recycling, fabric sustainability, environment then social
sustainability. This contrasts with consumers’ priorities, which were firstly the environment
and secondly social sustainability.

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4.2.5 Summary of Survey
To summarise, whilst most questions yielded a range of responses, answers found in the first
section ‘Fashion and Shopping’ reveal that of the three options given, the biggest group (44%)
of respondents buy clothes once a month and 46% spend between £50 - £150 on them. Their
reasons for buying clothes overwhelmingly relate to ‘making them feel good’, selected by 54%,
and their appearance, selected by 48%.

From a sustainable point of view, it was encouraging that 62% of respondents wore their
clothes more than ten times and that 40% of them recognized that they were good value. Even
more positive was that 90% of people completing the survey were prepared to pay at least
10% more for sustainable clothes. Although caution is required when examining the fact that
51% declared that brand or garment sustainability influenced what they bought, due to the
attitude-behaviour gap (Section 2.3.6) this again indicated that this selection of fast fashion
consumers have an appetite for sustainable products.

Conclusions drawn from questions 11 and 15 showed a parity between consumers’ definition
of sustainable fashion, and their priorities in being able to buy sustainable products. In both
cases, the environment was the most important factor, followed by social sustainability
(Referred to as factory workers in Question 15).

Although earlier questions indicated consumers’ interest and inclination towards buying more
sustainably, question 18 revealed that 59% of survey respondents were more interested in
receiving communication about promotions, offers and the arrival of new styles than they were
about how their clothes were made.

Although this group of young people spend an unprecedented amount of time on their phones
(Forston, 2018) it is illuminating that 43% (more than twice the number of any other of the five
options given) only want to be contacted by fashion brands once a week. In terms of
information received from fashion brands the most frequently occurring content was ‘recycling’,
followed by fabric innovation. This implies a disconnection between aspects of sustainability
in which consumers are interested, and what fashion brands are communicating to them,
examined in chapter five.

This concludes the survey findings, the results and findings of the case study follow.

4.3 Case studies - communication between fashion brands and consumers

4.3.1 Introduction to Case Studies

The case study data examines fashion brand communication with their consumers. Results
from Question 3 of the survey determined the brand and channel focus for the case study.
Topshop was the most popular brand, selected by 35% of respondents, closely followed by
Zara at 33% and then ASOS at 32%.

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Topshop began in 1964. It is now part of the Arcadia group. It describes itself as a ‘…global
fashion and beauty destination that connects women with the new and the next in style and
culture’ (Arcadia, 2019, online. (A)). It has 620 stores located in over 40 countries, and
launches 400 new products a week. It averages 4.5 million weekly visits across mobile, tablet
and desktop (Arcadia, 2019, (B)). In October 2019, Topshop launched ‘Considered’ - which it
describes as: ‘A new range that’s kinder to the planet’ (Topshop, 2019, online).

Zara is the largest Inditex brand, representing 70% of Inditex group sales (Conlon, 2019,
online). In 2018 Inditex carried out over 12,000 factory audits (Inditex, 2019, online). The first
Zara store opened in 1975. Its priorities are ‘…bringing attractive and responsible fashion and
improving customer service’. In 2015, Zara had 7000 stores. It now has stores in 96 markets
with a further reach of 106 markets through its online stores. Zara has 36 million social media
followers. The Join Life range launched in 2016 as a ‘…selection of more sustainable raw
materials and processes that helps us take care of the environment’ (Zara, 2019, online). The
range excludes any aspects of social sustainability. Fifty seven percent of their factories are
located, in Spain, Portugal and Morocco (Zara, 2019, online). Zara’s annual sustainability
report indicates their membership to many ethical and sustainable organisations. (ETI,
IndustriALL, Accord, Higg). They have implemented initiatives including ‘Clear to Wear’,
‘Ready to Manufacture’ and ‘Closing the Loop’ (Gupta, 2019). Since this research began, Zara
has added the following statement to its home page: ‘Our products meet the most stringent
health, safety and environmental sustainability standards’ (Zara, 2019, online).

ASOS is an online brand established in 2000 with a mission ‘To be the world’s number one
destination for fashion loving 20 somethings’ (ASOS, 2019, online, (A)). Its revenue in 2018
was £2,417.4 million. It has 85,000 products on its web site, 20.3 million active customers and
20.2 million social media followers, 52% of which are on Instagram (ASOS, 2019, (A)).
The most popular channels for shopping and finding information were brand web sites, shops
and social media, therefore these were the case study selection. (See P52, Section 3.5.2 for
full detail of the sampling strategy).
Instagram was selected for the case study, as it is the most popular social media platform in
the UK, used by 62% of Millennials (Youguv, 2019). Its image-driven emphasis make it
particularly relevant for fashion customers and brands (Statista, 2019) and it is the primary
platform of choice for following fashion (Nash, 2019).
Analysis began with the brands web sites, followed by the shops, as these were the two most
popular channels for shopping. The third part of the case study focussed on social media. Data
collection targeted two areas: general or non-product information, and product specific relating
to sustainable characteristics, including garment labelling.

4.3.2 Web Sites

Many web sites, including ASOS, Topshop and Zara are dynamic, meaning that the content
displayed varies according to time and user (MonsterPost, 2019). The information in this
section is on the content accessed by the Researcher, collected during the data collection

96
period. The focus of the analysis is sustainability, and the results and findings are discussed
in two parts, a) web site structure, navigation and content, b) product.

Analysis of the brands web sites began at their home or landing page, significant in that this
is what all site visitors see. Each brand determines the page size, which vary according to their
requirements. Figure 35 shows a reduced scale of each of the home pages to see them in
their entirety, a view normally only seen by scrolling either down or across.

ASOS had the biggest page, measuring 1248.870 wide x 1658.620 long. Topshop was
647.898 long x 1658.620 wide and Zara’s home page was 406.121 x 699.576 long. The
significance of the page size is in how it affects the time it takes a user to get to the destination,
the bigger the page, the more scrolling required, the longer it takes. This is particularly
significant with young consumers who expect digital information to be quick and easily
accessible to satisfy their needs for instant gratification, and are deterred by unnecessary time
spent on navigation (Jones and Kang, 2019, Parker et al, 2010).

ASOS is the only brand selling exclusively online, which could explain why they have the
biggest home page. The red ellipses show the position on the pages of the link to information
about sustainability. Zara was the only brand displaying a link to the Join Life range, made
from sustainable fabrics at the top of the page. There were no other words relating to
sustainability on Zara’s home page. A customer would need to scroll to the footers of the page
to find the links to information about sustainability for the other two brands. ASOS had an
‘About Us/Corporate Responsibility’ section, and Topshop ‘More From Us/Fashion Footprint
and UK Act on Modern Slavery’. (Note that information relating to Topshop’s sustainability is
listed under Arcadia and relates to all their brands, not just Topshop). In other words the
positioning of information about sustainability on the web sites of these three brands is likely
to be frustrating rather than satisfying consumers desire to learn about sustainability.

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 ASOS Width 1248.870 x Length 1658.620 Topshop Size W 647.898 x L 1658.620

Zara Home page W 406.121 x L 699.576

Figure 35: View showing the entire home page of ASOS, Topshop, Zara, highlighting the
position of the link to sustainable information. August 2019.

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Figures 36, 37 and 38 show different sections of the web sites of ASOS, Topshop and Zara
respectively, in more detail, including the page header, the route to information about
sustainability and the page arrived at when following the link.

The top of the page for all three brands emphasizes product selection, discounts and sales.
ASOS and Topshop use bright colours to draw attention to sales promotions; Zara has a fixed
sidebar to select from and a smaller contrast coloured ‘Sale’ notification.

The middle section of each figure shows the navigation from the home page to information
about sustainability. On the ASOS site, this involves selecting ‘About Us’ and then ‘Corporate
Responsibility’. With Topshop there are two possible options from the home page ‘About Us’
or ‘More from Us’ and the sustainable information is in the second one, where you select from
‘Fashion Footprint’ or ‘Modern Slavery’. In the case of Zara, the route is simpler, as long as
the person searching for sustainable information is aware of the JOINLIFE range, otherwise
there is no link from the home page.

The third section shows the information found by following the links from the bottom of each
home page: Corporate Responsibility (ASOS), Fashion Footprint and Modern Slavery
(Topshop) and Join Life (Zara). The first statement from ASOS was that ‘Fashion with integrity
epitomises our approach to business’, followed by ‘By working together, we believe we can
deliver a systemic shift in the way our industry addresses key ethical trade and sustainability
challenges and proactively design a future we all believe in’ (2019, online). Arcadia (which
includes Topshop) did not provide an opening statement but an option to select from the
following four links: upcycling clothing, Dorothy Perkins organic tee, Topshop vegan shoe
range and Miss Selfridge Eco range. The second Topshop link gave access to 2107/2018
Modern Slavery Statements. By contrast, the top of Zara’s ‘Modern Slavery’ section informs
consumers that they can ‘…extend the lifespan…’ of their clothes by returning them to stores.
Section 4.3.3 follows up on this by describing what the researcher found on products and in
stores in more detail.

99
 Header of ASOS home page.

Route to information about sustainability

View of web site page by selecting Corporate Responsibility.

Figure 36: ASOS Header. Route to sustainable information and Corporate Responsibility
web site page. July 2019

100
 Header of Topshop home page

Route to information about sustainability

View of web site page by selecting Fashion Footprint

Greenwashing’, Arcadia web site stating their support for the West London Waste Authority by
using donated items and off cuts to create one wedding dress, despite the fact that they were
simultaneously selling thousands of new product

Figure 37: Topshop Header. Route to sustainable information and Fashion Footprint web site
page. July 2019

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 Header of Zara homepage

Route to information about sustainability

View of web site page by selecting Join Life

Figure 38: Zara Header. Route to sustainable information and Join Life web site page. July
2019

Analysis of brands web sites are summarised in Table 34. Key points that emerged were that
Zara was the only brand, which referenced any aspect of sustainability at the top of their home
page, with a link to the Join Life range. It was also quicker to navigate from the Zara home
page to further information about sustainability than from ASOS or Topshop’s web site.

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 Comments on headers of the home pages
ASOS Topshop Zara
Bold contrasting colours used to Bold contrasting colour used Join Life features on the left hand
draw attention to 25% off Outlet to highlight 70% off on new side of the home page.
products. styles. Customers may not know that this
No reference to Sustainability. No reference to is a range using sustainable
Sustainability. fabrics.
Comments on navigation to ‘sustainable’ information.
3 steps to reach ‘Sustainable Found in ‘More from us’ not 2 steps to access Annual report
sourcing’. ‘About us’ 2018 where there is a section on
3 steps to reach Sustainable Diversity & Sustainability.
Development Goals.

Information found by selecting links to information about sustainability.

From Corporate Responsibility From Fashion Footprint From JOIN LIFE

‘Fashion with integrity epitomises ‘Upcycling Clothing Scraps ‘Bring the clothes you no longer
our approach to business’ creates couture gown wear and put them in the container
in our stores. As part of our social
‘Our Products. When it comes to New Dorothy Perkins’ and environmental commitment,
sourcing the perfect pieces, we organic tee raises money for we help you to easily extend the
don’t just focus on commercial charity’ lifespan of your clothes’.
criteria – we put ethical trading, Topshop launches vegan ‘Our products meet the most
sustainable sourcing and animal shoe collection stringent health, safety and
welfare at the heart of how we environmental sustainability
work’. standards’.
‘Our Business. We’re serious Miss Selfridge Eco range Our supply chain respects workers
about achieving growth, but we’re launches’ and the environment.
as serious about doing it in a way
that adds social value and
reduces environmental impact.’
‘Our Customers. We take an Topshop – Modern Slavery Up to 90% of our stores are eco-
inclusive approach to giving Act friendly
young people the confidence to
be whoever they want to be.’

Our Community. We’re making Modern Slavery Statements’ Zara.com’s services & offices
a positive difference wherever we available to read from consume energy derived from
can to young people’s lives in the 2016/2017/2018 renewable sources that respect the
communities we operate’. See Appendix for 2017-2018 environment

Table 34: ASOS, Topshop & Zara comparative analysis between web site links to
information about sustainability.

The second part of the web site analysis relates directly to products. It divides into two parts:
a review of the products that appear by searching with sustainably related words, and then a
review of the product and product descriptions in relation to their sustainable characteristics.
A review of the ease in which a customer could find sustainable products through the search
button proved an unreliable way of actually finding what each brand offered. With ASOS, only
32% of the 109 products presented through using ‘sustainable’ to search with were actually
sustainable. There was no explanation about why some garments were there, such as the
‘shirred bodice dress’ shown in Figure 39. Other products included niche areas such as
Maternity or Curve. The products that were sustainable consisted mainly of independent
brands such as Ralph Lauren and swimwear made from Recycled fabrics.

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 Figure 39: ASOS product presented from searching on the word ‘sustainable’ online.

A further indication about the importance that ASOS place on promoting sustainable products
was found through garments displayed through searching on ‘sustainable’. It was initially
unclear from reading the product description why the jacket seen in Figure 40 was presented;
it was not until selecting the ‘Show More’ button that it explained that the product was made
from recycled polyester – plastic bottles and textile waste.

Product and
description as it
appears through a
‘sustainable’ search.
‘Sustainable oversized
puffer jacket in black’
(ASOS 2019. (D)).

Product and
description as it
appears when
selecting ‘Show More’
‘Made from recycled
polyester. Plastic
bottles and textile
waste are processed
into plastic chips and
melted into new fibres.
This saves water and
energy and reduces
greenhouse gas
emissions too’ (ASOS,
2019).

Figure 40: ASOS Web site description of the jackets ‘sustainability’ only revealed after
selecting ‘Show More’ button.

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‘No results’ were found for ‘Sustainable’ on Topshop’s web site, when the search word was
changed to ‘Organic’ nine garments including the one in Figure 41 were found. The description
for this product was ‘Contains organic cotton without the use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides
and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) and has a lower impact on the environment’.
Although the description is detailed, the emphasis created by the yellow banner at the top, is
on discounting rather than the product’s organic characteristics.

Figure 41: Image from Topshop web site - Organic T-shirt July 2019

Zara displayed 299 sustainable options through a word search using ‘sustainable’, most were
part of their JOINLIFE range. They included garments for Men Women and Kids, of which 50
were recycled fabrics and the balance, were fabrics with other sustainable qualities such as
organic cotton. The web site branding was inconsistent, the two garments shown in Figure 42
are both made from the same fabric, and part of the Join Life range, but only the dress has
the Join Life branding.

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 FLOWING CROPPED SHIRT DETAILS 25.99 GBP
LIGHT BLUE - 6929/200
Cropped shirt with a V-neck and lapels. Featuring short sleeves,
a front false flap pocket and an elastic hem.

HEIGHT OF MODEL: 177 cm. / 5′ 9″

JOIN LIFE
Care for fiber: TENCEL™ Lyocell.
TENCEL™ is made from wood grown in sustainably managed
forests that guarantee their reforestation and is produced in a
closed cycle that is environmentally and water friendly.’
Without JOIN LIFE branding on image.

BUTTONED DRESS DETAILS 29.99 GBP

LIGHT BLUE - 6929/341
Flowing A-line dress with a V-neck and short full sleeves.
Featuring an elastic waist and button fastening in the front.

HEIGHT OF MODEL: 177 cm. / 5′ 9″

JOIN LIFE
Care for fiber: TENCEL™ Lyocell.
TENCEL™ is made from wood grown in sustainably
managed forests that guarantee their reforestation and is
produced in a closed cycle that is environmentally and water
friendly.’

With JOIN LIFE branding on image.

Figure 42: Images from Zara web site – Join Life products. July 2019

As explained previously, because the nature of web sites are dynamic, searches were
completed on three different days over a two-week period using the words: ‘Sustainable,
Recycled, and Organic’ to establish any changes that had been made. Table 35 shows the
results. ASOS displayed 109 on the first day and 106 on the next, but when examined most
of these were niche product areas including ‘Tall’ and ‘Maternity’, rather than actually being
sustainable products. On the third occasion ten days later, by selecting: ‘Clothing, Shop by
Product, Responsible Edit’ 2442 products were displayed. The information indicated that 2100
of these were sustainable materials but closer examination of the first twelve revealed that
none of the product descriptions included any information about how the materials were
sustainable. As on two previous searches, many of the products were niche categories,
including Unisex, Tall & Maternity. No products were displayed using the word ‘sustainable’,
the same nine branded (rather than Topshop) products were shown using ‘recycled’ and
‘organic’ as search words, on each of the tree occasions. Another page of the web sites
discloses their commitment to circular fashion and closing the loop.

ASOS’ circular fashion commitment is our roadmap for the future of our clothes
– we are redefining our approach to design to ensure that we keep circularity in
mind at the beginning of the process. This presents the opportunity to design
out waste, to encourage the product to remain in use for as long as possible and

106
 to minimise waste at the end of life. We’re certainly not there yet but we’re
committed to ‘closing the loop’ on fast fashion’ (ASOS, 2019, online. (E)).

‘Zara presented consistently high numbers of Join Life products on each occasion, 299, 291
and 256, including 50 recycled garments, in which characteristics of the fabrics appeared to
be genuinely sustainable.

ASOS Topshop Zara

Dates Search for ‘Sustainable’ products.
109 products shown. Did not match any 299 JOIN LIFE products
products. shown
35 products had sustainable features such Results from a further Wide range of product
as organic cotton or recycled. Most of these search with different categories for Men.
were brands including Cheap Monday, words:- Women & Kids including
Ralph Lauren & Tommy Hilfiger or 9 Recycled products dresses, shorts, trousers &
Swimwear using recycled fabrics (20) 9 Organic products T-shirts.
74 consisted of product categories such as Many were brands All Zara brand.
Maternity, Festival, & Tall. including Selected 50 Recycled products.
Femme, Adidas & Calvin ‘Care for Fiber’ used to
03.07.19

Klein identify garments using a

range of sustainable
fabrics.
106 products shown. Did not match any 291 JOIN LIFE products
products. shown
31 products had sustainable features such Results from searching Wide range of product
as organic cotton or recycled. Most of these with Recycled & categories for Men.
were brands including Cheap Monday, Organic, returned the Women & Kids including
Ralph Lauren & Tommy Hilfiger or same results & dresses, shorts, trousers &
Swimwear using recycled fabrics (16) products:- T-shirts. All Zara brand.
75 consisted of product categories such as 9 Recycled products 47 Recycled products
04.07.19

Maternity & Tall. 9 Organic products

By Selecting: Clothing, Shop by Product, Using Recycled 256 JOIN LIFE products
Responsible Edit: &‘Organic’ as the search shown
2442 products shown. word. Same 9 products in Wide range of product
2100 Sustainable Materials, none of the each category as shown categories for Men.
product descriptions of the first 12 products 10 days earlier Women & Kids
shown included any information about how
the materials were sustainable.
341 Recycled.
As on two previous searches many of the
14.07.19

products were niche categories including

Unisex, Tall & Maternity

Table 35: Using search word ‘Sustainable’ on web sites. July 2019

Further searches using the three most frequently occurring words used by Survey Participants
to describe sustainability: Environment, Social Sustainability, and Longevity. No products were
available from Topshop and Zara. One non-clothing product appeared from ‘Environment’ and
13 products including two non-clothing from ‘Social Sustainability’ on the ASOS web site see
Table 36.

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 Top 3 survey words ASOS Topshop Zara
describing
‘sustainability’.

Environment 1 product - sun cream named No No Results

Shiseido Urban Environment Results

Social sustainability 13 products including 2 non- clothing. No No Results

Product description including the Results
word ‘sustainable’ e.g. ‘New Look
sustainable fibre, Friends tee’

Longevity No Results No No Results

Results
Table 36: Web site search using survey words. Accessed 05.08.19

4.3.3 Shops and Product Labelling.

Results from the survey showed that going to shops was the second most popular way of
shopping following shopping online, therefore it was important to understand how the shopping
environment communicates with its customers through visual merchandising, particularly
signs. ASOS sell exclusively online, so three visits to Topshop and Zara were completed over
a two-week period.
Although the original plan was to focus on communication about sustainability, material
relating to this was limited, therefore this changed to include all signage. In addition to
recording observations, the researcher acted as a customer to increase knowledge by
speaking to the staff in the shops. This provided a better understanding of the research area
as the Sales Assistants behave naturally (Johnson, 2018).
The previous section (4.3.2) analysed the ease of access and information provision on the
three brands web sites, before looking at how product details were presented. This section is
organised in the same way, initially focussing on the shopping environment, before examining
product details, including garment labels and tickets. A selection of garments made from
organic and recycled materials from ASOS were included, so that their product labels and
tickets formed part of the analysis with the information collected in the shops from Topshop
and Zara.
Topshop use signs extensively to draw attention to: the Boutique collection, Vegan footwear
range, Gift cards, Brow threading, Ordering a different size, the Sale, Student discount, and
‘Last chance’ to Buy. See Figure 43. Although it was encouraging that there was a small sign
highlighting their vegan footwear range, the emphasis was clearly on selling, particularly with
‘Need a different size? Order now, Arrive tomorrow’, ‘Students get 10% off’ All year Round’
and ‘Last chance to buy’.

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 POS – Boutique collection. POS - Vegan footwear range

POS – Gift cards POS – Brow threading

Sale POS – Student discount POS – Ordering a different

size

Sale POS – Student discount POS – Last chance

Figure 43: Topshop ‘in store’ signage. July 2019

By contrast, the only signage found in Zara related to sale products and a very small ‘New
Collection’ sign, shown in Figure 44. There was nothing to guide customers to a new premium
range, which had a lot of space so was clearly important, or to Join Life products.

109
 All store signage relating to ‘Sale’ prices No Signage for JOIN LIFE range

No Signage for Premium range Small signage for New Collection

Figure 44: Zara ‘in store’ signage. July 2019

Although shopping in stores is a different experience to online shopping, some principles such
as the ease in which a customer can find sustainable products, apply to both. As the signage
in stores, was limited the researcher, acting as a customer asked the sales staff whether they
sold sustainable garments. Table 37 details Sales Assistants responses from visits to a range
of Topshop and Zara stores and discussions with Sales Assistants. In summary only three of
the twelve staff questioned understood what sustainable meant, although most recognised the
terms ethical and organic. However, even the staff that understood the words ‘ethical’ and/or
‘organic’ were unaware of which of their products fell into these categories.

110
 Store Question Top Shop staff responses. Zara staff responses
visits
Top Shop – Trafford centre Zara – Trafford Centre
‘Do you have ‘No garments as far as I know, but we have Did not understand what I meant by
any ranges vegan shoes’. sustainable. When I used the word

03.07.19
or garments ‘ethical’, she referred me to the
that are ‘JOIN LIFE’ range.
sustainable?’
Top Shop – Arndale, Manchester Zara – Manchester
Did not understand what I meant by Did not understand what sustainable
sustainable. When I used the word ‘Organic’ meant, when I added ‘organic’ I was
she referred me to the ‘Boutique’ collection, a referred to products that were 100%
08.07.19

premium range, some items manufactured in cotton.

the UK, nothing on the products promoting
sustainability.
Top Shop – Trafford centre Zara – Trafford Centre
Several staff advised that they had no Two Sales Assistants were unaware
sustainable or organic cotton products. of ‘sustainable’ products but referred
10.07.19

me to JOIN LIFE T shirts when I

mentioned ‘organic’.
Top Shop – Arndale, Manchester Zara – Manchester
Two Sales Assistants advised that they did not One Sales Assistant advised that
have any organic products in store. they did not have this sort of product
Top Shop concession in Selfridges. Sales whilst the sale was on, another that
Assistant advised that Topshop did not they had ‘the odd thing’ referring me
15.07.19

currently have any sustainable products to the JOIN LIFE swing tickets
although she was aware that they were
becoming important through ASOS

Table 37: Sales Assistants Responses to Sustainable Products - Top Shop and Zara. July
2019

Some retailers, including M & S, offer customers the opportunity to return products for
recycling. Zara promote this service on their web site as shown in Figure 32, P80, Section
4.3.2. The researcher was unable to find any recycling points in the Trafford Centre or
Manchester Zara stores, so again, acting as a customer, asked the Sales Assistants for help
in finding them. The majority of responses advised that they did not have recycling facilities,
although one thought it might be in the staff room and another thought that it was a good idea!
Topshop do not offer a recycling service.

The second stage of the shop analysis was focussing on product. ASOS is an online only
brand, so although there was no store data, there was product information from all three
brands by ordering a selection of garments from ASOS through their web site.

Labels and swing tickets on ASOS own brand recycled swimwear and Cheap Monday
garments found from the online search for sustainable products were examined. Figure 45
shows that although the web site swimwear description states ‘recycled’, nothing appears on
the actual garment. There was no swing ticket and the woven label does not mention recycled
fabric. The second sustainable ASOS product was the Cheap Monday T shirt; this had a swing
ticket attached with ‘Organic Cotton’ but again nothing on the woven label.

111
 Product from a range of recycled swimwear products from ASOS

The garment description

on the web site described
the fabric as recycled,
but there was no
information on the
product label that
mentioned it, and
the garment had no
swing ticket.

One of a range of branded ‘Cheap Monkey’ products from ASOS

The garment description on the web site and the swing ticket described the fabric as
organic cotton, although there was nothing on the product label.

Figure 45: Tickets & labels on ASOS ‘sustainable’ products July 2019

No sustainable ranges or products were found in Topshop stores, however as a Sales

Assistant suggested that their Boutique Collection might be sustainable, the swing tickets and
garment labels were examined. The components did not refer to any sustainable
characteristic, although the woven product label included the ‘Country of Origin’, and some of
the products ae manufactured in the UK. See Figure 46.

112
 Boutique swing tickets on Topshop’s range of the same name.
The range was not from sustainable fabrics although some pieces are manufactured in the UK.

Figure 46: Tickets & labels on Topshop Boutique Collection July 2019

By contrast, most of Zara’s sustainable products featured Join Life branded tickets. Figure 39
shows a range of sustainable fabric descriptions ‘Care for Fiber’ shown on the reverse of the
JOIN LIFE swing tickets, including ‘Ecologically grown cotton’ and ‘Lyocell’. The same ticket
shape and design with different wording, also featured on their BASICS range. See Figure 47.

JOIN LIFE ticket At least 75% of ecologically 100% Ecologically grown

grown cotton. cotton

TENCEL TM Lyocell JOIN LIFE & Zara swing tickets Same ticket as JOIN LIFE
used for BASICS range

Figure 47: Swing Tickets from Zara’s JOIN LIFE & BASICS ranges July 2019

A concluding note on this subject that although it is not a legal requirement in the UK to include
the Country of Origin (COO) on garment labels, most labels examined in Topshop and Zara
included this information.

113
4.3.4 Social media - Instagram
The researcher elected to ‘Follow’ ASOS, Topshop and Zara on Instagram to provide insight
into how brands engage with their ‘Followers’. A ‘Follower’ is someone that has requested to
see posts from a particular person or brand, which become part of their news feed. This section
summarises activities of each of the three brands on Instagram from the data collection period.
The structure of this section follows the two previous about web sites and shops, insofar as
the initial focus is on the brands appearance on Instagram, including how many posts they
make. Following this is an examination of posts that relate specifically to product.
A final point about this channel is that unlike web sites and shops, here, communication is two-
way and the consumer plays a significant part in setting the agenda (Fournier and Avery,
2011).
As with web sites, each brand’s Instagram home page is important, as anyone following them
will see it. Figure 48 shows the top of each of the brand’s Instagram page. Although the format
of all is similar, one significant difference is their ‘Highlights’, which are circular icons that
appear half way down the home page to promote products, and share news, information,
updates, and customer generated content (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019, online). Topshop
and Zara do not have a ‘Sustainability’ highlight, whereas the first one on the ASOS home
page was Sustainability. See Figure 38, with the circled Sustainability highlight. Information
this leads to includes a pledge to have 100% sustainable cotton and denim by 2025 (ASOS,
2019, online. (E)). The frequency and content of posts are discussed in the next chapter.
Suffice to say that the most recent post was seven weeks ago, and some posts were over a
year old.

114
Figure 48: Instagram home pages with Highlights – 06.07.19. ASOS, Topshop & Zara

115
Although ASOS posts more frequently than Topshop and Zara, a similar number of examples
are presented for each brand to allow themes to emerge for comparison and analysis in
Chapter 5.
An Instagram ‘Follower’ can decide whether they to want to receive notifications of new posts
as they appear or find them themselves when they go to their Instagram account.
During the initial data collection period in July 2019, ASOS, the ‘online only’ brand,
communicated on Instagram significantly more than both Topshop and Zara, with an average
of ten posts per day, compared with Topshop - six, and Zara - two. See Figure 39. A similar
pattern emerges when analysing the total number of Instagram posts, ASOS has posted
8,385, Topshop – 6549 and Zara – 2543. See Figure 50.

Frequency of Instagram Posts - July 2019

60
50
Number of posts

40
30
20
10
0
ASOS Topshop Zara
Posts in 6 days

Figure 49: Daily Instagram posts ASOS, Topshop & Zara. Instagram, 2019

Total Instagram Posts

10000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
ASOS Topshop Zara

Figure 50: Total Instagram posts ASOS, Topshop & Zara,

Instagram, 2019

Zara have more than three times the number of ‘Followers’ as Topshop and ASOS, although
it is important to highlight that they have far greater international presence than the other two
brands, see Figure 51, (Zara, 2019).

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 Number of Followers on Instagram in Millions
40

30

MILLIONS
20

10

0
Zara Topshop ASOS

Figure 51: Instagram Followers – ASOS, Topshop & Zara. Instagram, 2019.

In researching brands’ use of social media for conveying messages it was notable that ASOS
and Primark use the same circular icons on their Instagram page - three arrows moving in a
circular direction - to suggest sustainability. (See Figure 52) Semiotics, the study of images
and icons that have cultural meaning and significance (Leeuwen and Jewitt, 2011) has
become increasingly significant in assessing brand communication. Further research into the
extent of consumer understanding of this symbol is required.

Figure 52: Top of ASOS & Primark Instagram page. 26.07.19

A distinguishing feature of this channel of communication is that it is two-way. Instagram users

(Instagrammers, IGers) can register their approval of a post by tapping an outline of a heart at
the bottom of the screen, which changes to red, as shown in Figure 53.

Figure 53: Instagram ‘Like’ to a post on a mobile phone.

‘Likes’ and ‘Views’ are customer endorsements to images and videos on Instagram.
Measuring the number and types of posts that are popular, provides insight into what
consumers like and dislike. The number of Likes to posts ranged from 6,541-165,689 with
ASOS, 3,866 – 35,522 with Topshop and 33,199 – 275,332 with Zara. Video posts appear to

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generate more customer responses than still images, Zara and ASOS respectively, posted
two and three videos, which received a minimum of 98.648 and maximum of 262,464, Views.
See Table 38 for a summary of brand posts and customer endorsements during a two-week
period in July 2019.

ASOS Topshop Zara

Number of 72 6,541 – 165,689 42 3,866 – 35,522 25 33,199 – 275,332
Images posted Likes Likes Likes
Number of Videos 3 98,648 – 215,330 0 n/a 2 238,957 – 262,464
posted Views Views

Table 38: Instagram image and video posts and customer responses. July 2019.

Customers can also respond to brand posts by adding their ‘Comments’ to express satisfaction
or disapproval. Figure 54 provides an example from each brand where posts elicited customer
responses where customers are challenging brand images. A comment to a model wearing
just a jacket highlighted that ASOS must ‘…keep it real...’ and comments to Topshop and Zara
posts complained about the use of ‘skinny models’. This provides further invaluable insight
into customer motivation and things in which they disapprove.

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 ASOS image. ‘Blazes worn as dresses? It’s a yes from us’.

Customer response ‘Nice blazer but the majority of women won’t wear a
short blazer as a dress in real life, keep it real please’. 20,412 Likes
Topshop image ‘Cue the paparazzi’

Customer response ‘Why can’t companies and brands have healthier

people advertise for them and stop encouraging skinny people?’ 19.546
Likes
Zara video ‘Which team do you support?’

Customer response ‘Zara always choosing skinny models. I much prefer to

see Primark with its diversity’. 568,583 Views

Figure 54: Instagram posts and Customer responses from ASOS, Topshop & Zara. July
2019.

Moving the focus to find evidence on Instagram relating to product sustainability from any of
the three brands ASOS, Topshop and Zara. During an eleven-day period in July 2019, there
was one post from ASOS about a bikini made from recycled materials, two from Zara, a
garment made from a sustainable fabric - Lyocell, and another about Zara was working with
their suppliers towards circularity (this was a double image, accessed by swiping sideways).

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There was nothing from Topshop during this period. Figure 55 shows the brand post and
image, the number of Likes received and Customer Responses (CR) to the post. An ASOS
customer commented that the bikini was good quality, a Zara customer responded to a post
about Lyocell, by commenting on how thin the model was, and there were some challenging
posts back to Zara about their claim to be working towards circularity with their suppliers.

ASOS image. ‘DYK [sic ‘Did You Know] the Zara image ‘Garments from our own garments.
fibres in this bikini are made up of recycled Upcycled Lyocell. With this new fiber we transform
materials...’ textile waist into a new resource #joinlife’

CR ‘You see ASOS have quite a lot of CR ‘Please stop using models that are so thin that
recycled bikinis? I own one and it’s [sic} super they look ill. It does not give the customer a good idea
good quality’. 1,529 Likes of what your clothes will look like on a healthy sized
body and in my opinion, it fuels serious mental health
disorders’. 17,651 Likes

Zara – double image. ‘Working on circularity. We are working with our suppliers to create a circular
system that will enable us to recover textile waste and cuttings from our own production and begin to
use it to manufacture new garments. #joinlife’ 21,526 Likes

CR ‘Guys please say No to fast fashion, Multiple Customer Responses

please care about animals, plants and in ‘#greenwashing in its purest form…Nice try Zara’.
general the environment, our planet without ‘Great! Now what about working conditions for people
them will be so boring and horrible 😢 Zara and who sew your clothes?!’
other fast fashion brands use lots of toxic ‘Very good decision to make use of your own garment
materials that pollute the rivers , seas , forests waste! 🙌😊@zara’
and the air , many species effect such bees we ‘Ok, but why didn’t you do this years ago????’
humans must not be so selfish this planet is
not just for us‘
Figure 55: ASOS & Zara Instagram ‘Sustainability’ posts & customer comments. ASOS & Zara. July
2019
Table 39 shows the number of Instagram posts each brand made during an eleven-day period
in July 2019. ASOS made 57 in total, of which one related to sustainability, Topshop only
posted 33 - none was about sustainability, and Zara made the fewest posts - 2 of the 11 related
to sustainability. Further research to evaluate consumer reaction to posts about sustainability

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would examine the number of Like and Views and Comments, but as there were only 3 from
this period, it was too limiting.

9-20th July 2019 ASOS Topshop Zara

Total posts 57 33 11

Number of posts relating 1 0 2

to sustainability
% of posts relating 1.75 0 18.18
to sustainability

Table 39: Brand posts relating to sustainability. 2019

There were other examples where customers themselves raised the issue of sustainability in
response to brand posts, as shown in Figure 56. A Zara post about ‘creating a circular system’
were hostile – ‘#greenwashing in its purest form…Nice try Zara’ and ‘Ok, but why didn’t [sic]
you do this years ago????’. One customer ‘loved’ a pair of jeans, but could not buy them
unless they were sustainable; another enquired about the safety and payment of garment
factory workers in response to an ASOS post about Stonewall, and a third response to a post
about a hair product introduced the subject of single use plastic. This suggests that some
consumers are actively oriented towards buying sustainably and express their belief that
brands should be doing more.

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 ASOS image ‘Good morning, Angels’

CR ‘I don’t suppose these are sustainably made are they? I love them
but if they were not made from recycled materials then I couldn’t bring
myself to buy them, my ethics come first’. 27,113 Likes
ASOS had not responded to this post a week later.
ASOS image ‘Today we remember the 50th anniversary of Stonewall
with a quote from @ASOS-Lex’

CR ‘Absolutely agree, what is ASOS position on collective bargaining

rights for the workers who produce their fast fashion goods? Do you
inspect sub-contractors to ensure they are working in safe facilities and
paying their staff a living wage? 3,822 Likes
ASOS video ‘Getting curly with @asos-ebony’

Customer response ASOS, Try to reduce one-use-plastic please! Try to

push more green and planet caring product. As a big seller, you have a
responsibility on planet pollution. Thanks. 550,833 Views

Figure 56: Customers ‘Comments’ on Instagram posts about sustainability. July 2019.

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4.3.5 Summary of Case Studies
Findings from the case study are presented in three sections: web sites, shops and social
media, and further divided into non-product and product specific information.

It was clear that the priority for all three web sites was on selling product rather than providing
information about sustainability. Areas on the site that brands want the customer to focus on
were highlighted with bold or contrasting colours, and were situated in prominent positions,
such as at the top of the home page. By contrast, although all three brands’ web sites included
information about sustainability, it was less accessible in that it involved scrolling and clicking,
and therefore took longer to reach. The significance of this is discussed further in Chapter 5 in
relation to young people’s attitudes towards technology and time spent on shopping and
researching. Information about sustainability on the ASOS web site was available by selecting
ABOUT US and then Corporate Responsibility at the bottom of the home page. With Top Shop
it appears in the ‘More From Us’ rather than the first ‘About Us’ category, placing it in second
place to ‘Careers & Opportunities’, T’s & C’s’, ‘Privacy & Cookies’ and ‘Accessibility’. Although
‘JOIN LIFE’ was easy to access as it was in a prominent position on the side bar at the top of
Zara’s home page, a customer may not be aware that this was a ‘sustainable’ range.

Searching for sustainable products on the ASOS web site was even more challenging. Only
32% of products displayed when using ‘sustainable’ as the search word were sustainable.
Niche clothing categories such as ranges for tall or larger women were included instead. The
few that used organic or recycled materials were brands rather than ASOS products. There
were no product matches on Topshop’s web site by using the same word, and just nine when
using ‘Organic’. Zara on the other hand displayed 299 Join Life products, although some of
the branding was inconsistent. As a final check, searches using the words from the survey
respondents to describe sustainability (environment, social sustainability, and longevity) were
done. ASOS was the only one of the three brands to show any products in this search.
In summary, the findings from the shops of the two brands show that Topshop did not have
sustainable products, with the exception of the vegan footwear range, but heavily use signage
to direct or inform customers about other product ranges or promotions. Whereas Zara have
a substantial sustainable range, but there is nothing in the shops to inform their customers
about it. The Sales Assistants who were largely unaware of the sustainable credentials of the
JOIN LIFE range, or of the recycling service featured prominently on their web site.
The shop analysis included reviewing garment labels and swing tickets. Again, an opportunity
to inform customers through garment labels was lost, as the ASOS bikini had no swing ticket
and there was no mention of re-cycled fabric on the woven label. The second branded (Cheap
Monday) product from ASOS included the word ‘Organic Cotton’ on the swing ticket but
nothing on the woven label. There were no sustainable garments to look at in Topshop,
although most of the woven labels included the ‘Country of origin’. In Zara, the sustainable
products were identifiable by the JOIN LIFE/CARE FOR FIBER swing tickets.
In contrast to web sites and shops where most of the interaction is from brand to consumer,
social media is two-way between brand and consumer. At first glance, ASOS’s Instagram page
is encouraging as one of its highlights is Sustainability, although its’ most recent post was

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seven weeks earlier, in contrast to their average of ten new product posts per day. Indeed,
ASOS had the highest number of daily posts, followed by six from Topshop and two from Zara.
Zara has three times more followers than ASOS and Topshop, but this may be because of
their international base.

Instagram users appear very engaged with the brands that they follow, particularly ASOS, the
only online only brand who post more than the other two. During the eleven-day analysis
period, Instagrammers expressed their concern to all three brands about their use of thin
models. There was very limited content from the brands about sustainability, nothing from
Topshop, one garment made from recycled fabric from ASOS, a garment made from a
sustainable fabric and a statement about moving towards circularity from Zara. The latter post
provoked two negative Customer Responses. There were three further examples where
ASOS users raised sustainability themselves: this suggests that there was an appetite for
learning more about sustainability from the brands - this is discussed later.

4.4 Chapter Summary.

This chapter brings together the Results and Findings from the primary research, the survey
and case studies, representing the two parties involved in fast fashion consumption –
consumers and brands.

Findings from the survey data uncovered behaviour about fashion consumption and
sustainability, and how society influences consumers through social media and news
channels.

Although consumers preferred not to hear from fashion brands more than once a week the
case studies highlighted that posts on social media from the three brands ranged from 2 -10
per day. It becomes apparent that fashion brands feed on consumers motivation for buying
clothes ‘appearance’ and ‘making them feel good’ despite 49% being interested in
sustainability it did not influence their clothes purchasing. This reflects literature about the
attitude-behaviour gap particularly evident in fashion (Section 2.3.6). A more positive result
was that 90% of survey participants said that they were prepared to pay at least 10% more
for sustainable fast fashion, as long as it also met their other requirements. A global survey,
which polled all ages rather than predominantly under 25’s from Hong Kong, London, New
York, Shanghai and Tokyo, found that 13% were prepared to pay more for sustainable fashion
(Fashion Summit and KPMG, 2019). It is worth noting that in both surveys responses reflect
behaviour intention rather than action and that sustainable intention is frequently not converted
to action in fashion consumption (Fashion Summit and KPMG, 2019).

The complexity of language and competing priorities around sustainability was confirmed by
survey respondents own description of the term versus communication received from fashion
brands. Whereas the first and second most frequently found words in brand communication
about sustainability were recycling and fabric innovation, the most frequently occurring words
from survey participants were environment and social sustainability.

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Findings from the case studies showed that fashion brands use web sites, shops, and social
media to maximise sales with little or no attempt to educate consumers about sustainability.
Examples of brands exploiting language relating to sustainability was found in one brand when
a third of products displayed by searching on their web site for ‘sustainable’ were niche product
categories such as festival, rather than products that were in any way sustainable. A similar
theme emerged from the shops where a limited range of sustainable products were poorly
signposted. Similarly, although sustainability was mentioned on Instagram posts there was no
indication of any serious commitment to sustainable goals. The content and frequency of posts
were to encourage consumption. Some customer responses to posts suggested a cynicism
towards some of the brands sustainable claims.

Chapter 5, ‘Summary and Analysis’, brings all the findings together under the headings of
consumer, brand, and finally communication between brand and consumer.

Chapter 5.0 Summary and Analysis

5.1 Introduction

The value of this research is in creating guidelines for fashion brands to optimise the
communication of sustainability with their customers. As such, this chapter synthesises
information from the literature and the original findings of the survey and case studies to
present significant themes that have emerged

Eighty eight percent of survey respondents were between 18-24 years of age, spanning the
Millennial and Generation Z spectrum (Dimok, 2019) and representing the most significant
group of fast fashion consumers (Morgan and Birtwistle, 2009). ASOS, Topshop and Zara
represent fast-fashion brands and are the basis for the case study findings. Figure 19, P84,
Section 4.2.1 shows that these were the top three brands identified from the survey).

The WCED (1987) described unsustainable behaviour as that which irrevocably destroys the
planet and leads to increased poverty. Part of the reason for limited progress towards
sustainability within the industry is that making products environmentally and socially
sustainable leads to higher cost prices, whereas fast fashion is low cost and continual
consumption (Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2017).

Both fashion brands and consumers bear responsibility for the growth of fast fashion
(Passport, 2018). From a brand perspective, analysis of the results of the Parliamentary
Interim Report on the Sustainability of the UK Fashion Industry (2019) revealed that there was
no correlation between retail prices and brand sustainability - business strategy determines
the extent of sustainable practice. Findings showed that Kurt Geiger, the brand with the highest
price hierarchy, was engaged in the least number of sustainable practices. Social forces and
the availability of low cost fashion products undoubtedly influence consumer behaviour
(Hussain, 2018), but young people face a dilemma, as they are increasingly interested in
sustainability and transparency (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018).

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The next section draws from the survey and case study findings to analyse and discuss themes
relating to the sustainability of fast fashion from both consumer and brand perspective.
Discussion explores areas of commonality and disparity about different aspects of
sustainability, and concludes by examining communication between the two parties.

5.2 The Consumer

This section is organised under themes that emerged from primary and secondary research.
It begins with the fast fashion consumer thereby fulfilling Objective 1 - To analyse fashion
consumers and their consumption of fast fashion.

Findings confirmed challenges faced by young people desiring sustainable fashion. Forty eight
percent of survey respondents considered themselves ‘…knowledgeable about news and
current affairs’ and only 4% said that they were ‘uninterested’. The same question revealed
that 27% are concerned about ‘poverty and deprivation’ and 12% described themselves as
‘environmentally responsible’. Their digital proficiency means that they are knowledgeable
about fashion and sustainability yet they have limited budgets, restricting their choices, and
resulting in their actions (buying fast fashion) not always matching their ideals (buying
sustainably). They are politically aware, but under pressure to buy clothes to match their
appearance to societal ideals in order to increase their confidence (The Business of Fashion
and McKinsey & Company, 2018). They are starting to demand transparency from fashion
brands (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018:62) which could lead
them to purchasing from only those that are transparent and authentic (Fournier & Avery, 2011,
Hakala et al., 2017).

5.2.1 Fashion Consumption

With its emphasis on high speed and low cost, fast fashion has transformed the industry over
the last two decades. Fashion serves many purposes, including self-identity, group cohesion,
inspiring body confidence and body positivity (Jackson, 2005). The Survey findings confirmed
that appearance was the main reason for buying new clothes, selected by 48% of respondents.
The success of Spanx, a multi-million dollar company designed to ‘improve’ women’s
silhouettes, states on their web site how their products will ‘… help women feel great about
themselves and their potential’ (Spanx, 2019, online). The survey corroborated this as 54% of
the respondents reported that they invest in fashion because it ‘makes them feel good’. (Figure
14, P63, Section 4.2.3). Accepting that appearance and feeling good are inextricably
connected; a further question asked which of four characteristics was important when buying
clothes. ‘Appearance’ was selected by 48%, ‘Fit’ – 32%, ‘Price’ – 14% and ‘Knowing how
products are made’ selected by just 6% (Figure 24, P88 Section 4.2.2).

The survey findings supported the literature about social media intensifying fast fashion
consumption (Brewer, 2019, Joyner Armstrong, 2016). Responses from this group reported
how ‘viewing’ images from peers, celebrities, influencers and fashion brands on social media
encouraged them to purchase new products. ‘Posting’ images’ was selected by just 6% as a

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reason for buying new clothes. Given the amount of time that young people spend on social
media it becomes apparent that viewing images and buying products that help them achieve
what the images project results in a continuous and never-ending cycle of consumption.

However, findings from the present study challenge the view that garments are bought and
worn a handful of times (Forston, 2018, Joung, 2013. Chau, 2012). The biggest group of
participants, 44%, bought clothes once a month and 62% stated that they wore items more
than ten times - none admitted to only wearing an item once (Figure 25. P88 Section 4.2.3).
This could suggest that personal consumption is slowing or that this group of fashion students
are limiting their consumption because they are more aware of issues around sustainability.
Table 40 summarises the survey findings in relation to three stages of fashion consumption –
Buy, Use and Dispose.

Buy (Q5) Use (Q10) Dispose (n/a)

Frequency of buying new clothes. Frequency of wearing clothes. After what period & how.

Survey findings

Once a week – 35% Once – 0% Recycling – in 5th place by

consumers, but 1st by brands
Once a month – 44% 2-5 times – 14% in relation to sustainability,

Less once a month – 21% 5-10 times – 24%

n/a More than 10 times – 62%

Table 40: Summary of survey and case study findings in relation to Buy, Use, Dispose
phases of fashion consumption.

Finally, in terms of fashion consumption, the literature highlighted that this group of young
consumers are moving towards temporary ownership of second hand products as another
means of having variety without compromising sustainability (The Business of Fashion and
McKinsey and Company, 2018).

5.2.2 Affordability and Shopping

Given that young people are the biggest group of fast fashion consumers and have little
disposable income (Ritch, 2015), it follows that products that they buy must be low cost and
affordable. Figure 23 (P88, Section 4.2.2) illustrates the survey results, which found that 46%
spend between £50 - £150 per month, closely followed by ‘Less than £50’, selected by 41%.
The least common answer was ‘More than £150’, selected by just 13%. Although the survey
participants were mainly students, the findings are relevant in demonstrating fashion
consumption with a limited budget.

Whilst it is essential to consider the possibility of consumers saying one thing and doing
another, evidence from the survey supports the literature that consumers are prepared to pay
higher prices for products made by brands they perceive as sustainable (Just Style 2018). The
Business of Fashion report in 2018 found that 66% of Millennials are willing to pay more for

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sustainable products. Results from Q14 of this survey found that 86% of those asked indicated
that they would buy sustainable clothes even if they were more expensive. The most
commonly selected answer was that they would pay up to 10% more (41%), closely followed
by 33% that said that they would pay an additional 30% (Figure 27, P89, section 4.2.2). They
also recognised that the current price of fashion is ‘good value’ (40%) and ‘about right’ (54%)
(See Figure 26, P89, Section 4.2.2). This is particularly significant as this group is
predominantly students and therefore likely to have financial constraints. These findings
suggest that if brands source higher priced sustainable products customers will pay for them.
Ritch (2015) highlighted that if brands are transparent and inform customers about the cost of
sustainable initiatives this will not discourage purchasing, particularly if products also benefit
them personally.
In 2017, CBRE found that 60% of Millennials bought their clothes from physical stores.
However the survey results (Figure 20, P85, Section 4.2.1), showed that online shopping was
the most popular (28%) followed by going to the shops (25%). Digital technology enables
young people to ‘shop’ whenever and wherever they choose, order multiple items and sizes,
which they ‘try on’ at their convenience and can return without difficulty (Escobar-Rodriguez,
Bonson-Fenandez, 2019) making it a perfect vehicle for fast fashion.
This trend towards shopping on digital channels is significant in relation to fashion brand web
site design and content, as it is the customer interface. Several points emerge from this:-
 The extent to which the design of brand web sites prioritise content relating to
sustainability. Websites are not only selling platforms but also survey respondents’
first choice for finding information about sustainability (See Figure 21, P85, Section
4.2.1).
 The ease and speed in which customers can find sustainable products on brand web
sites through ‘search’ or any other options, as discussed in Section 4.3.2.
 The degree to which consumers can trust information on web sites, such as
sustainable product characteristics on products found by searching for sustainable
products (See Figure 35, P106, Section 4.3.2)

5.2.3 Attitude-behaviour
Survey findings revealed a conflict of interest between buying fast fashion and interest in
sustainability. Questions 12 and 14 showed that the young people surveyed described
themselves as environmentally responsible, concerned about world poverty, and prepared to
pay more for sustainable clothes. However, Q13 revealed that 49% stated that knowing how
their clothes were made had no impact on what they bought. Seventeen percent expressed a
preference for brands that informed them, and 34% said that they avoided buying from brands
that they had concerns about (See Figure 29, P90 Section 4.2.3). This is in line with ‘The State
of Fashion 2018’ report that found that consumers wanted more transparency from brands
and did not know which to trust (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018).
Question 18 revealed that 59% of survey respondents were more interested in receiving
communication about promotions, offers and the arrival of new styles than they were about
how their clothes were made (selected by 19%) (See Figure 33, P93, Section 4.2.4). It was

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apparent that in spite of evidence of sustainable orientation from other survey questions (Q11,
14, 18, and 24) question nine revealed that only 6% placed knowing about how their clothes
were made as being more important than appearance, fit and price (Figure 24, P88, Section
4.2.3).
The significance of this is the correlation between consumer intention and action. The
respondents are knowledgeable about sustainability and aware of desirable answers yet
exposed how appearance was more important than knowing the origin of their fashion. This
supports previous research that only 16.3% of consumers considered social and
environmental criteria when acquiring new clothing (Koszewska, 2013, Joyner Armstrong, et
al., 2016:421). Findings from Question 18 also indicated little interest in receiving
communication from brands about how clothes are made - in fact only 21% selected this
answer, whereas ‘promotions and offers’ and ‘arrival of new styles’ between them accounted
for 64%, leaving a further 14% looking for styling suggestions.
These findings support extant literature that there is a conflict of interest with many young
people between purchasing sustainably and fashion consumption (Burch, 2017:56, Fung
Global Retail, 2016). Consumers bring personal beliefs and attitudes to a purchasing decision,
including that sustainable consumption makes a positive contribution to society (Hwang and
Griffiths, 2017). However, McNeill and Moore (2015) found that there was less emphasis on
sustainability in fashion than in other areas, and that even when consumers have a strong
disposition towards buying sustainably, it might not translate into action or behaviour (Joyner
Armstrong et al., 2016:421, McNeill and Moore, 2015:213). Antonetti and Maklin (2015)
surmised that there are four different types of sustainably oriented consumers: Altruistic,
Socially Responsible, Conspicuous Responsible and Political, each with different motivation
for purchasing and requiring unique elements to bridge the attitude-behaviour gap.

5.3 Fashion Brands

This section fulfils Objective 2 – ‘To evaluate how fashion brands communicate with their
customers’. Structured by themes that have emerged through analysis of the survey, case
study and literature findings it investigates brand understanding and interest in sustainability
as revealed through their communication, .

5.3.1 Shareholders and strategy.

Findings confirmed that between 2013-2017 fashion brands including ASOS, Primark, H & M,
and Zara all increased their market share (See Table 8, P29, Section 2.3.2), indicating the
success of fast fashion (McNeill and Moore, 2015). Also significant is the wealth acquired by
the owners of the two biggest fast fashion brands, Ortega of Zara and Persson of H & M, who
may resist moving away from this model (See Table 11, P31, Section 2.3.2). However, a
change in strategy may result if, as evidence suggests (Wade, 2019), consumers start to
demand sustainable fast fashion, and Zara and H & M do not provide it.

The other reason for shareholders to acknowledge sustainability is that it has become an
increasingly important investment criterion. In fact, between 2017 and 2018, sustainably

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related targets increased from 56% to 66% and have become a bigger part of business
strategy from 34% to 52% (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018).

5.3.2 Understanding and Committing to Sustainability

Case study findings revealed that brands recognise that ‘sustainability’ is important by
presenting products that were not sustainable through online search options. On the ASOS
web site only 32% of products displayed when using the word ‘sustainable’ fell into that
category - the balance was made up of niche clothing categories such as ranges for tall or
larger women or festival wear (Please see Section 4.3.2 Web Sites).
Survey responses relating to communication received from fashion brands identified a range
of 100% polyester recycled T-shirts from Boohoo, as shown in Figure 57. The press described
this as:

To counteract the negative environmental impacts that online retailer's increased

output produces, some, are stepping up to trail blaze a change – and Boohoo is
leading the way (Shemazing, 2019, online).

Figure 57: Boohoo Recycled T shirt. (Boohoo, 2019 online)

However, this initiative cannot be appraised in isolation - the facts are that Boohoo offers 2,000
new lines each week, and delivered 7.2 million orders in the six months to August 2019, a 13%
‘year on year’ increase (Chambers, 2019). The number of T-shirts made and sold is unknown,
but is a fraction of 7.2 million orders and cannot counteract ‘negative environmental impacts’.
Rather, the brand is acknowledging its customers’ interest in sustainability with tokenistic
actions to demonstrate that they understand their customers and to attract media attention. It
suggests, however, that brand initiatives centred on sustainability can improve their reputation,
whether or not deservedly.

Conversely, observational research found that Topshop do not understand what their
customers are looking for. There were no garment ranges promoted as sustainable in their
stores in July 2019, although some products in their Boutique Collection are manufactured in
the UK (See Figure 46. P112, Section 4.3.3). This suggests that they appear not to understand
or be aware of consumer interest in social sustainability - selected by 29%. The second biggest
category after the environment (38%) and is a lost opportunity to promote the range as
sustainable because some items are made in the UK.

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Analysis of responses from staff when enquiring about sustainable products in the shops
provided little evidence of brand commitment to staff training. Three of the twelve sales
assistants questioned understood what ‘sustainability’ meant, and most recognised the words
‘ethical’ and ‘organic’, but were unable to show any products that fitted these categories (See
Table 37, P110, Section 4.3.3). This was less surprising in Topshop, but Zara state on their
web site that they are working to make their products more sustainable every day (Zara, 2020,
online) and stock many Join Life products that staff did not know were sustainable.

5.4. Consumer and Brand interest in Sustainability

This section explores the evidence from primary and secondary research that revealed a
disparity between consumer and brand interest in sustainability. Accordingly, it fulfils Objective
3 – ‘To make a comparative analysis of consumer and fashion brand interest in sustainability’.

5.4.1 Recycling
Considering that Q20 of the survey revealed that ‘Recycling’ was the dominant subject that
consumers received communication about from brands, findings from the case study revealed
that ASOS and Topshop do not offer the consumer any support or incentive to recycle.
Furthermore, despite the prominence of recycling claims on Zara’s web site (Figure 38, P101
Section 4.3.2) there were no recycling bins available and staff in the shops were unaware of
this service, indicating little commitment to published information. The UK Parliamentary
Report on the Sustainability of the Fashion Industry (Table 6, P25 Section 2.2.7) confirmed
that all brands except Kurt Geiger were participating in ‘Reuse or recycling of old stock’.
However, case study findings revealed that neither ASOS nor Topshop are offering their
customers a recycling service.

This focus on recycling reveals two important insights into brand motivation. Sustainable
experts argue that the only way for the fashion industry to become sustainable is by replacing
the current linear model with a circular one (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). This starts
with sourcing materials and designing product with sustainability both at the forefront and
throughout the process (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). If brands focus on recycling,
many of the current problems including landfill, materials taking hundreds of years to
decompose, and garments worn a handful of times, will continue (Ellen MacArthur Foundation,
2017). The other concerning fact is that by focussing on recycling, brands are placing the
emphasis and responsibility for sustainability entirely in the hands of the consumer.

To summarise, little or no change to the fast fashion model is required for brands engaging in
recycling. The only additional cost is of providing recycling bins. They can continue buying and
selling vast quantities of goods, many of which are unsuitable for recycling. In fact in 2016 the
figure was 1% of clothing material is recycled (Wicker, 2016).

5.4.2 Fabric sustainability

Using fabrics with sustainable qualities, such as recycled fibres or ecologically grown cotton
is one of the simplest ways that a fashion brand can proclaim sustainable characteristics

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without making changes to its business model. The only adjustment required is paying higher
fabric prices. Fabric and garment production are usually two different factories. The garment
manufacturer receives the order and the fabric factory becomes a Tier 2 supplier to the brand
(See Figure 2, P17, Section 2.2.1). This means that the brand can absolve responsibility for
this supplier. Never the less Zara’s Join Life range uses sustainable fabrics and Inditex are
the first international brand to state that by 2025 products in all their brands will be made from
sustainable fabrics (Conlon, 2019, online).

In assessing how well each of the three brand cases prioritise their use of sustainable fabrics,
findings from web sites, shops, products and social media were examined. Some ASOS
garments made from sustainable materials were found by searching online for ‘sustainable’.
However Figure 40, P103, Section 4.3.2, shows that a customer needs to select ’Show More’
in order to see how the garment is sustainable, leading to the possibility of some not reaching
that stage, and missing the description of how the fabric is sustainable. This is particularly
pertinent against a backdrop of the same brand presenting festival and non-standard size
ranges as sustainable!

With Topshop, although no products were displayed when searching ‘sustainable’, nine
products appeared from searching ‘organic’ and a detailed description appeared next to the
image. During an eleven-day period in July, Topshop made 33 posts on Instagram and none
related to sustainability (See Table 38, P117, Section 4.3.4).

In 2016, Zara introduced the Join Life range, which it described as ‘A selection of more
sustainable raw materials and processes that helps us take care of the environment’ (Zara,
2019, online). Table 41 summarises the details provided on their web site which allow products
to be labelled as Join Life which fall into one of three categories all based on caring for ‘Fibers’,
‘Water’ or the ‘Planet’.

‘Care for Fiber’ ‘Care for Water’ ‘Care for Planet’

‘: products ‘: items that have ‘:garments that,
manufactured using been manufactured, in at during the
sustainable least manufacturing
raw materials such as one stage of production, with process, have
organic technologies that reduce consumed energy
cotton, TENCELTM Lyocell or water from renewable
recycled fibres.’ consumption.’ sources.’
‘ As long as the minimum requirements for each category are met, the attributes can
be combined with each other resulting in multi-category products.’

Table 41: Summary of Join Life product categories outlined on Inditex web site (Inditex,
2020, online)

There was also a link to further information with detailed specifications about Join Life fabrics
and garments (Figure 58), unfortunately the document is in Spanish, so not very helpful For
most UK consumers (Zara, 2020, online) (See Appendix 10)!

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 https://www.wateractionplan.com/documents/17
7327/558131/Requisitos+Join+Life.pdf/fb65aef1-
07fb-4945-33d7-c2b1b45f3f37
Figure 58: Link from Inditex web site to ‘Spanish’ Join Life specifications.

Zara advise that their standard is based on the Higg Index and that they work with their
suppliers to integrate this standard into the production processes of our garments (Inditex,
2020, online). However, the statement found through the Higg Index web site is ‘We promote
workers wellbeing.’ (Inditex, 2020, online) A statement that is so broad and unspecific that it
is meaningless. There is no evidence that the Join Life range embodies any other aspects of
sustainability, than the materials, and 43% of Zara products are made in countries, including
India and Cambodia, (Zara, 2019, online), who have very poor sustainable records particularly
regarding the treatment of factory workers. During an eleven-day period in July, Zara made 11
posts on Instagram and two related to sustainability (See Table 39, P120, Section 4.3.4)

It is worth mentioning that many other brands, including value retailers such as Primark, are
selling and promoting denim made with sustainable cotton (Figure 5, P26, Section: 2.2.7). It is
quite telling that although Topshop are well known for stocking an extensive range of jeans, at
the time of the research (July 2019 and November 2019), there was not one option featuring
any sustainable characteristics.

Evidence from case study findings demonstrates that although brands are communicating their
commitment to simple sustainability initiatives such as recycling, they are not implementing
them. In terms of using sustainable fabrics, whilst Zara is focussing on this quite successfully,
no evidence was found from either ASOS or Topshop. This raises the issue of future
commitment to more demanding areas highlighted by their customers: environment and social
sustainability.

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5.5 Communication between Consumers and Fashion Brands.
This section draws conclusions from the original findings of the survey and case studies, which
examined three channels - web sites, shops and social media - to evaluate communication
between fashion brands and consumers. It analyses the content of communication, to
extrapolate underlying reasons to expose why it is sometimes limited or inadequate.

5.5.1 Language about sustainability

Findings from the survey emphasised a disconnection between the content of sustainable
information from fashion brands and consumer priorities. They revealed that the most
frequently occurring word used in communication from fashion brands was ‘Recycling’ and the
second was ‘Fabrics’. By contrast, consumers’ description of sustainability placed ‘Recycling’
in fifth position. The two biggest areas of consumer interest were the ‘Environment’ (38%) and
‘Social Sustainability’ (treatment of factory workers) (29%). Question 11 of the survey asked
participants to describe the meaning of sustainable fashion. The most frequently occurring
answer was ‘environment’ in second place ‘social’ and then ‘longevity’. Question 20 asked
participants to describe communication received from fashion brands, relating to sustainability.
The most common answer to this question was ‘recycling’ followed by ‘fabrics’, with ‘social’ in
third position.

Figure 59 was created from software, which generates a word cloud (Word Cloud, 2019) to
summarise answers to Q11.and Q20.of the survey showing the dominant and contrasting
language being used by consumers and brands, suggesting different priorities.

Main words used by respondents (consumers) Main words respondents have seen from
to describe sustainable fashion fashion brands about sustainability.

Figure 59: Survey results showing Consumer and Brand emphasis on language of
sustainability. (Authors own image, 2019)

It is interesting that Longevity was the consumers’ third priority, although it did not appear in
any communication that they had received from fashion brands. Clearly wearing clothes for
longer rather than buying new, would disrupt the current model of constant consumption, and
therefore unlikely to be a priority for fashion brands. Table 42 illustrates the first, second and
third priorities of brands and consumers.

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 1st 2nd 3rd

Brands Recycling Fabric Social

Consumer Environment Social Longevity

Table 42: Survey results showing consumer and brand emphasis on ‘sustainable’ words.

These findings align with the Business of Fashion report that young people are particularly
interested in fair labour, sustainable resourcing and the environment (2018). Brands that want
to become more sustainable should listen to customers and use the themes most important to
them to determine sustainable priorities for the business. Addressing the language disparity
involves brands educating customers about the language of sustainability or adopting a more
customer friendly language themselves.

Central to numerous challenges, including the fact that much of the fashion industry is not
currently sustainable, lies the issue of communication between fashion brands and consumers
(Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018). Communication about
sustainability is effective if it creates a common understanding based on societal values, and
includes goals that facilitate behaviour change (Newig et al., 2013, Genc, 2017). The literature
revealed key factors that increase the likelihood of its success, including that it must be simple,
direct and concise, whilst addressing the cultural beliefs and values of its audience (Genc,
2017). Other factors include the emotional and imaginative appeal, the immediacy, directness
and relevance, the use of commitments – to signal involvement; and the importance of
identifying ‘retrieval cues’ that remind people of the message (Bator and Cialdini, 2000).

In fashion, the absence of clear definitions of words such as ‘green’ and ‘sustainable’, and the
lack of an industry-wide standard (Thomas, 2008, Cervellon et al., 2010,) hinders the
effectiveness of communication between brands and consumers. Negotiating the sustainable
fashion landscape is difficult - even where brands provide information it is sometimes vague
and incomplete (Thomas, 2008). Communication must meet customer expectations by being
precise and specific (Henninger, 2016). JD Sports is one of the UK’s ‘less engaged’ brands
from the Parliamentary Report, 2019. Their web site statement about the Modern Slavery Act
informs us that it has 247 Tier 1 and 275 ‘Known’ Tier 2 suppliers but there is no information
about whether they have supported or driven any improvements.
This is damaging as it has led to consumers disregarding ‘green’ claims, as they either did not
believe or did not understand their meaning (Thomas, 2015: 528, Cotton Incorporated 2007).
Many of today’s fashion consumers distrust fashion brands’ sustainable claims (McNeill and
Moore, 2015: 221). Due to exposes of poor practice such as treatment of factory workers,
further ambiguity in their sustainability message leads to further distrust. It is clear that
authenticity in action and communication, hand in hand with transparency, is critical in gaining
and maintaining trust and brand loyalty.
Examining customer responses to Instagram posts gave a unique insight into how young
people perceive fashion brands and do not trust sustainable claims. For example, when they
presented non-sustainable products through a search on the word ‘sustainable’. In the case

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of ASOS, only about 30% of products displayed were sustainable (Table 26, P81, Section
4.3.2). These findings are supported by analysis of the literature, where 40% of fashion
consumers reported that they are not given enough information and do not know which brands
to trust (The Business of Fashion, 2018:60), and feel that fashion brands use sustainability to
increase prices (Ritch, 2015).

Analysis of the literature and case studies revealed a correlation between the sustainable
practice of a brand and the success of its sustainable communication. The greater the brands’
sustainable practice, the better the quality and content of their communication about it.
(Section 2.4.3). Given the current zeitgeist around sustainability, brands that maintain their
current offer in terms of product, price and service, can benefit from also being sustainable
(Ciasullo et al., 2017).
Evidence from the survey and case study findings confirmed that fashion brands are using
unprecedented digital opportunities to engage their customers and encourage purchasing.
They acknowledge consumer interest in sustainability with tokenistic actions and/or bold or
vague claims about their initiatives Zara - recycling, Boohoo - sustainable T-shirt, Top Shop -
vegan footwear collection, and ASOS - sustainability highlight on Instagram. The investment
that brands are making in digital platforms reflect their acknowledgement of the importance of
communication to their business model (Lay, 2018). However, there is little evidence of
dialogue encouraging sustainable fashion consumption in terms of recycling or buying less.
According to Hussain (2018), retailers are not taking advantage of their powerful position to
educate customers with information on labels, garment care or recycling.

Case study findings about the content of fashion brand posts on Instagram revealed that
product promotion overshadowed any other subject. Figure 60 shows that during an eleven-
day period, content relating to sustainability from ASOS, Topshop and Zara was 2%, 0% and
18%, respectively. This indicates that sustainability is not a priority for fashion brands, despite
what they might indicate in CSR.

ASOS TOPSHOP ZARA

% of posts relating to others % of posts relating to others % of posts relating to others
sustainability sustainability sustainability

2% 0%
18%

100
98% 82%
%

Figure 60: Instagram posts relating to Sustainability and Others

5.5.2 Channels of communication

Forty three percent of survey participants revealed that they want no more than weekly contact
from brands. Case study data confirmed that the number of ‘daily’ brand posts on Instagram

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are much higher, ranging from two from Zara, six from Topshop and ten from ASOS (See
Figure 49, P114, Section 4.3.4). Product images encouraging consumption dominate
Instagram content and ‘Followers’ receive a message from the brand every time a new post is
added unless they have switched off ‘Notifications’. Fashion brands use web sites and social
media as conduits to build loyalty by encouraging interaction and engagement with their
customers. However, although this group spend an unprecedented amount of time on social
media, they can feel overwhelmed by the number of messages and notifications (RSPH,
2017).

Findings from the survey established that the most popular way to shop was online (28%)
closely followed by going to shops (25%). Findings from the case study illustrate how brands
use these two channels to detract or draw attention to certain information. On their web sites,
positioning of information, ease of navigation and use of appropriate search words all impacted
on the customer experience and influenced their buying decision. Shops, on the other hand,
employ store staff, visual merchandising and garment tickets to communicate with their
customers. As the survey identified social media (Instagram) as the most important channel
for communication, it was also essential to examine brands’ and consumer posts to reveal
common themes. In parallel with shops and web sites, the emphasis was on selling by
providing images of new products. An analysis of each channel:- web sites, shops, product
labelling and social media - follows.

5.5.2.1 Web Sites

Question 19 of the survey identified ‘web sites or shops’ as the preferred channels (29%) for
being informed about sustainability (see Figure 21, P85, Section 4.2.1). The case study
findings however concluded that it was difficult to find information about sustainability on
ASOS, Topshop and Zara’s web sites. Consumers would need to be familiar with terms such
as ‘Modern Slavery Act’ (Zara) and ‘Fashion Footprint’ (Topshop), which were not terms used
by survey respondents to describe sustainability, or by customers posts on Instagram.

The prime space on a web site is the top of the home page as all site visitors see it without
scrolling or navigation. It is reasonable to assume that brands determine what appears here
according to business priorities. Figures 41 and 42 (P104 and P105, Section 4.3.2) showed
that the top of ASOS’s and Topshop’s web sites feature sales promotions such as ‘70% OFF’.
Zara was different in that a link to Join Life was part of the content on the fixed sidebar at the
top left of the home page and remained there as the user navigated to other pages. Whilst
this is positive, it requires the consumer to know that their Join Life range is sustainable. It is
logical to conclude that content that the brand considers less important (sustainability) requires
the customer to navigate away from the home page.
The web site design of all three brands was unhelpful for a customer looking for sustainable
products. There were ‘no’ options from Topshop or Zara from searches using the three most
popular words used by survey respondents to describe sustainability (Environment, Social
Sustainability, Longevity). Of the 87,000 products available at any one time from ASOS
(ASOS, 2019c), eleven products were displayed when searching under the consumers three

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most popular words for sustainability. One non-clothing product appeared from ‘Environment’
and thirteen products including two non-clothing from ‘Social Sustainability’ on the ASOS web
site (Table 35, P106, section 4.3.2). All brands fared slightly better with searches using
‘Sustainable, Recycled’ and ‘Organic’, averaging nine from Topshop, just over one hundred
from ASOS and just under three hundred from Zara by selecting Join Life. However, these
numbers were misleading. Both brands presented niche product categories, including Tall,
Petite, Maternity, and Festival wear as sustainable, and there was no information about how
many of the products were sustainable. One of the problems identified in the literature was the
number of different words used to describe ‘sustainable’ and no industry standard (Thomas,
2008).
Zara, on the other hand, presented consistently high numbers of Join Life products in which
characteristics of the fabrics appeared to be genuinely sustainable. In fact, Zara’s web site
promotes the Join Life range quite well, in that the link remains at the top of the page on all
pages. However, even here there was inconsistency about product branding which could
confuse or lead customers to mistrust information. Figure 42 (P105, Section 4.3.2) showed
two garments made from the same fabric - one branded as Join Life the other not. Given Zara’s
commitment to this range in terms of the breadth of the range, this is not only misleading but
also a lost opportunity.
In summary, the problems found by using the ‘Search’ button were:

 Products that were not sustainable were displayed (See Figure 39, P103 & Table 35,
P106, Section 4.3.2)

 Branding was inconsistent - Zara (See Figure 42, P105, Section 4.3.2)
 No information about products’ sustainable credentials were provided (See Figure 40
P103, Section 4.3.2)

 There were no products available matching the consumers’ preferred search words
(See Table 36, P107, Section 4.3.2)

The beginning of this section defined characteristics of effective communication as clear direct
and concise. Case study research has exposed that current information provision on web sites
neither meets these requirements, or young fashion consumers’ expectation of expediency
(The Business of Fashion and McKinsey, 2018).

5.5.2.2 Shops
Case study findings about the retail environment and how it assists consumers with decision-
making, showed little progress since 2015 when Antonetti and Maklan declared that the retail
landscape was unhelpful in terms of the information it provided customers about sustainability
(2015). Although Zara stocked many Join Life products there was nothing to direct customers
to them, or to advise that this was a sustainable range (see Figure 44, P109, Section 4.3.3).
Signs were used exclusively to draw attention to sale garments.

Figure 43, (P108, Section 4.3.4) illustrated that Topshop use signs quite heavily to encourage
customers to purchase (discounts, last chance to buy), the only sign they had relating to

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sustainability, was next to the vegan footwear range launched in April 2019 (De Klerk, 2019).
Many of the garments in their Boutique Collection are made in the UK, but there was no
promotional material highlighting this, suggesting that they are unaware of the growing
importance of country of origin and sustainability to their customers.

Although store staff are an important conduit through which customers can learn about
sustainable products, case study findings confirmed that Topshop and Zara are not investing
in, or ensuring that customer-facing staff are aware of business sustainability goals (Table 37.
P110, Section 4.3.3). In the stores visited, the majority of staff did not understand
‘sustainability’ and were unaware of whether they had sustainable products on sale. This is
particularly lamentable with Zara who have steadily increased the number of Join Life
garments (Zara, 2019) but are still not promoting it to customers. Also concerning is that if this
range is not being clearly signposted in shops, customers looking for sustainable products
may not find them. This could lead to poor sales and Zara incorrectly interpreting this as lack
of demand for sustainable product. Contrast this with the emphasis placed on ‘selling’ where
staff have a financial incentive to achieve both individual and store sales targets (Inditex, 2019,
online, Topshop, 2019, online).

Zara Sales Assistants were largely unaware of the recycling service promoted heavily on their
web sites, a further indication that although they are communicating about their sustainable
actions, there is little commitment to them. In fact, neither brand appears to be seizing the
opportunity to communicate effectively with their customers about sustainability, not only to
facilitate customer decision making but also to ensure that they are maximising sales.

5.5.2.3 Product labelling

Question 19 revealed that 27% of the respondents wanted sustainable information on garment
tickets and labels. Analysis of literature also found that providing information on a garment at
the point of sale minimised vagueness and enabled the customer to make an informed
decision (Ritch, 2015). It is a low cost method of helping customers to buy sustainably
presuming the existence of sustainable characteristics. A further opportunity is to include
costing information on garment tickets to educate customers about the real cost of sustainable
garment production, which is significant in achieving long-term goals about sustainability, and
in consumers accepting that products made without exploitation may cost more (Ritch,
2015:1174).
Zara use branded ‘Join Life’ swing tickets on the range of that name, however, Figure 47,
P112, Section 4.3.2. Illustrates that the size, shape, quality and colour of them were the same
as those used on other products such as the Basics range. This was an opportunity for Zara
to emphasize and identify this range as distinctive from others with unique branding to draw
customers’ attention. The labelling on ASOS’s own brand products gave no indication on either
the swing ticket or the woven label that the fabric was recycled, even though this was part of
the web site description (Figure 40, P103 Section 4.3.2).

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 5.5.2.4 Social Media
Q18 and Q19 of the survey showed that social media was the preferred news channel for
young people and the second preference for information about sustainability (See Figure 21,
P85, Section 4.2.1). It is unique in that it facilitates two-way communication between brands
and consumers, allowing customers to express their opinions, approval or disapprovals to
posts made by brands (Bearne, 2016).

The format of Instagram’s home pages are significant, as all Followers see them. ASOS was
the only one of the three brands that referenced sustainability on the home page with a
highlight (Figure 48. P114, Section 4.3.4). Although this was positive, analysis of the frequency
of posts revealed that the most recent post was seven weeks earlier and some were from
more than a year ago. Contrast this with ten daily product posts as evidence of their priorities
and financial investment. In common with analysis of web sites, information that did not relate
to sustainability, such as new store openings, was found through the ASOS sustainability
highlight.

Analysis of ASOS Topshop and Zara posts on Instagram exposed that during the eleven-day
data collection period there were no posts about sustainability from Topshop, 1.75% of total
posts from ASOS and 18.18% from Zara. Consumers’ responses to posts about sustainability
were frequently cynical or dismissive. For example, in response to Zara’s claim to be working
towards circularity with their suppliers ‘…‘#greenwashing in its purest form…nice try Zara’ (See
Figure 55, P119 (Section 4.3.4). There was also evidence of consumers pushing brands
towards sustainability, for example a Customer’s Response to an product post on Instagram,
which ASOS had not replied to a week later, particularly significant against a backdrop of
making ten new product posts per day.
“I don’t [sic] suppose these are sustainably made are they? I love them but if they were
not made from recycled materials then I couldn’t [sic] bring myself to buy them, my
ethics come first”.
Finally, question eight revealed that communication from fashion brands tempted eight percent
of respondents to buy products. Although this is a small number, it is important in
demonstrating the influence of social media on fashion consumption, and shows the potential
for marketing sustainable products.

5.5.3 Brand – Opportunity and Intention

The current focus of fast-fashion brands is on selling vast quantities of low price goods, rather
than sustainability. However, brands that are unaware of the increased mainstream focus on
sustainability (Edited, 2019) risk losing business to brands that have responded by offering
sustainable fast fashion. Although the evidence presented next suggests that brands are not
currently seizing the opportunity to communicate about sustainability with their customers,
Arrigo (2020:14) believes that brand intention will evolve to become more sustainable.
It is difficult to access information about brand CSR policies and requires consumers to have
a reasonable understanding of terminology When customers search online for ‘sustainable’
products, ASOS brands present product categories such as ‘Festival’ and ‘Maternity’, rather

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than sustainable clothing (See section 4.3.2). This is an example of brands exploiting
terminology, which could lead to consumers losing trust.
A key focus of Zara’s web site is on their ‘Closing the Loop’ recycling service:-

“We are also making it easier for our customers to drop off their used garments with
us, so that we can aim to give them a second life or recycle them” (Inditex, 2019,
online).

Notice first the vagueness of ‘aim’ to give clothes a second life ‘or recycle’ them. The case
study showed that this service was not available in stores (See section 4.3.3).

Although 25% of survey respondents placed social sustainability as second only to the
environment (36%) in terms of defining sustainability (Figure 28, P90, Section 4.2.4) the only
information on the Inditex (which includes Zara) web site relating specifically to their supply
chain is that there are ‘Two million workers, 1800 suppliers, 43 markets and 12,000 audits’
(Inditex, 2018, online). Whereas sustainable information might refer to paying a ‘Living Wage’,
or the number of ‘passed audits’. In other words, the information is vague and provides no
measures of social sustainability.

One of the themes emerging from survey and literature findings is that fashion consumers
want to keep buying from fast fashion brands but they want the brands to become more
sustainable. This is significant in highlighting the opportunity that brands have to retain
customer loyalty, subject to improving their sustainable practice. Newig et al., assert that
communicating about sustainability through CSR information on web sites presents an
opportunity for brands to improve their reputation through conveying a positive and effective
message (2013:2984). Although this is a reason for brands to improve their sustainability,
these examples demonstrate that although there are many opportunities to present information
about sustainability to customers, at present brand intention relates to maximising overall
sales, even when - as in Zara’s case - sustainable products are available.

5.5.4. Brands – Inaccurate and limited communication about sustainability

Evidence from brands’ web sites, shops and social media compounded literature findings that
suggested that vague and misleading claims by fashion brands about sustainability (Thomas,
2015). For example, a statement from ASOS’s web site states…
“By working together, we believe we can deliver a systemic shift in the way our industry
addresses key ethical trade and sustainability challenges and proactively design a
future we all believe in” (ASOS, 2019, online. (E)).
However, whilst the statement recognises that ‘our’ (implying joint responsibility) industry
needs a systemic shift to become more sustainable, it is imprecise. There are further examples
on their web site such as being the ‘1st e-commerce brand to sign up to IndustriALL’, but little
specificity about how this commitment relates to product sourcing and influences sustainable
principals such as paying factory workers a living wage.

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Thomas (2015) suggested that brands are concerned about receiving an adverse reaction by
publishing information about their sustainability initiatives. Brands that prioritise sustainability,
where sustainable principles shape all aspects of their business, including Parks Project,
Klean Kanteen, and United by Blue, do not claim to be perfect, rather they inform the customer
of progress that they are making and their direction of travel. Brands that adopt a more realist
approach which highlight areas of progress without claiming to be entirely sustainable are
more likely to convince customers of their integrity, particularly against a backdrop of current
consumer distrust (The Business of Fashion, 2018:60).

5.6 Chapter Summary

This chapter has examined survey and case study findings to forge a better understanding of
consumers and fashion brands and how they engage with each other.
The findings demonstrate that this consumer group are politically and socially aware and are
seeking information about the provenance of their clothes. They have high expectations and
little loyalty to fashion brands whom they distrust. Many have small budgets, which limits where
they can shop. They feel torn between the demands of society in terms of appearance, and
concern for the long-term welfare of people and the planet. Although it was found that social
media encourages consumption, the findings contradicted the literature suggesting that a
garment is worn only a handful of times. There was evidence that despite a proclivity towards
sustainability, this often did not transfer to their fashion consumption.
Whilst the findings suggest that brands recognise that sustainability is an important issue, by
presenting non-sustainable products through a search on ‘sustainable’, there was little
evidence of commitment to it from the communication examined during the case study data
collection period.

Analysis of survey and case study findings highlighted that although brands emphasised
Recycling more than other aspects of sustainability, there was no recycling service in the
stores. There was also a disconnection between consumer and brand priorities. Brands
emphasised Recycling first then fabrics, whereas consumers prioritised the Environment and
then Social sustainability. An analysis of communication channels demonstrated that both
parties heavily use web sites, shops, labels and social media, but there was little to analyse
about sustainability, as the emphasis was on buying and selling product.

The Recommendations chapter maps out how brands can use powerful channels of available
communication to engage and educate customers about sustainability. It acknowledges that
whilst most fashion brands have CSR policies, they are ineffective or counterproductive. It
assesses current communication before outlining specific actions designed to satisfy all
stakeholders in fast fashion businesses.

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Chapter 6.0 Guidelines for Optimising Communication
6.1 Introduction

This section fulfills the final objective (O4), ‘To recommend guidelines to optimise the
communication of sustainability between fast fashion brands and consumers.’ It compares
survey and case study findings with the typology of communication developed by Newig et al.,
(2013) and consumer behaviour theories of Antonetti and Maklin (2015) and finds limited or
misleading brand communication about sustainability with customers despite considerable
opportunity. Newig et al., (2013) emphasized the direction, function and measures of effective
communication (See Table 19, Section 2.4.2) yet it is clear that there is a significant gap
between this model and the findings from ASOS, Topshop and Zara.

Regarding direction of communication (a) the findings illustrate that the intention of
communication in stores and online between ASOS, Topshop, Zara and their customers is to
inform and engage rather than educate or transform behaviour as recommended by Newig et
al., (2013). Although social media is an opportunity for consumers to reply to or initiate
conversation with brands, messages (not about sustainability) from fashion brands to
consumers dominate the channel. During the 11 day data collection period there were no posts
from Topshop about sustainability, one from ASOS and 2 from Zara, against a total number of
33, 57 and 11 respectively. Therefore it can be concluded that the majority of communication
between fashion brands and consumers is one directional (Newig et al., 2013), and originates
from a source that is not trusted in relation to sustainable claims (Thomas, 2015:11). This
reduces the likelihood of brand communication leading to an increase in sustainable
consumption.

The function of communication (b) about sustainability (Newig et al., 2013) is to frame
issues and arguments that create common understanding. To inform engage and identify
individuals who need to take action. The main findings from the case studies was the
absence of or inadequate information about sustainability. Far from educating customers,
communication was vague or (deliberately) misleading. There were no signs in Zara stores
promoting or explaining the Join Life collection, and staff were unaware of which products
were ‘sustainable’. Festival and maternity products were presented by searching with the
word ‘sustainable’ on ASOS’s web site. In other words, the only calls to action (Newig et
al., 2013) related to maximising sales of any products, rather than encouraging sustainable
consumption. To conclude, the function of and about (Newig et al, 2013) communication from
fashion brands is unlikely to improve the consumption of sustainable products even when
available such as with Zara’s Join Life collection.

In terms of measures of effectiveness (c) (Newig et al., 2013) of communication about

sustainability, the effectiveness of narrative from fashion brands that lead to behaviour change
depends on the extent to which their message resonates with or contradicts other societal sub
systems and discourse. Ultimately, the success of a message is not only that it is understood

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but that it has led to an increase in sustainable fashion consumption. As there was limited
messaging about sustainability from any of the brands, it is reasonable to suggest that they
have not contributed positively in this respect. A final important point is that the survey findings
revealed that consumers position ‘recycling’ in fifth position when defining sustainability, but
reported that it was the term used most often by brands to define sustainability. (See Table
42, Section 5.5.1) This suggestion that consumers rather than the brands themselves are
responsible for improving sustainability through recycling. This is even less tolerable
considering that neither ASOS or Topshop offer recycling services and although Zara promote
it, there was no evidence of it in stores.
The findings from this research illustrate that mainstream fashion brands recognise the
importance of sustainability. Most have CSR policies, and are members of organisations such
as IndustriALL or the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) (Gupta, 2019). They promote
initiatives such as recycling unwanted garments, or sourcing products made from organic or
recycled materials. However, interrogation of their overall actions and message to consumers
about sustainability is that they are inconsistent (from one channel to another), limited in their
focus (largely pointing to the responsibility of the consumer) and fail to address the main issues
identified by consumers.

The following section provides guidelines on how brands committed to improving sustainability
can use communication to ensure that they simultaneously satisfy customer demands. This
includes prioritising sustainable issues that reflect customer interest, employing channels their
customers use and ensuring that content is relevant to them.

6.2 Communication Guidelines about Sustainability

The first stage in Newig et al.’s typology is Counterproductive the second is Neutral, and the
final is Transformative (Newig et al., 2013). (See Table 43)
Case study brands are Counterproductive in content centred communication typology of
communication processes.

ASOS, Topshop, Zara.

Stage 1. Stage 2. Stage 3.
Counterproductive Neutral Transformative (CAS)
Communication Discourse oriented to Scientific deliberation Participatory dialogues in
about impede genuine about sustainability local groups (Agenda 21 –
sustainability sustainability related phenomena. 1992 UN goals)
(CAS) development.
Communication. Greenwashing in Scientific Educating students or the
of sustainability sustainability reporting. communication of facts public
(COS)

Table 43: Fashion brand current position within the Newig typology. Adapted from Newig et
al., 2013: 2978.

The case study findings position ASOS, Topshop and Zara in Stage 1 – Counterproductive,
within the ‘economy/industry’ societal subsystem, whose primary goal is to sell goods and
perpetuate rather than transform behaviour (Newig et al., 2013). Examples include:
Greenwashing’, Arcadia web site using donated items and off cuts to create one wedding

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dress, despite the fact that they were simultaneously selling thousands of new products.
‘Limited’ information about sustainable products, even in Zara shops where an extensive
range of products made from sustainable fabrics are available, and ‘Inaccurate’ information
such as ASOS presenting niche product categories such as Maternity as being sustainable.
See Table 44.

Evidence of Greenwashing & Counterproductive communication from case studies

brands
Stage 1 - Counterproductive
Identify brands current positon in terms of communication about sustainability
1 Greenwashing Scale of recycling projects in relation to number of goods sold -
‘Arcadia is supporting the West London Waste Authority and E&W
Couture campaign to create a beautifully intricate, upcycled wedding
dress – by donating our fabrics and material off cuts!’
2 Absence and/or limited Limited number of Instagram posts re sustainability.
information about Join Life range not signposted
sustainability. Topshop Boutique collection not identified as sustainable
Store staff unaware of sustainable products or terminology
Poor response to social media questions about product sustainability
No information on product labels
3 Excessive Number of daily Instagram posts featuring new products.
communication about Number of Sale signs in Zara stores
selected products
4 Using unfamiliar Fashion footprint
language Modern slavery
Join Life
5 Vague & imprecise Zara –‘aim’ to ‘recycle’ used garments
ASOS – ‘By working together, we believe we can deliver a systemic
shift in the way our industry addresses key ethical trade and
sustainability challenges and proactively design a future we all believe
in’
6 Inaccurate information Niche or minority product categories presented as sustainable
New store openings presented through sustainability highlight
7 Primarily one-way flow
from fashion brand to Brands have total control over the content with little opportunity for
consumer – web sites, customers to be heard.
shops, garments.
8 Selective transparency Content relating to sustainability focusses on fabrics and recycling.
(Inditex – number of suppliers, workers, markets & audits
ASOS – ‘1st e-commerce brand to sign up to IndustriALL’
9 Selective focus thereby ASOS – sustainability highlight
not presenting the full Arcadia selecting 4 SDG’s (3, 8. 12, 13)
picture.
10 Inconsistent message Recycling service featured heavily on web sites but not offered in
across different channels stores.
11 Pushing responsibility Returning clothes for recycling.
towards consumers. Buying clothes made from sustainable fabrics
12 Influencers & celebrities ASOS – origin As Seen On Screen – Sara Cummings, Pandora
used to increase sales. Sykes, Fleur De Force
Topshop – Beyoncé – Ivy Park range

Table 44: Examples from case studies illustrating Stage 1 – Counterproductive to achieve
improved sustainable action to accompany communication about sustainability. (ASOS,
2019, (F))

To develop guidelines tailored for fast fashion that optimise the communication of sustainability
the author has developed Newig et al.’s Counterproductive, Neutral, and Transformative
stages to Immature, Transitional and Mature. Table 45 illustrates how case study findings are
mapped onto the new framework thus providing a start point for moving from Immature to

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Transitional and the final Mature stage. The timescale for moving through the stages is largely
determined by the level of commitment, and production lead times.

Proposed Stages of Communication about Sustainability for Fashion Brands

(Newig et al., 2013)

Counterproductive Neutral Transformative
Stage 1 - Immature Stage 2 – Transitional Stage 3 – Mature
Identify brands current Outline the steps, including Describe ideal future position -
positon in terms of measures of success, improved sustainable
communication about communication
sustainability

Honest appraisal. Assess areas to improve. Informative & Educational

1 Greenwashing Identify specific and Eliminate greenwashing

measurable data to report on.
2 Absence/limited information
Develop a communication Increased revenue from
about sustainability. strategy that meets revenue sustainable products, to
targets whilst providing more achieve overall revenue
3 Excessive comm. about new
information about sustainable targets.
products
products.
4 Using unfamiliar language Identify areas of potential lack Educate consumers around
of or misunderstanding. the language of sustainability.
5 Vague & imprecise Provide data to build trust and Demonstrate expertise in
to educate customers e.g. sustainable fashion.
garment labelling & using Consumers well informed
Trade Standards branding about sustainability.
(GOTS).
6 Inaccurate information Identify currently inaccurate All information is relevant and
areas and develop plan on transparent.
what to inform consumers
about.
7 Primarily one-way flow from Use Social Media to engage Horizontal communication -
fashion brand to consumer – with customers to create two- Social Media. Message
web sites, shops, garments. way communication. framed to create common
understanding
8 Selective transparency Identify information previously Full Transparency
not disclosed.
9 Selective focus - not Honest about what is yet to do Share ongoing sustainable
presenting full picture. goals

10 Inconsistent message - Test different communication Consistent message across all

different channels channels channels
11 Pushing responsibility Understanding areas of Focus on areas of consumer
towards consumers consumer interest in interest. Regular dialogue
sustainability and motivation to about sustainability
be sustainable.
12 Influencers & celebrities Identify appropriate influencers Use credible
used to increase sales. /celebrities to endorse brand influencers/celebrities to
sustainability. champion sustainability
13 n/a Identify experts to focus on Use experts to communicate
sustainable areas of common and educate consumers about
interest. sustainability.

Table 45: Summary of three stages for fashion brands to achieve improved sustainable
communication. (Authors own, 2019).

Current brand communication provides limited information about sustainability and focusses
on selling products. A new business strategy (addressing points 2 and 3 from Table 45) with
increased focus on the communication of sustainability and revenue targets that include
sustainable products is required to shift the focus. Point 5 relates to brands developing
expertise in sustainability and building consumer trust. Customers could be educated through

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product labels, which include information about the sustainability of a garment. Existing
certifications include The Fairtrade Foundation, which relate to garment production methods
(2019) and The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS, 2018), which identify raw materials
and manufacturing processes. To utilise such labels requires a fast fashion business to invest
substantial time and money to re-design the process, beginning with sourcing raw materials
are sustainably and ensuring that all processes throughout the supply chain are transparent
and non-exploitative. This would result in higher prices that reflect the real cost to one more
akin to slow fashion (ILO, 2017). This explains why these certifications have not been adopted,
and suggests that an intermediate stage (such as proposed in Figure 61) is a more realistic
option for fast fashion brands.

Point 7 underlines the transformative powers of horizontal communication by using social

media to encourage dialogue about sustainability. Point 8 states that current transparency is
selective, so brands only share successful areas of sustainable practice with consumers,
whilst others are excluded or deliberately vague. The final points, (12 and 13) address the
potential for brands to use appropriate celebrities or experts to champion sustainability. For
example, Emma Watson who currently supports Good on You a directory of ethical brands,
and advocates re-wearing, recycling and wearing clothes that embrace transparency (Good
on You, 2019).

Transformative communication about sustainability relies on brands committed to sustainable

actions, as an essential constituent is honesty, especially given the backdrop of mistrust that
currently exists amongst consumers (McNeill and Moore, 2015). Therefore, it is also necessary
for brands to address actions to improve sustainable business practice. Table 36 outlines a
range of critical points in each of the same stages: Immature, Transitional and Mature, which
include finance, staff, education, product, marketing and media. Beginning with an honest
appraisal of current practice, a transitional stage that identifies improvement areas and a future
mature position with an enhanced sustainability record. It advocates several significant
concepts including that the business will:
 Continue to be financially viable.
 Employ senior staff with power to influence company policy.
 Require a shift in product and product mix to include higher priced sustainable
garments.
 Re-educate customers to change their consumption habits.

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 Proposed Stages of Sustainable actions accompanying communication about
sustainability for fashion brands.

Stage 1 - Immature Stage 2 – Transitional Stage 3 - Mature

Identify brands current Outline the steps, measures Describe ideal future position -
sustainable practice. of success, contribution to improved sustainability, whilst
business goals. maintaining financial goals.
1 Financial focus with little Identify avenues of Achieving financial targets and
regard for sustainability. sustainability and economic practicing sustainably.
viability.
2 Low-level staff seniority Review seniority of Director (or senior level employee) of
for sustainability. sustainable staff, in line with Sustainability
business strategy.
3 Educating customers – Identify educational subjects Customers knowledgeable:-
low priority. for customers, including the True cost of sustainable products.
Cost of sustainable garments. Shift in fashion consumption, to
include non-fast fashion garments.
Buying less and paying more.
4 Review current balance Introduce more sustainable Achieving financial targets whilst
of non-sustainable and higher priced products. increasing the ratio of sustainable to
sustainable products. non-sustainable products.
5 Review marketing Develop marketing strategy Marketing activity about sustainable
activity. around sustainable initiatives. initiatives.
6 Review level of media Develop communication Positive mass media attention &
attention - positive and strategy in line with publicity..
negative. sustainable actions.

Table 46: Summary of stages to achieve improved sustainable action to accompany

communication about sustainability. (Authors own, 2019)

A further recommendation is for brands to improve their understanding of how consumers

oriented to sustainable consumption frame their purchasing decisions. Antonetti and Maklin
(2015) suggested four behavioural categories: Altruistic, Socially Responsible, Conspicuous
Responsible and Political as a basis for developing an effective targeted message about
sustainability, and a means of bridging the gap between general positive attitudes towards
sustainable consumption and purchasing. The Altruistic consumer for example, has strong
moral beliefs and wants information about products sustainable qualities before purchasing. A
Socially Responsible consumer’s intention to purchase is greater if the product offers personal
and sustainable benefits. The Conspicuous Responsible consumer on the other hand requires
public recognition of a sustainable purchase. Whereas the Political consumer wants their
sustainable consumption to enable them to be part of a cohesive group or community (See
Table 46).

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 Antonetti and Maklin Responsible purchasing behaviours (2015). Consumer focus.

1.Altruistic 2.Socially 3.Conspicuous 4.Political

Responsible Responsible
Desired benefits.

Helping others or the Self-interest – Social reputation and To see themselves as

environment ethically and other associated social part of a community
benefits benefits
Motivation for action

Want to be consistent Acknowledge social Motivation is self- Motivated by support

to personal ethical responsibilities interested as want to for social political
beliefs otherwise alongside maximising be perceived as causes
breaking a moral personal utility altruistic Personal gain is
principle secondary
Significance in developing communication guidelines about sustainability.

The channel is unlikely Private channel Public channel which Public channel which
to influence behaviour. Sustainable product influences behaviour influences behaviour
Content must show characteristics are Motivated by public Motivated by support
environmental or social considered alongside approbation. for social political
benefits. other attributes causes
Bridging the Attitude-Behaviour Gap

Convenience of Sustainable features Independent of pre- Gap bridged by setting

sustainable purchasing are part of a bundle, existing attitudes and out conscious choices
to transform moral which includes an behaviour, the product as markers of social
commitment to action advantage to self. must be socially and political identity.
distinctive.
Table 47: Antonetti and Maklin (2015) behaviour categorisation for brand communication for
sustainably-oriented consumers.

This work provided a framework from which to develop guidelines that illustrate how
communication from fashion brands to consumers is optimised by utilising the most
appropriate communication ‘channels’ and ‘content’, as shown in Table .
Development by Author from Antonetti and Maklins (2015) behavior categorisation to how
fashion brands communicate effectively about sustainability with different consumer types.

Preferred channels relating to fashion products.

Web sites, Shops, Web sites, Shops, Social Media & Shop Social Media
information on information on Assistants.
products, Social Media products, Social
Media.
Communication matches desired product of promoted characteristics in fashion.

Transparent Information relates to Social media campaign Social media campaign

information on web multiple attributes of about range or product about range or product
sites. product such as being sustainability. sustainability
Garment swing tickets value for money as A clearly identifiable A clearly identifiable
featuring information well as any branded range known sustainable branded
about sustainable costs sustainable for its sustainable range.
credentials characteristics. Garments featuring
sustainable slogans.

Table 48: Development of Antonetti and Maklin (2015) behaviour categorisation for brand
communication for sustainably oriented consumers.

The shopping channel is less important to the Altruistic consumer as their motivation is intrinsic
rather than extrinsic, whereas the Conspicuous Responsible consumer prefers interactive
shopping through channels such as social media or shops, with an opportunity for public
recognition. The former consumer needs to know details of how the product was sustainable,

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but requires no public approval. The latter needs products that are easily recognisable as
being sustainable through their branding, in anticipation of public approbation of their action.
Many customers are not oriented to buy sustainable clothes (McNeill and Moore, 2015) and
do not fit in any of these categories. However, research has shown that education through
communication particularly from fashion brands (Perez and Lonsdale, 2019) will expedite
sustainable consumption. Analysis of the literature and original findings identified socially
responsible labelling as a convenient channel for consumers to know about the sustainability
of a garment (Hiller-Connell Kozar, 2017). This method increases the intention to purchase
of sustainably and non-sustainably oriented consumers (Gam et al., 2014) as highlighted in
the Transitional stage of (Table 46 (Section 6.2).

Figure 61 proposes a new price and label suggestions for a Zara sweatshirt currently on sale
for £25. Each label uses words with a different emphasis to appeal to customers that are not
currently sustainable, or those that have different motivations. Two of the labels include
‘Environment’, which was the most frequently used word used to describe sustainability from
the survey. Option A. appeals to a customer who is not currently motivated to buy sustainably
but may respond to a positive message ‘Congratulations you have just purchased a
sustainable garment’. It also appeals to a ‘Conspicuous Responsible’ customer seeking
public recognition for buying sustainably. Label option B shows that it is a sustainable brand,
but also includes other product benefits for the ‘Socially Responsible’ consumer. Label
options C and D appeal to Altruistic and Political consumers who want to know the real cost
of sustainable products. Caution is essential with Option D, which reveals a brands margin,
which may act as a deterrent (See Figure 61). The introduction of labels about sustainability
would align with the brand and consumer. As Join Life is marketed as a sustainable range,
it could be assumed that some of the consumers buying it have an interest in sustainability.
A cautious approach to their introduction is required particularly as they highlight that the
garment is slightly more expensive because it is sustainable – the antithesis of fast fashion
where products are low cost. Therefore, the recommendation would be to introduce Label
‘A’ first, monitor the sales to evaluate any decrease in comparison to previous similar
products and then move sequentially through to D, reviewing sales at the introduction of each
new label. Although a trial of all four labels could be simultaneous, it is a high-risk strategy
for the retailer, (particularly in fast fashion) in terms of its possible negative impact on sales,
therefore less likely to be adopted.

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 Zara sweatshirt £25 (Zara, 2020, online).

Conspicuous Socially Altruistic Political

Responsible Responsible
Little/no interest in
sustainable fashion Political n/a Altruistic
Label Option A. Label Option B. Label Option C. Label Option D.

JOIN LIFE JOIN LIFE JOIN LIFE – for JOIN LIFE – for
Sustainable Range sustainability. sustainability.
Congratulations,
you have just £28 £28
purchased a
£28 This product is made
sustainable This product is without exploiting people
garment. made without This product is made or the planet therefore
harming the without exploiting the cost is a little higher.
environment people or the planet
£28 therefore the cost therefore the cost is a Fabrics and components –
25%
is a little higher. little higher. Making cost – 15%
It costs a little more Transportation & taxes –
but helps to protect Designed to last if
you take care of it. See reverse for more 5%
the environment. information. Zara – 55%

Figure 61: Proposed labels about garment sustainability (Authors own, 2020).
.
Fashion consumers have many priorities that lead them to behaving inconsistently in their
product consumption (Antonetti and Maklin, 2015), so they are unlikely to remain in one
category. The expectation is that through education they are better informed about
sustainability and demand more information such as is provided in Labels C and D.
A further recommendation is for fashion businesses to use organisations including The Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI) and German Sustainability Code for guidance relating to external
communication about sustainability (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting
Group, 2018;33). A final but significant point is that if brands can demonstrate implementation
of a sustainable action plan they should receive increased political or legal support to
encourage them towards more sustainable practices (Brewer, 2019).

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6.3 Summary
This chapter has used findings from the literature and primary research to address key areas
for fashion brand improvement relating to communication. The case studies established fast
fashion brands’ current position regarding communication about sustainability. Examples of
communication used Newig et al.’s typology (2013) to identify improvement areas, which were
developed into Immature, Transitional and Mature stages specifically for fast fashion brands
into Antonetti and Maklins (2015) research about reducing the attitude/behaviour gap
provided a framework for targeting different approaches which captures all consumers
including those that are not currently oriented to sustainable consumption. The communication
guidelines draw on data about fashion consumers from the survey to ensure that fashion
brands prioritise areas of sustainability that replicate their interests. The final chapter draws
on the empirical findings of this research, which examines the impact of recent dynamic
changes, including the impact of online shopping and social media, on the sustainability of the
fashion industry.

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Chapter 7.0 Conclusion
The aim of the study was to analyse the impact of fast fashion, consumer behaviour and
fashion brand communication on sustainability. Despite a growing concern about social and
environmental exploitation, especially amongst young people, evidence found that other
motivations for purchasing clothes were more significant than buying sustainably.

Online channels have become the perfect vehicle for fast fashion – giving customers the
convenience of shopping at any time or place, and providing them with an even greater choice
of inexpensive garments (Escobar-Rodriguez and Bonson-Fenandez, 2019). Fast fashion
brands and consumers have embraced digital channels - 75% of survey participants shopped
through web sites, shopping apps, and social media. Simultaneously, social media, has
become an integral part of contemporary society increasing the focus on image, intensifying
the demand for fashion products (Nash, 2019, Hakala et al., 2017) and contributing to the
phenomenal growth of fast fashion (Walker, 2019). During the five years from 2013, the
number of garments sold in the UK has increased every year, and the trend is for this to
continue (Euromonitor, 2018). The impact of this has amplified the culture of waste and other
damaging aspects of the industry (Brewer, 2019).

Fast fashions’ growth arises at the same time as increased mainstream media coverage of
sustainability and a societal shift towards mindful consumption (Chambers, 2020). The fashion
industry is one of the world’s most exploitative and polluting industries (Brewer, 2019). As
changing weather patterns emerge worldwide (Carbon Brief, 2019), attention focusses on the
impact of business practice and consumer behaviour on the environment. In South East Asia,
where clothing factories are predominantly located, many people live below the poverty line
(United Nations, 2015). It suggests that the industry has been protected by its economic
importance (McNeill and Moore, 2015).

The value of this research is in capturing the motivation behind current customer and brand
behaviour, and the consequence of interaction between them. In order to achieve the research
aim, the following objectives were identified:-
1) To analyse fast fashion consumers and their fashion consumption.
2) To evaluate how fast fashion brands communicate with their customers.
3) To make a comparative analysis of consumer and fashion brand interest in
sustainability.
4) To recommend guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability
between fast fashion brands and consumers.

Fast fashion ‘consumers’ are predominantly young people (Ritch, 2015:1166) who have
unprecedented digital access to global news (Nielson, 2017). They learn of over-use of natural
resources, social exploitation, over-consumption and landfill (Gupta, 2019). As this socially
conscious generation (Fung Global Retail, 2016:2) become aware of the unsustainability of
the fashion industry, this conflicts with their need for fast fashion. Although earlier research
confirmed that they place less emphasis on the sustainability of fashion than other areas

153
(McNeill and Moore, 2015), they are beginning to express a desire to buy their fashion from
brands that are sustainable (The Business of Fashion and McKinsey and Company, 2018:62).
The survey findings support the view that personal priorities, such as being confident about
their appearance, outweighed positive attitudes towards buying sustainably, when applied to
purchasing decisions (Antonetti and Maklin, 2015).

Some ‘fashion brands’ are taking initiatives to promote notions of sustainability (Gupta, 2019).
In the case study brands ASOS is at the top of the hierarchy of the UK Parliamentary Interim
Report on the Sustainability of the Fashion Industry (2019) and Inditex (Zara) was ranked as
the most sustainable fashion company by Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the third
consecutive year in 2018 (Business Leader, 2020). In recent months, Zara have added a
statement about sustainability to the home page of their web site and Topshop have launched
a new sustainable range.

Evidence from the case studies suggests that in their pursuit of sustainability brands are
modifying rather than transforming their current business model. For example, by focussing
on recycling, little change to their current practice is required, and responsibility shifts to their
consumers. Whereas the fashion industry requires a systemic, shift from linear to circular
practise for it to become sustainable (Ellen MacArthur Foundation & Circular Fibres Initiative
and Circular Fibres Initiative, 2017, Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group,
2018). Despite unparalleled opportunities through web sites and social media for fashion
brands to inform and engage their customers in discussion about sustainability, empirical
evidence found that whilst fast fashion brands recognise the importance of sustainability their
communication centres on selling. In fact, current communication about sustainability was
largely ‘counterproductive’ in terms of improving sustainability with all three case study brands,
according to Newig et al.’s (2013) framework.

The case study findings demonstrated that where brand communication about sustainability
existed, it was limited, confusing or did not reflect areas of consumers’ interest. Brands
priorities were Recycling, Fabric and Social Sustainability, whereas consumers’ priorities
were Environment, Social Sustainability and Longevity. Zara state on their website that they
want to make it ‘…as easy as possible for customers to recycle’ as it contributes to their
‘Closing the Loop’ scheme (Inditex, 2020, online). However, findings revealed that staff were
unaware of the scheme and there were no recycling points in any of the stores visited by the
researcher.

Although social sustainability was one of Zara’s sustainable priorities, nothing about the Join
Life range relates to how factory workers are treated - the characteristics relate exclusively
to fabrics. Inditex carried out over 12,000 audits in 2018 (Inditex, 2019, online) but provide
no information about action taken where standards are not met. There was no evidence
found from any of the brands studied about treatment of people in factories, although survey
findings showed that this was second priority for this group of consumers.

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A further problem identified in the empirical research was the difficulty that customers have
finding sustainable products through web sites or in shops. Issues online were: non-
sustainable products presented as sustainable, no products presented when using a variety
of different search words for ‘sustainable’ and little information about sustainable
characteristics on products that were genuinely sustainable. In Zara shops, many staff were
unaware that Join Life was a sustainable range, and Top Shop staff did not understand the
term ‘sustainability’.

The challenge for fashion brands is to establish a balance between increasing sales and
becoming more sustainable (McNeill and Moore, 2015). Given the demand for transparency,
communication needs to promote sales and educate customers about sustainability
simultaneously. If brands are transparent and inform customers about the cost of sustainable
products, it will not discourage purchasing (Ritch, 2015). In fact, survey results confirmed that
86% of respondents would pay at least 10% more for sustainable products.

This work has extended the ‘consumer’ categorisation developed by Antonetti and Maklin
(2015) about understanding motivation and rewards for sustainable consumption, to include
consumers who are not oriented to buying sustainably. This is a significant number in fashion,
only 6% of the survey sample group placed knowing how their clothes are made as more
important than appearance, fit and price. Newig et al.’s content centred typology (2013)
provided the framework for establishing guidelines for ‘fashion brands’ to improve their
communication about sustainability. Three stages Immature, Transitional and Mature are
proposed to identify a brands current position and guide them to the ideal future or Mature
position. Case study evidence situated the brands currently in the Immature or
‘Counterproductive’ (Newig et al., 2013) phase.

Brands should avoid overstating their sustainable credentials and use language that resonates
with their consumers to state their position, even where improvements are still required. There
is evidence that they are fearful of communicating progress until everything is perfect (Global
Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting Group, 2018), but cautious and honest
communication is needed (Fournier & Avery, 2011). Ultimately, this level of transparency will
regain lost trust and improve loyalty (Ritch, 2015, McNeill and Moore, 2015). Introducing and
communicating about sustainable initiatives is an opportunity to attract consumers and win
business from competitors (PWC, 2017, Ciasullo et al., 2017).

Digital technology may have accelerated detrimental aspects of fashion practice, but could
prove to be a valuable medium for brands to engage consumers in narrative about
sustainability (McNeill and Moore, 2015). Online communication is the main channel used by
young people and is therefore the most appropriate one to use (Royal Society for Public
Health, 2017). Conversation from online communities can guide new strategies, products or
language (Hakala et al., 2017), as evidenced in the case study findings where consumers on
social media were driving brands to provide sustainable information and products.

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Investing time and money, and working towards long - rather than short-term goals, are likely
to be significant challenges for many fashion businesses (Brewer, 2019), but the positive
findings from this research reveal that;-
 Fast fashion consumers want their fast fashion brands to offer clearly labelled,
affordable sustainable products. Survey results revealed that they do not want to
switch to other brands.
 Investors and shareholders increasingly assess sustainability in their risk
assessment of a company (Global Fashion Agenda and The Boston Consulting
Group, 2018, Newig et al., 2013).

This study has successfully analysed the impact of fast fashion on sustainability but a few
limitations need highlighting. The first is that the literature about ‘fast fashion consumers’ is
generalised, clearly not all statements can or will relate to the whole of this group. Primary
data collection was from a cohort of fashion students, therefore the findings do not apply to
the wider population, particularly in terms of lifestyle, financial status and knowledge of the
fashion industry. Analysis of fast fashion brands was limited to three; further research should
include more online brands. It is important to acknowledge that the fashion and digital
landscape evolve and change rapidly, so the results if replicated in the future will be different.

The scale and reach of the fashion industry is extensive, important future research
recommendations include:

 Examining consumer motivation for fashion consumption with the non–student

population.
 Getting a wider perspective of fashion brand practice by extending the number of case
studies.
 Appraising developments in digital technology (social media and online shopping) and
their impact on consumers and brands.
 Increasing global perspective by examining fast fashion in countries outside the UK.

The value of this research is in addressing how the relationship between fast fashion brands
and consumers is sustaining fast fashion and hindering sustainability. The findings have
exposed a disparity between consumer and brand interest in sustainability and that current
brand communication is unhelpful in terms of assisting consumers to buy sustainably. Once
brands accept the need to be more sustainable and implement changes accordingly, this will
provide the content for future communication. Education about sustainable initiatives through
digital channels and product labelling will help consumers to buy sustainably, ultimately
benefitting all stakeholders

This study has answered the aim and objectives, and the empirical and theoretical findings
establish a snapshot in time of fast fashion consumption and communication between brands
and consumers. It has provided guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability
between fast fashion brands and consumers.

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8.0 References
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9.0 Appendix
Appendix 1 – Diagnosing researcher philosophy
Heightening your Awareness of your Research Philosophy (HARP) - questions

Noelle Hatley - Research philosophy

33% 29%

10% 19%
9%

Critical realism Pragmatism Interpretivism Post Modernism Positivism

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Appendix 2 Pilot Survey
How sustainable is your fashion?
The survey should only take a few minutes to complete. Please answer all questions, and
'submit' when completed. Some questions require you to re-order possible answers, please
hover over the bar to see up and down arrows, which facilitate this. Please note that 'fashion
brand' applies to online and shops, and 'sustainability' is used to describe issues that relate
to people or the planet. The purpose of the survey is as a pilot as part of a 'Masters by
Research'. Thank you in anticipation for completing it, your help is invaluable.
1. Please select which age bracket you fall into
18-23
24-29
30 or above

2. Please select any of the following that apply to you.

I am knowledgeable about news and current affairs.
I live for today and do not worry about tomorrow.
I would describe myself as environmentally responsible.
I am concerned about poverty and deprivation in other countries.

3. Please arrange the following in order of statements that apply to you, with the ones
that most apply at the top and least apply at the bottom. Please use the arrows on
the right of the bar to navigate.
I am knowledgeable about news and current affairs
I live for today and do not worry about tomorrow.
I would describe myself as environmentally responsible
I am concerned about poverty and deprivation in other countries.

4. Please list in order of most to least, the three main brands that you buy your
clothes from, with the main one first.

5. Which of the following most closely describes how frequently you buy new clothes.
More than once a week
Approximately once a week
Approximately once a month
Less than once a month

Which of the following best describes how much you spend on clothes in an average
month.
Less than £50
Between £50 - £150
More than £150

6. Please rank in order of importance which of the following prompt you to buy new
clothes - with the most important at the top. Please use the arrows on the right of the
bar to navigate.
Need something new for an occasion or night out.
It makes me feel good to have new clothes
You need to have new clothes for posting images on social media
I have the same amount of clothes as my friends
I spend more money than I should on buying new clothes
Receiving offers and promotions from fashion brands

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 7. Please rank in order of importance, with the most important being at the top and
least at the bottom, your main priorities when buying clothes. Please use the arrows
on the right of the bar to navigate.
Appearance
Price
Fit
Knowing how they were made
Other

8. Please rank in order of importance, with the most important being at the top and
least at the bottom, your main priorities when buying clothes. Please use the arrows
on the right of the bar to navigate.
Appearance
Price
Fit
Knowing how they were made
Other

10. Is there anything that you would like from fashion brands that they do not currently
do? Please describe in your own words.

11. Do you consider that the price of the clothes you buy are:
Good value
About right
Expensive

12 .Excluding staple items such as underwear, how many times on average do you wear
your clothes
Once
Between 2-5
More than 5 times

13. Please select which of the following best describes your interest in how your clothes
are made.
I am not interested
I am interested, but this does not influence what I buy
I avoid buying from some brands because I am concerned about how the clothes are
made
I prefer to buy from brands that tell me how their clothes are made
I only buy from brands that inform me about how their clothes are made

14. Would you like fashion brands to provide information about how the clothes are made
No, I am not interested
Yes, but it probably would not influence what I buy
Yes, this would influence what I buy

15. Would you be prepared to pay more if you knew that clothes were made without
negatively impacting on the planet or people
No
Yes, up to 10% more

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 Yes, between 10-20% more
Yes, between 20-30% more
Yes, I would pay more than 30%

16. Please rank in order of what you are most interested in at the top and least interested in
at the bottom, what you would like to know about how sustainable fashion brands are. Please
use the arrows on the right of the bar to navigate.
Treatment of factory workers
Impact on the planet
Sustainability initiatives
Treatment of staff
Other

17. Please rank in order of preference with most preferred at the top and least favourite at
the bottom, how you would like fashion brands to inform you about the sustainability of their
clothes. Please use the arrows on the right of the bar to navigate.
Garment labels or swing tickets
Information on web sites or in shops
E mail or text messages
Social media

18. Please select how frequently you like your favourite fashion brands to contact you?
Yes, more than once a day
Yes, ideally every day
Yes, every 2/3 days
Yes, about once a week
No, I would rather not be contacted by them

19. Please arrange in order of importance with the most important at the top and least at the
bottom, what you would like to hear about from fashion brands. Please use the arrows at the
right of the bar to navigate.
Promotions and offers.
Arrival of new styles
Styling suggestions and tips
Information about how the clothes are made.
Other

20. Please describe any difficulties you have had in completing this survey

21. Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing?

22. How did you feel about the number of questions that you were asked to answer?

Appendix 3 Survey
1) E mail message sent to Staff and students in The Manchester Fashion Institute

Please find a link to an online survey about fashion and sustainability, which I would be very
grateful if you would spend around ten minutes completing.
Please share the link with your friends and acquaintances to maximise the number of
responses.
https://mmu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/fashion-and-sustainability
Thank you in advance for your time.

2) The Survey
‘a) Participant Information Sheet
Title: Communicating Sustainability

179
Invitation: I would like to invite you to take part in a research study. Before you decide you
need to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you. Please
take time to read the following information carefully. Ask questions if anything you read is not
clear or if you would like more information, before deciding whether to take part.
Purpose: The research purpose is primarily educational and is undertaken as part of a
‘Masters by Research’ at MMU.
Content: This research is about the impact of global fashion production and consumption
on sustainability. It considers both environmental and social (relating to people working in
the industry) aspects. The survey designed to collect data from consumers, about their
relationship with fashion and fashion brands and their interest in sustainability.
Why you: The survey is being sent to students from the Manchester Fashion Institute, who
are primarily under 25 years of age, and are fashion consumers.
Voluntary participation: It is entirely up to you to decide whether to take part in the research
by completing the survey. You will need to read and acknowledge the online consent form
at the beginning of the survey before completing it. You are free to withdraw at any time by
not finishing the survey.
What happens if I take part: The survey will take approximately ten minutes to complete,
and can be completed in your own time within a given two-week period. This is the end of
your involvement. The data collected will be analysed and used as a basis to develop
communication guidelines to develop a better understanding of sustainability in the fashion
industry. The raw data destroyed within six months.
Why should I take part: Whilst there is no immediate benefit to you in taking part, the
information collected from the surveys will help to get a better understanding of the fashion
industry’s contribution to the worldwide problems of environmental harm and exploitation of
people.
Concerns: If you have a concern about any aspect of this study, you should speak to the
researcher Noelle Hatley who will endeavour to answer your questions.
[email protected]. If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can do this
by contacting my Research Supervisor – Tasneem Sabir [email protected].
Beyond this, details for the University Complaints Procedure are found through the below
link:- https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/media/mmuacuk/content/documents/research/Procedure-
for-the-Investigation-of-Misconduct-in-Research.pdf
Will my taking part in the study be kept confidential: All information which is collected
about you during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. In line with the
data protection act 1988 your confidentiality will be safeguarded during and after the study.
Data collected through the online survey is anonymous. It is stored safely on a password
protected computer known only to the researcher. Access is restricted to Supervisors and
myself. Raw data destroyed within six months. The data collected from the survey may be
used for further research.
Withdrawing from the study: If you decide to withdraw from the study by not completing
the survey, all data collected from you, to date, will be destroyed and removed from the study
files.
What will happen to the results of the research study: The results of the study can be
shared with you on request.
Further information and contact details:
Noelle Hatley. [email protected] or [email protected]

b) Consent for Participation in the Study

The researcher requests your consent for participation in a study about fast fashion and
sustainability. This consent form asks you to allow the researcher to use your answers and
comments to enhance understanding of the topic.

Your survey responses will remain anonymous.

Participation in this study is voluntary. If you decide not to participate, there will not be any
negative consequences. Please be aware that if you decide to participate, you may stop
participating at any time and you may decide not to answer any specific question.

The researcher will maintain the confidentiality of the research records or data, and all data
will be destroyed within six months.

By submitting this form, you are indicating that you have read the description of the study,

180
are over the age of 18, and that you agree to the terms as described.

If you have any questions, or would like a copy of this consent letter, please contact me at
[email protected]

Many thanks in advance for your participation!

Noelle

c) Introduction

When you have completed the consent form, please complete this survey about how you
buy and use fashion products, and what you know about their origin. Please note that all
your answers are confidential and anonymous. The survey should only take a few minutes
please answer all questions. Please select 'Finish' when completed. Please note that 'fashion
brand' applies to online and shops, and 'sustainability' is used to describe issues that relate
to people or the environment. The results from the survey will inform my 'Masters by
Research’.

Thank you in anticipation for completing the survey, your help is invaluable.
d) Survey questions

Section A – general information about you.

1) Please select your age bracket.

18-24
25-30
31 or above

2) Which gender do you identify as?

Male
Female
Other

Section B – Fashion and Shopping

3) Please list the three fashion brands that you buy your clothes from, in order of most
to least, with the main one first, the second one next and the third at the end.

4) Please indicate in terms of most to least how you shop for fashion, using a 1 for the
usual way that you shop, 2 for the next, with any that apply
I go to shops
Social media links to fashion brands
Fashion brand web sites
YouTube
Shopping apps on phone.

5) Which of the following most closely describes how frequently you buy new clothes.
More than once a week
Approximately once a week
Approximately once a month
Less than once a month

6) Which of the following best describes how much you spend on clothes in an
average month.
Less than £50
Between £50 - £150
More than £150

7) Do you consider that the price of the clothes you buy are:
Good value
About right
Expensive

181
 8) Please arrange the following reasons for buying new clothes in order of statements
that apply to you. Please use 1 to indicate the main reason and 5 for the least.
I need something new for an occasion or night out.
It makes me feel good to have new clothes
I need to have new clothes for posting images on social media
Communication from fashion brands tempt me

9) Please rank your main priorities when buying clothes in order of importance, with 1
being the most important and 5 least important.
Appearance
Price
Fit
Knowing whether they were made sustainably.

10) Excluding staple items such as underwear, coats and jeans, how many times on
average do you wear an item of clothing?
Once
Between 2-5
Between 5-10 times
More than 10 times

Section C – Fashion and Sustainability

11) Please describe what ‘sustainable fashion’ means to you?

12) Please arrange the following in order of statements that apply to you, with the ones
that most apply at the top and apply least at the bottom.

I am knowledgeable about news and current affairs

I am not interested in news and current affairs
I live for today and do not worry about tomorrow.
I would describe myself as environmentally responsible
I am concerned about poverty and deprivation in the world

13) Please select which of the following best describes your interest in how your
clothes are made.
I am not interested
I am interested, but this does not influence what I buy
I avoid buying from some brands because I am concerned about how the clothes are
made
I prefer to buy from brands that tell me how their clothes are made
I only buy from brands that inform me about how their clothes are made

14) Would you be prepared to pay more if you knew that clothes were made without
harming the environment or people?
No
Yes, up to 10% more
Yes, between 10-30% more
Yes, I would pay more than 30%

15) Which issue is most likely to motivate your decision to purchase a sustainable
product? Please rank with 1 being the most and 5 the least likely.
Treatment of factory workers
Environmental impact
Sustainability initiatives
Treatment of staff

Section D Communication with Fashion Brands

182
 16) Which of the following channels do you use to find out about news and current
affairs? Please arrange in order of importance, with the most important at the top
and least important at the bottom.
Social media networking sites
You-Tube
Links from social media sites
Online magazines and newspapers
Print magazines and newspapers

17) How frequently do you like to hear from your favourite fashion brands?
More than once a day
Ideally every day
Every 2/3 days
About once a week
I would rather not hear from them

18) What do you most like to hear about from fashion brands? Please arrange in order
of importance with the most important at the top and least at the bottom.
Promotions and offers.
Arrival of new styles
Styling suggestions and tips
Information about how the clothes are made.
.
19) How would you like fashion brands to inform you about the sustainability of their
clothes? Please rank in order of preference with most preferred at the top and
least at the bottom.
I am not interested in knowing how sustainable my clothes are.
Garment labels or swing tickets
Information on web sites or in shops
E-mail or text messages
Social media

20) Have you received or seen any communication from fashion brands about
sustainability? If yes, please describe.

Thank you for your time in completing and submitting this survey. Your anonymous
responses will be used to analyse fashion consumption and communication with
fashion brands, and to explore opportunities to improve the sustainability of the
fashion industry.

e) Final Page
Thank you for your time in completing and submitting this survey. Your anonymous
responses will be used to analyse fashion consumption and communication with fashion
brands, and to explore opportunities to improve the sustainability of the fashion industry.’

End of Appendix 3 – Survey

Appendix 4 Ethics Application

Thank you for visiting the Ethics Online System (EthOS)
The University seeks to lead the sector in ensuring that the decisions we make concerning
research ethics align with our values as an institution as well as meeting all regulatory
requirements. (Manchester Metropolitan University, Research and Knowledge
Exchange Strategy 2017).

EthOS is an important part of our efforts to achieve "beyond compliance" status in research
ethics and governance.

All members of staff and students who are about to undertake a project or investigation in
the broad area of research are required to use EthOS to determine what form of ethical

183
approval, if any is required. This system will guide you through the process of determining
what form of ethical approval is required for your project. The questions within EthOS will be
automatically generated based on your previous answers to ensure that only relevant
sections are displayed. The RKE Strategy can be found by clicking the following link:
http://www2.mmu.ac.uk/rke-strategy/

A1 The University is committed to adhering to the principles of the Concordat for Research
Integrity and we expect all staff and students to complete the relevant online training. Have
you completed the Manchester Metropolitan University Research Integrity training course?
Yes
No

A2 Health and Safety

Every member of staff and students have a responsibility for their own health, safety, and
wellbeing, and those around them who may be affected by their acts and omissions. Have
you completed any University Health and Safety training?
Yes
No

A3 Data Protection
The University is responsible for complying with the General Data Protection Regulation
whenever personal data is processed. Under the Data Protection Policy, all staff and
students have a responsibility to comply with the regulation in their day-to-day activities. The
first step you can take to understand these responsibilities is to complete the University’s
Mandatory Data Protection Training. The Data Protection Training can be accessed from the
web page https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/data-protection/. To make sure your knowledge up to
date, all staff and students must complete the training annually.
Have you completed the Data Protection Training?
Yes
No

Have you completed relevant training?

Applicant
Page 1 of 13
A4 Applicant Details
Title First Name Surname
Noelle Hatley
Email [email protected]
A4.1 Manchester Metropolitan University ID number
12501592
A5 In what capacity are you carrying out your project? (see information button for
guidance)
As a postgraduate research student
A6 Which Faculty is responsible for the project?
Arts and Humanities
A6.1 Which University Centre for Research and Knowledge Exchange (UCRKE) is
responsible for the project?
If you are unsure, please select "Not aligned to any Research Centre").
A&H: School of Art Research Centre
A6.2 Is your project in its entirety a literature review?
Yes
No
This is the end of the page
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to proceed with the application.

184
Applicant Status
Project Information
Page 2 of 13
A7 Your Full Project Title is
To establish guidelines for fast fashion businesses that optimise the communication of
sustainability to young people
A8 Project Short Title
This is the title by which your project will be known
Optimising fast fashion's sustainability narrative.
A9 Do you propose to commence your data collection within the next 31 days?
Yes
Yes - but I have confirmation from my FHREG to proceed with the application
Yes - but I have ethical approval in place
No
A9.1 What is the proposed start date of your data collection?
29/04/2019
A10 Is there any funding attached to this project?
Yes - I have a Worktribe project ID
No
Yes - but I do not have a Worktribe project ID
This is the end of the page
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to proceed with the application.

Does your project require ethical approval?

Page 3 of 13
A11 Please select any statements that apply for your project, relating to previously obtained
or required approvals (select all that apply):
You want Manchester Metropolitan University to certificate an existing approval you hold
from a recognised body
You need to apply for ethical approval from a particular recognised approving body or are in
the process of being reviewed for ethical approval by such a body
You are using ionising radiation as part of your research for medical, biomedical, diagnostic
or treatment purposes
You want Manchester Metropolitan University to certificate an existing ethical approval you
hold from another University?
You want to submit an amendment to a project which was approved via the Manchester
Metropolitan University paper-based process
The project being undertaken within a larger research study for which an application for
Manchester Metropolitan University ethical approval has already been submitted
You are a member of staff who is applying to do research involving Manchester
Metropolitan University staff and/or students, as part of a research degree/qualification with
another Institution.
This is a new application for ethical approval at Manchester Metropolitan University
This is the end of the page
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to proceed with the application.

A13 Although it is not possible to provide exhaustive criteria which determine whether or
not a proposed project needs ethical review, the following can be used as guidance.
Please tick the boxes below for all statements that apply to your project.
The generation of new ideas, images, performances or artefacts. This also applies for
projects that are purely conceptual, or consist only of a literature review, or only use fully
anonymised human participant data sourced from 3rd parties

185
Primary data collection from human participants (including, but not limited to interviews,
questionnaires, images, artefacts and digital data)
Further analysis of identifiable, pre-existing data obtained from human participants
Privileged access to personal or clinical records
Activities or materials related to terrorism
Observation of human participants or the collection of their data without their consent
Vulnerable individuals (children, adults who lack the capacity to consent or are temporarily
vulnerable within the context of the project)
Access to individuals who may pose a safety risk to the researcher
Any form of physical and/or psychological risk, damage or distress to the human participant
Recompense other than reasonable expenses and compensation for time to the human
participant
Clinical procedures with human participants
The use of novel techniques, even where apparently non-invasive, whose safety may be
open to question with human participants
The ingestion of any substance by human participants, by any means of delivery
The administration of drugs to human participants, by whatever means of delivery
The use of ionising radiation or exposure to radioactive materials
New human tissue samples or other human biological samples
Existing human tissue samples or other human biological samples
The use of equipment which may be a medical device, or is a known medical device, but will
be used outside its intended purpose and be tested on human participants
Biological agents or toxins
The design or production of new or substantially improved materials, devices, products or
processes
Animals, their tissue or their remains
Plants or plant matter
None of the above
What will your project involve?
Page 4 of 13
This is the end of the page
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to proceed with the application.

This section aims to capture the basic project information.

Begin section
B1 Please provide an abstract for your project
The global fashion industry is far from sustainable, despite sector level commitment to United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Fast fashion particularly, is characterised by
constant consumption of low priced on-trend clothes, not designed to last. It is significant that
since 2013 the number of garments sold each year has increased whilst the selling price has
decreased. Labour intensive garment production and low cost targets have driven garment
sourcing to factories located in low wage, low regulation
countries, where long hours are worked in poor conditions often for less than a living wage.
Although sustainable brands such as Patagonia are thriving, until mainstream retailers such
as H & M prioritise economic over sustainable goals, progress will be limited.

Although millennials, the main consumers of fast fashion, are interested in buying sustainably
and paying more for sustainable products, this is not reflected in their fashion purchasing.
An absence of sustainable information and greenwashing, (deliberately)
misleading or vague communication that enhances brands sustainable credentials, may
contribute to this. Habitual social media users, posting images onto photo sharing platforms
such as Instagram and Facebook, requires the wearers to constantly renew their clothes,
once seen, garments are unlikely to appear again. This will be considered as part of an
analysis of the reasons behind the attitude-behaviour gap between fashion consumption and

186
sustainability. The need for support in developing sustainable communication is apparent
through emergence of organisations such as the Sustainable Lifestyles Frontier Group,
which provides guidance on creating an effective sustainability message. This will be used
to optimise sustainable communication targeting fast fashion brands and millennial
consumers. Critical to the success of improving the fashion industry’s sustainability will be
framing the guidelines so that fast fashion brands understand that ignoring millennial interest
in it, risks losing their custom altogether.

B2 Please provide key words for the project Fast-fashion, sustainability, millennials,
communication.
Short Description
Project team details
Page 5 of 13
B3 Supervisor Details
Title First Name Surname
Dr Tasneem Sabir
Organisation MMU
Faculty Arts and Humanities
Telephone 0161 247 2643
Email tasneem.sabir'mmu.ac.uk
B4a Are you the Principal Investigator for the project?
Yes
No
Please enter your details in the Principal Investigator question below
B4 Principal Investigator
Title First Name Surname
Ms Noelle Hatley
Organisation MMU
Faculty Arts and Humanities
Telephone 07808 779507
Email [email protected]
B5 Are other investigators involved in the project?
Yes
No
B6 What is the end date of your project?
31/12/2019

Timescales
Page 6 of 13
B7 Is data collection only taking place on Manchester Metropolitan University sites?
Yes
No
B7.1 Which country will the data collection take place?
United Kingdom
B7.2 Data collection will take place at the following
Public location(s)
Private location(s)
Isolated location(s)
Manchester Metropolitan University approved location(s)
On the internet
B7.3 Do you have or need any special security clearances for this project?
Yes
No
This is the end of the page

187
Once you have answered all the questions, please click "Next" or "Navigate" on the sidebar
to proceed with the application.

Location
This section aims to identify the purpose and design of the project. The information provided
should be clear and concise, to allow the reviewer to understand the reasons why and how
the project is being done.
Begin section
Purpose and Design of the Project
Page 7 of 13
B8 What is the rationale for your project?
Despite sector commitment to sustainable goals: protecting the environment, greater
equality, the fashion industry is contributing to a worsening rather than improving global
situation. Garment production is labour intensive; factories are often located in low wage, low
regulation countries with inadequate pay and working conditions, whilst in the United
Kingdom economic goals have resulted in a decrease in the average price of a garment and
increase in the number of garments sold.

Sustainability is a global issue demanding urgent attention. ‘…today’s development needs

must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. (Brundtland
Report, 1987:16) Its ‘call for action’ was for global co-operation to achieve socially and
environmentally sustainable growth. It also identified the significance of communication.
Unless we are able to translate our words into a language that can reach the minds and
hearts of people young and old, we shall not be able to undertake the extensive social
changes needed to correct the course of development. (Brundtland, 1987:8)

Millennials are the main consumers of fast fashion, whilst they generally prefer to buy
sustainable products; there is little explanation of why this does not extend to their fashion
consumption. This research will address this gap by examining the motivation behind buying
clothes and examining their understanding of any connection between fashion and
sustainability.

An analysis of content, style and channels of communication that millennials respond to

positively, will be used alongside existing sustainable communication guidelines to create a
sustainable message tailored for millennial fashion consumers.

The importance of this research is to create guidelines that encourage mainstream fashion
brands to practice and communicate sustainability more effectively. It will also address the
impact of the fast fashion continuum on millennials themselves.
Reference
World Commission on Environment and Development 1987 Report of the World Commission
on Environment and Development: Our Common Future (Brundtland Report),

B9 What is the aim of your project?

To establish guidelines for fast-fashion businesses that optimise the communication of
sustainability to young people
B10 What are your project objectives/questions?
To evaluate fast-fashion consumption and its impact on sustainability.
To examine fast fashion business and communication.
To analyse sustainability communication between fast-fashion brands and millennial
consumers.
To develop guidelines to optimise the communication of sustainability to millennials.
B11 Please describe the methodology
Literature review primarily based on current literature including journals and reports.
On-line survey, aiming for minimum 30 and up to 100 responses.

188
Case studies - fashion brands, analysing stores, web sites and product labelling.
Page 8 of 13
B12 Please describe the methods of data collection
On-line Survey
A survey link will be e mailed to Level 4/5/6 students from within 'Manchester Fashion
Institute'. E mail addresses are accessed by me
through Moodle 'Manchester Fashion Institute' 'Participants'. Students that I teach (L3) have
been removed from the 'Participants' list and will not be contacted.
The survey begins with a Participant Information Sheet, then a Consent Form. The Consent
form explains that the survey is completed voluntarily and that they can stop at any point
without any negative consequences. Participants are advised that they are
consenting by completing the survey. Both documents explain that data collected is
confidential and anonymous.
The respondents will be asked to complete 20 questions beginning with general information
about age and gender and then how they shop and wear clothes.
They will be asked to select from the following age categories:- 18-24, 25-30, 31 or above.
The main focus of the research is on Generation Z - up to 24 years of age. Other age
categories will be analysed separately.
Participants are asked to select from the following genders:- Male, Female, Other, to
determine any differences between them in shopping and wearing clothes.
There will be quantitative questions such as how frequently they purchase new items and
how much they spend on clothes a week or month, and qualitative ones such as what do
they know about how their clothes are made.
The findings will not represent young people in the UK as they will all be university students
from within the Manchester Fashion Institute at MMU.

The data will be analysed on site at MMU or at my home. data will be stored on a password
protected secure MMU lap top, and secure MMU network data storage.

Case Studies
The focus of the case studies is to analyse communication about sustainability between
significant (as identified through the survey responses) fast fashion brands and their
customers. This may be an online brand such as Boohoo, in which case the analysis will
focus on their web site, or a ‘bricks & mortar’ retailer such as H & M where both the web site
and stores will be analysed. In all cases analysis of product labelling will also be included.
An investigation into how some ‘non’ fast fashion, more sustainable, brands
communicate sustainability will provide insight into forming the guidelines for this research.
The investigation is to evaluate methods, style and content of brand communication, and will
be completed over a period of a several weeks to assess patterns, frequency and trends.

B13 Please describe your methods of data analysis

Quantitative data will be analysed with descriptive statistics using SPSS and qualitative
data with thematic analysis using NVIVO.
B14 Please upload your project protocol
Type Document Name File Name Version Date Version Size
Project Protocol Noelle Hatley Final RD1 Noelle Hatley Final RD1.docx 04/07/2018 Final
23.8 KB
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Risk
Page 9 of 13
C1 Are there any Health and Safety risks to the researcher and/or human participants?
Yes

189
No
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to proceed with the application.

D1 This section aims to identify the access and management of the data within the project.
Begin section
Data Access and Transmission
E1 How do you intend to report and disseminate the results of this project? (Tick all that
apply)
Peer reviewed journals
Internal report
Conference presentation
Publication on website
Submission to regulatory authorities
Publication to funder
Access to raw data and right to publish freely by all investigators in the study or by
independent Steering committees on behalf of all investigators
No plans to report or disseminate the results
Other
E2 Will you be informing participants of the results?
Yes
No
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to proceed with the application.

Publication and dissemination

Funding
Page 10 of 13
F1 Has internal funding for the project been secured?
Yes
No
F2 Has external funding for the project been secured?
Yes
No
F2.2 Please indicate why no external funding has been secured?
External funding application to one or more funders in progress
No application for external funding will/has been made
F3 What type of project is this?
Standalone project
Project that is part of a programme grant
Programme that is part of a centre grant
Project that is part of a fellowship/personal award/research training award
Other
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to proceed with the application.

G1 This section aims identify there are any risks relating to insurance and indemnity.
Begin section
G2 Will you be travelling outside the UK as part of this project?
Yes
No
Insurance and Indemnity

190
Techniques, Testing and Interventions
Page 11 of 13
G3 Does your project involve any of the following techniques, tests or interventions (Please
tick all that apply):
Physically invasive techniques
Ingestion of food stuffs or drugs
Physical testing
Psychological intervention
None of the above
G4 Are you working with a medical device manufacturer and/or a clinician to develop the
product for commercialisation?
Working with Hepatitis, Human T-Cell Lymphotropic Virus Type iii (HTLV iii), or
Lymphadenopathy Associated Virus (LAV) or
the mutants, derivatives or variations thereof or other viruses such as Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or any syndrome
or condition of a similar kind
Working with Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE), Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
(CJD), variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (vCJD) or new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (nvCJD)
Working in hazardous areas
Working with hazardous substances outside of a controlled environment
Working with persons with a known history of violence, substance abuse or a criminal
record
None of the above
G5 I confirm that if Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearing is required for my
project, this will be obtained before the commencement of data collection.
Yes
No
Not Applicable
G6 Will the project be conducted in line with a specific licence?
Yes
No
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to proceed with the application.

Other Hazards and Additional Information

This section allows you to include any further information, sign and submit the application
for review
Begin section
Additional Information
Page 12 of 13
L1 Do you have any additional information or comments which have not been covered in
the form?
Yes
No
L2 Do you have any additional documentation or forms which you would like to upload in
support of your application?
Yes
No
L2.1 Please upload any additional documentation here
Type Document Name File Name
Version
Date Version Size
Additional

191
Documentation
17th april 19 - survey questions 1 17th april 19 - survey questions 1.docx 18/04/2019 2
26.8
KB
Additional
Documentation
NH Participant Information Sheet April 2
2019
NH Participant Information Sheet April 2
2019.docx
18/04/2019 1
14.1
KB
Additional
Documentation
Informed Consent for online survey Informed Consent for online survey.docx 18/04/2019 2
12.5
KB
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to proceed with the application.

M1 Please notify your supervisor that this application is complete and ready to be submitted
by clicking "Request" below. This application will not be processed until your supervisor has
provided their signature - it is your responsibility to ensure that they
do this.
M3 By signing this application you are confirming that all details included in the form have
been completed accurately and truthfully.
Declaration
Page 13 of 13
End of Appendix 4.

Appendix 5 - E mail re Ethics Approval – Susan Baines

From: Susan Baines <[email protected]>
Sent: 28 November 2019 13:33
To: Noelle Hatley <[email protected]>
Cc: artsandhumanitiesethics <[email protected]>; Anne-Marie
Walsh <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: URGENT Ethics approval still outstanding
‘Dear Noelle
Ann-Marie has forwarded to me your email below. Unfortunately, you appear to have
been misinformed. You do not have ethical approval. However, in my opinion,
although it is impossible to grant approval at this stage, it would not be fair or
proportionate to disallow use of anonymous questionnaire data in this highly
exceptional case. The reasons are detailed below. I advise you to print off this email
and append it to your dissertation.
The application you submitted to EthOS in September 2019 was desk-checked and
returned because it gave a start date in the past and retrospective approval is not
possible. As I understand it, you spoke to Ann-Marie about this on the 1st October
2019 and she told you that data collected without ethical approval cannot normally be
counted towards a degree award. She contacted the university’s central Research
Ethics & Governance team on your behalf for guidance. They were fully appraised of
the situation and advised that it should be resolved at faculty level. As Faculty Head
of Research Ethics & Governance, I therefore carefully reviewed all the information

192
supplied by you in an email letter of 9/10/2019 with nine appendices, plus comments
from Ann-Marie and the research officer responsible for ethics in the faculty. I
concluded that the evidence supports your claim to have acted in good faith, and your
misapprehension that you had gone through the processes necessary for approval was
not entirely unreasonable given several factors, most notably an error on the part of
Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee back in July 2018. Moreover,
your actions did not result in harm to participants, damage to the reputation of the
university, or non-compliance with GDPR. For the purpose of an audit trail, my
reasoning in more detail is as follows.
Incorrect information to the effect that a survey-based project “does not require full
ethical review” was included in the July 2018 review of your original EthOS
application. You underlined this in an attachment (Appendix 3). Since EthOS was
introduced all applications require full ethical review. It is not clear why the FREGC
reviewer made this mistake but it is true that under the old paper-based system a survey
of this type would have been signed off, on the basis of a checklist without the need
for a full application. In July 201, the former process had not long been superseded.
Understandably, you relied on this information.
You believed you resubmitted your original application on 18.04.19 with a revised
data collection start date 29.04.19. If this had actually gone into the EthOS system, the
research officer would have done a desk check and returned it immediately with
instructions to change to a date at least 31 days after application. She would also have
spelled out that under no circumstances should data collection start before approval.
This did not happen because the application was not properly submitted. I am not
entirely clear why this was so but recognise that there are currently no alerts in EthOS
for started but un-submitted applications or changes that do not result in resubmissions.
Although ethics and RD1 were officially ‘decoupled’ in 2017, the wording in
Skillsforge did not clearly reflect this at the time of your RD1. One scrutineer
correctly declined to answer the question about ethics, which (although redundant) still
appeared on the RD1A form. The other scrutineer ticked the box confirming that no
ethical issues were raised, as you point out in the timeline.
Finally, comments in your letter and timeline about GDPR are not correct. However,
they are not relevant as the survey in question was anonymous with no way of
identifying respondents, either through information they were asked to supply or by
linking with other data sources.
In the circumstances, my opinion is that it would be unfair to impose a negative
impact on the student by requiring data collection to be repeated. I have not come
to this view lightly, as FREGC adheres strongly to the principle that all research
must go through EthOS for approval. However, I am persuaded that this case is
highly exceptional for several reasons detailed in this email.
Sue Baines

Chair of Faculty Research Ethics and Governance Committee, Arts & Humanities

T +44 (0)161 247 2511

Appendix 6 - E mail re ethics Approval Steve Miles

193
From: Steve Miles <[email protected]>
Sent: 06 December 2019 15:22
To: Tasneem Sabir <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: URGENT Ethics approval still outstanding - Noelle Hatley
HI Tas,

In my view, despite Sue’s somewhat non-comital response Noelle can now continue as
planned. As Chair of FRDC I interpret the email below as indicating that under the
circumstances no additional ethical approval is required. If any further issues arise please
come back to me. Is all OK on this basis?

Regards,

Steve

Appendix 7 – Web site data collection – example

194
Appendix 8 – Shop data collection - example

195
Appendix 9 – Instagram Data Collection - example

196
Appendix 10 – Spanish Inditex Join Life information

Appendix 11 – List of Organisations relating to Sustainability

Action Collaboration and Transformation. ACT - is an initiative between international
brands & retailers and trade unions to address the issue of living wages in the textile and
garment sector. http://www.ethicaltrade.org/act-initiative-living-wages
As You Sow - To promote environmental and social corporate responsibility through
shareholder advocacy, coalition building, and innovative legal
strategies.http://www.asyousow.org/about-us/
Better Cotton Index - exists to make global cotton production better for the people who
produce it, better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector’s future, by
developing Better Cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. http://bettercotton.org/
Better Factories Cambodia – ‘Since 2001, BFC has pioneered a project aimed at lifting
Cambodians out of poverty by facilitating competitive advantages for the nation’s biggest
formal employer, the garment sector. Our rigorous monitoring and reporting have earned us
international recognition as a neutral, independent assessor of factories, guided by the idea
that improving working conditions engenders economic benefits and progress for everyone.’
http://betterfactories.org/?page_id=979
Better Work -a partnership between the UNs’ International Labour Organization and the
International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, Better Work brings
diverse groups together – governments, global brands, factory owners, and unions and
workers – to improve working conditions in the garment industry and make the sector more
competitive. http://betterwork.org/
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre BHRRC – ‘We work with everyone to
advance human rights in business and eradicate abuse.’ https://www.business-
humanrights.org/en/about-us
Canopy works to protect the world’s forests, species and climate by collaborating with
business leaders, scientists and decision makers to help create sustainable supply chains and
foster innovative solutions to environmental challenges. https://canopyplanet.org/
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) – runs the global disclosure system that enables
companies and regions to measure and manage their environmental impacts.
https://www.cdp.net/en
C2C-Centre the gateway for Cradle-to-Cradle knowledge, expertise and professionals.
http://www.c2c-centre.com/news
China Labour bulletin ‘Supporting the Workers’ Movement in China’ http://www.clb.org.hk/
Cividep - India attempts to empower workers and communities and to ensure that businesses
comply with human and labour rights and environmental standards. With this objective, we

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educate workers, study effects of corporate conduct, dialogue with various stakeholders and
advocate for policy change. http://www.cividep.org/
Clean Clothes Campaign - an international alliance that works to improve conditions and
support the empowerment of workers in the global garment industry. https://cleanclothes.org/
Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) - assesses 98 of the largest publicly traded
companies in the world on 100 human rights indicators. https://www.corporatebenchmark.org/
Digital RMG Factory Mapping in Bangladesh – ‘Field workers from BRAC University will
visit every factory in Bangladesh over the next year to plot them on a map and collect the data.
Verification will be crowdsourced from the public to ensure the information remains up to date
and accurate.’ https://www.drapersonline.com/news/all-bangladeshi-clothing-factories-to-be-
mapped/7024865.article
Ellen Macarthur Foundation – ‘Inspiring learners to re-think the future through the circular
economy framework’ https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/about
Ethical Consumer http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/buyersguides/clothing/sportswear.aspx
Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) ‘Our member companies, trade unions and voluntary
organisations work together to tackle the many complex questions about what steps
companies should take to trade ethically, and how to make a positive difference to workers'
lives.’ http://www.ethicaltrade.org/about-eti/what-we-do
Eco Age - is an ideas consultancy, which powerfully aggregates global thought leaders and
influencers to address the compelling issues and opportunities of our day by delivering
solutions, through ethical and sustainable values. http://eco-age.com/
Fair Labour Association (FLA) - is a collaborative effort of universities, civil society
organizations and socially responsible companies dedicated to protecting workers’ rights
around the world. www.fairlabor.org/
Fair Wear Foundation - works with brands and industry influencers to improve working
conditions where your clothing is made. https://www.fairwear.org/
Fashion Revolution – ‘We believe in a fashion industry that values people, the environment,
creativity and profit in equal measure.’ http://fashionrevolution.org/about/
FTSE4Good - global index leader, committed to working with our clients to create the
benchmarking, analytics and data solutions that they need to give them a precise view of the
market relevant to their investment process. Choosing the right index partner has never been
more important. FTSE Russell indexes are trusted by investors in every corner of the world to
measure and benchmark markets across asset classes, styles or strategies.’
http://www.ftse.com/products/indices/ftse4good
Follow the Thread - The Need For Supply Chain Transparency in The Garment and Footwear
industry.
https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/wrdtransparency0417_brochure_web_spre
ads_3.pdf
Garments without guilt – ‘We make garments with conscience and care. By protecting
worker's rights, creating opportunities for education and personal growth, and helping to
alleviate poverty in our communities, Sri Lanka Apparel does business with integrity and helps
create a more equitable society.’ http://archive.gwg.garmentswithoutguilt.com/
Good on you – ‘Good on people, the planet and animals. Good on you.’ A directory of ethical
brands. https://goodonyou.eco/
Global Data - mission is to help clients decode the future to be more successful and
innovative. https://consumer-globaldata-com.ezproxy.mmu.ac.uk/HomePage
Global Organic Textile Standard - defines requirements to ensure organic status
of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially
responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end
consumer. https://www.global-standard.org/
Global Recycle Standard GRS – an international, voluntary, full product standard that sets
requirements for third-party certification of recycled content, chain of custody, social and
environmental practices and chemical restrictions.
https://certifications.controlunion.com/en/certification-programs/certification-programs/grs-
global-recycle-standard
Homeworkers Worldwide - works to support homeworkers and their organisations in their
struggle for rights and respect. http://www.homeworkersww.org.uk/about
IISD International Institute for Sustainable Development - is an independent think tank
championing sustainable solutions to 21st century problems. Our mission is to promote human
development and environmental sustainability. http://www.iisd.org/topic/sustainable-
development.
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) our engagements are framed within
a human rights construct. Whether the issue is direct deposit advances, increased disclosure

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of lobbying expenditures or the preparation of a climate risk assessment, at the end it is the
impact on people, usually economically vulnerable people, who inspire us to act.
http://www.iccr.org/
IndustriALL - Our mission is to build trade union power and to defend workers’ rights in our
sectors. Strong democratic unions are essential to social equality and democracy.
www.industriall-union.org/
INNO (China) - as a non-profit organisation, is an advocate and driver of innovative community
development projects. We aim at bringing actual improvements and promotions to
communities by implementing our creative systems and solutions. http://www.inno-
cn.cn/En/index.html
Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights - is a non-profit 501(c)(3) human rights
organization dedicated to the promotion and defense of internationally recognized worker
rights in the global economy. http://www.globallabourrights.org/
International Labour Organisation – (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and
internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that social
justice is essential to universal and lasting peace. http://ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/mission-
and-objectives/lang--en/index.htm
Labour behind the Label - is a campaign that works to improve conditions and empower
workers in the global garment industry. http://labourbehindthelabel.org/who-we-are/
Nielson - is a global measurement and data analytics company that provides the most
complete and trusted view available of consumers and markets worldwide.
http://www.nielsen.com/uk/en.html
OTB (Only the Brave) foundation - mission is to rebalance social inequality and contribute to
the sustainable development of less advantaged areas and people throughout the world
http://www.otbfoundation.org/who-we-are/
Project Just - With no information, consumers continue to buy fast fashion; incentives stay
misaligned; more fast fashion is made; abuses continue. Informed and empowered consumers
have the power to transform the fashion industry to an ethical and sustainable one with each
purchase.’ https://projectjust.com/shopsmarter/
Rank a Brand – is an independent and reliable brand-comparison website that assesses and
ranks consumer brands in several sectors on sustainability and social responsibility. Our
rankings and assessments are fully transparent. https://rankabrand.org/
The Ethical Fashion Forum (Source) - The Global Platform for Sustainable Fashion
http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/About-the-SOURCE-platform
The Higg Index - the result of unparalleled collaboration, enables transparency for our
industry. http://apparelcoalition.org/the-higg-index/
Sustainable Apparel Coalition – their vision is of an apparel, footwear, and home textiles
industry that produces no unnecessary environmental harm and has a positive impact on the
people and communities associated with its activities (The Higg index)
http://apparelcoalition.org/
Sustainable Brands is to empower more brands to prosper by leading the way to a better
world. http://www.sustainablebrands.com/
Sustainable Clothing Action Plan SCAP – ‘the SCAP 2020 Commitment sees leading
organisations from across clothing sector – supply, re-use and recycling – working together to
reduce the environmental footprint of clothing.’ http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/scap-2020-
commitment
Sustainable Society Index - insight in the level of sustainability of your own country as well
as of all 154 countries included in the Sustainable Society Index, SSI.
http://www.ssfindex.com/
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) - was signed on May
15th 2013. It is a five year independent, legally binding agreement between global brands and
retailers and trade unions designed to build a safe and healthy Bangladeshi Ready Made
Garment (RMG) Industry. The agreement was created in the immediate aftermath of the Rana
Plaza building collapse. http://bangladeshaccord.org/about/
The Asia floor wage alliance - An international alliance of trade unions and labour-rights
activists who are working together to demand garment workers in Asia are paid a living wage.
Launched by the Ethical Fashion Forum launched the SOURCE, a ground breaking social
enterprise set to transform livelihoods for 2.5 million people in the developing world and
significantly reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry.’http://asia.floorwage.org/
The Fashion Transparency Index - reviews and ranks 100 of the biggest global fashion and
apparel brands and retailers according to how much information they disclose about their
suppliers, supply chain policies and practices, and social and environmental
impact.http://fashionrevolution.org/faqs-fashion-transparency-index-2017/

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Trusted Clothes ‘Welcome to the world of conscious consumers, fair trade, organic fibres,
and all the hard work that goes into changing an entire industry,
together.’https://www.trustedclothes.com/AboutUs.shtml
War on Want - is a movement of people who are committed to global
justice.http://www.waronwant.org/what-we-do
World Fair Trade Organisation - is a global network of organisations representing the Fair
Trade supply chain. Provides Fair Trade organisations with credibility and identity by way of
an international guarantee system, a place of learning where members connect with like-
minded people from around the world, tools and training to increase market access, and a
common voice that speaks out for Fair Trade and trade justice - and is heard. http://wfto.com/
WRAP – Works with governments, businesses and communities to deliver practical solutions
to improve resource efficiency. Our mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable,
resource-efficient economy..’http://www.wrap.org.uk/about-us/about
Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Programme (ZDHC) - Zero Discharge of
Hazardous Chemicals Programme (ZDHC)https://www.cattermoleconsulting.com/what-is-the-
zero-discharge-of-hazardous-chemicals-zdhc-program/

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