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Crafting the Sustainability Illusion : a Taxonomy of Fashion Industry Sustainability Washing

Zhar, Imane (2024) Crafting the Sustainability Illusion : a Taxonomy of Fashion Industry Sustainability Washing.

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Abstract:The fashion industry is increasingly scrutinized for "sustainability washing," a term coined in this thesis to describe misleading claims about both environmental and social responsibility practices. By blending aspects of greenwashing and social washing, sustainability washing highlights the gap between brands' public sustainability narratives and their actual practices. This research introduces and applies the Sustainability Authenticity and Integration Matrix (SAIM), a framework designed to critically assess this misalignment. Using H&M, Inditex (Zara), and VF Corporation (The North Face) as case studies, the SAIM evaluates two key dimensions: Narrative Authenticity, which examines the clarity and truthfulness of brands’ sustainability communications through Instagram posts, and Practice Integration, which assesses the depth and impact of their sustainability initiatives as detailed in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports. Through this framework, the study categorizes each brand’s efforts into distinct quadrants of sustainability performance. The findings contribute to academic discourse by offering a novel approach to identifying and analyzing sustainability washing. The SAIM framework provides a valuable tool for consumers, scholars, and industry professionals to better understand the complexities of sustainability claims in the fashion industry. Keywords: Sustainability Washing, Greenwashing, Social Washing, Fashion Industry, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability Authenticity and Integration Matrix (SAIM), Narrative Authenticity, Practice Integration, Environmental Sustainability, Social Sustainability.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:70 social sciences in general
Programme:Environmental and Energy Management MSc (69319)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/102802
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