Greenwashing and Fast Fashion: An International Comparison and Reflections on the Future
Knorr, Laura (2021)
2021
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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202303213940
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202303213940
Tiivistelmä
This paper is about greenwashing in different countries with a focus on the fast-fashion industry. The countries used for comparison are Finland, France and Germany.
The purpose of this paper is to find out if there are any differences within the fashion industry, and in how far greenwashing will still be conducted in the future.
The problematic was approached by starting with an introduction into the topics greenwashing and fast fashion. Reasons and methods of greenwashing were introduced followed by its impact on consumer behavior and legal implications that might restrict greenwashing. The fast fashion industry was defined and its impacts on the nature were taken a closer look at. Moreover, few examples were given at that point.
In order to have probable theories, the Hofstede cultural model was introduced.
To answer the research questions, which were regarding the country comparison and the future of greenwashing a survey was conducted. The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS wherever possible and qualitative answers were used to formulate possible assumptions about what fast-fashion firms are greenwashing.
In the end, there were no major and significant differences between the countries when it comes to whether the citizens detect greenwashing. In addition to that it can be assumed that greenwashing itself will never stop and most likely change and evolve with time as times change. The majority of the respondents agreed to that. For companies it is important to know that being green is essential however greenwashing should be avoided since consumers are being educated and confronted a lot about this topic and start to get skeptical. A more detailed survey with a higher sample size as well as an expert interview with both firms and experts in market analysis could say more about the future of greenwashing.
The purpose of this paper is to find out if there are any differences within the fashion industry, and in how far greenwashing will still be conducted in the future.
The problematic was approached by starting with an introduction into the topics greenwashing and fast fashion. Reasons and methods of greenwashing were introduced followed by its impact on consumer behavior and legal implications that might restrict greenwashing. The fast fashion industry was defined and its impacts on the nature were taken a closer look at. Moreover, few examples were given at that point.
In order to have probable theories, the Hofstede cultural model was introduced.
To answer the research questions, which were regarding the country comparison and the future of greenwashing a survey was conducted. The data was analyzed with the help of SPSS wherever possible and qualitative answers were used to formulate possible assumptions about what fast-fashion firms are greenwashing.
In the end, there were no major and significant differences between the countries when it comes to whether the citizens detect greenwashing. In addition to that it can be assumed that greenwashing itself will never stop and most likely change and evolve with time as times change. The majority of the respondents agreed to that. For companies it is important to know that being green is essential however greenwashing should be avoided since consumers are being educated and confronted a lot about this topic and start to get skeptical. A more detailed survey with a higher sample size as well as an expert interview with both firms and experts in market analysis could say more about the future of greenwashing.