Abstract
Climate change isn’t a faraway concept; it is happening globally right now. One factor contributing to this global concern is the fashion industry. With overconsumption becoming the new normal and fast fashion dominating the marketplace, the planet faces the detrimental effects of fashion's overwhelming reach. Some brands try to make a difference by slowing down their production, sourcing ethical fibers, paying employees livable wages, and using fewer resources. These competitive advantages often came through in their advertising, setting them apart from their more harmful counterparts. Therein lies the issue at hand. What happens when brands use the same advertising techniques without changing their practices? The answer is greenwashing, defined here as any advertising involving “a discrepancy between organizations’ green claims and their actual environmental performance” (De Jong, 2019, p. 39). This project examines the difference between greenwashing and the advertising of genuinely sustainable clothing brands. I aim to answer two questions: Do green advertising practices in the clothing industry differentiate themselves from greenwashing, and, in turn, do these practices influence purchasing decisions/intent among Generation Z consumers aged 18 to 25? Further, I suggest what strategies advertisers can incorporate to differentiate their products from greenwashing and encourage slower/more sustainable consumption. This will be done through a mixed methods approach, using secondary research investigating advertising and fashion trade publications, in addition to conducting primary research to learn from this demographic firsthand. Finally, I offer recommendations to improve industry practices and to aid consumers in understanding how to navigate purchase decisions.
