To what extent do fashion retailers communicate about their sustainable actions on social media? A comparative study of H&M and Patagonia

Details

Supervisors

De Cock, Sylvie

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en communication multilingue

Abstract

The textile industry, and more specifically the "fast fashion" industry, is a sector that today has a negative impact on our environment and society. However, textile companies are now tending to take more sustainable measures. It has become very important for these companies to inform external stakeholders about their CSR actions. Nevertheless, stakeholders sometimes find it difficult to know whether these companies communicate about their initiatives only for profit and marketing strategy or because they are truly committed to these actions. This thesis aims to compare the external communication of a so-called "fast fashion" company (H&M) and a company that, since its inception, has produced its clothing in a sustainable way (Patagonia). These companies are committed to protecting the environment and changing their attitude towards it, but to different degrees. This dissertation examines whether or not these retailers communicate about their environmental actions on their social networks, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as on their websites. This study reveals that, over certain periods of time, the external communication of a fast fashion company and a company committed to environmental protection since its creation is very different. The fast fashion company will tend to communicate much more about its sustainable actions on its website than on its social networks, while the company which does not have a "fast fashion" business model will tend to communicate moderately, both on its social networks and on its website.