The Phenomenon of Greenwashing In The Fashion Industry: A Conceptual Framework

Abstract

The fashion industry has one of the highest environmental, economic, and social impacts in the world. In recent times, awareness of sustainability issues has certainly increased, with companies making a real effort to reduce their impact. On the other hand, consumer awareness has also increased, with companies seeing sustainability as an element of competitive advantage. However, to achieve these advantages some companies taint themselves with the phenomenon of greenwashing, creating a disparity between the sustainability commitments actually made and those advertised. This paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of greenwashing in the fashion industry at a literature level with the objective of creating a conceptual framework to analyse and recognise elements of greenwashing in the companies studied.